Vol. 21 Hong Kong Art Scene and Building A Community
Hong Kong Art Week, 2021
With Hong Kong Art Week coming to an end, we would like to take this opportunity to look back on some of the special highlights of this season. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year, most aspects of the art market have proven to remain resilient. Hong Kong is renowned as Asia’s central art hub and over the years, it has truly blossomed into a vibrant and culturally diverse city. Consequently, Boundless Artists Collective is incredibly excited to witness how far the arts community has come.
It is with great honour and pleasure that we are dedicating this month’s newsletter to sharing our latest artistic discoveries.
Art Fairs
1. Art Central
This year at Art Central, one segment that particularly piqued our interest and thought was especially fitting to reflect this year’s sentiments was the newly introduced commercial exhibition, “Here/There”. Curated by Andre Chan, the exhibition expands on the hybrid nature of Art Central’s special edition for 2021 – recalling themes of separation and interconnectedness united by the staging of the fair itself.
Featuring 50 works by emerging and established international artists, several highlights include works by Evgen Copi Gorisek, Fan Dongwang, Paloma Castillo, and Zeng Xi.
2. Art Basel
Of course, art week would not be complete without Art Basel Hong Kong. Besides featuring booths by the world’s leading Modern and contemporary art galleries in the fair’s main sector, this year brought about further insights to present works by artists from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Must-See Exhibitions
1. Myonghi Kang: Origins (Villepin Gallery) | 17 May – 17 November 2021
Hovering between abstraction and figuration, the Korean artist’s paintings from this exhibition reflect her ideas of perception, embodiment, and understanding – altogether exploring notions of time, space, and colour. Throughout the colours and shapes in Myonghi Kang’s cosmic landscapes, these elements are amalgamated to convey a sense of exuberance, peace and joy to the viewer.
2. Extended Figure: The Art and Inspiration of Lalan (Asia Society) | 27 April – 19 September 2021
Lalan (Xie Jinglan) was an inspirational figure in modern Chinese art whose legacy lies in the art form known as integrated art, which comprised of painting, music, and dance. Showcasing over 30 masterpieces of the artist’s cross-disciplinary attempts, the exhibition traces Lalan’s transformative moments as well as her experimentation and introspection through her bodily focused art-making techniques.
3. Honouring Tradition and Heritage: Min Chiu Society at Sixty (HKMoA) | Until 6 June 2021
The Min Chiu Society has been regarded as one of the most prestigious associations in Hong Kong for connoisseurs and collectors of Chinese works of art to converse and foster intellectual exchange.
Commemorating its 60th anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has curated a show to present the very best of Chinese art from the collections of Society members. Featuring over 300 works, the exhibition exudes the artistic and cultural taste of Chinese imperial courts and literati across generations.
Auctions
Christie’s Hong Kong Spring Auctions 2021 are taking place from 20-28 May, bringing an enthralling representation of global masterpieces to the market. Among a diverse range of art categories, Christie’s collaborated with HomeArt this season to present an exceptional and historical group of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Radiance: The Basquiat Show” curated in the form of a private sale, serves as an outstanding opportunity to reveal Basquiat’s oeuvre to the Asian public.
Additionally, among the auction house’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales, three paintings by one of BAC’s artists Pang Jiun, made an appearance to the public eye.
“A Passerby Hears a Fair Maiden’s Laughter in the Garden Ring”
Estimate: HK$300,000 – 500,000, Price Realise: HK$1,500,000