First Art021 Hong Kong art fair spread across multiple locations with extended programme
- The inaugural Art021 fair will now run from August 28 to September 8 and will be in four locations to reflect its extended programme
The previously announced Art021 Hong Kong art fair, initially slated for July, has been rescheduled to start later this summer and with an expanded programme that includes an outdoor sculpture exhibition.
The inaugural fair has been hotly discussed in the city’s art sector since news that the mainland Chinese company behind Art021 in Shanghai and Jingart in Beijing is moving into Hong Kong after scrapping its three-year-old DnA Design and Art Fair in nearby Shenzhen.
Art021 Hong Kong, which will have 60 to 70 participants, is now set for August 28 to September 8, 2024 and it will no longer be held under one roof at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Instead, it will be split between four locations.
The main fair venue is the Asia-Pacific headquarters of auction house Phillips in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which will house gallery booths on two floors from August 29 to September 1.
The Asia Society’s Hong Kong centre in Admiralty will be the home for galleries showing film-related programmes on those same dates, while the Fringe Club in Central will host experimental art installations, live performances and forums from August 28 to September 8.
Meanwhile, a free, large-scale sculpture and public art exhibition will take place in Victoria Park for the 12 days of the Art021 fair.
Hong Kong galleries as well as those in Macau and surrounding cities in Guangdong province have been invited to take part in a “Greater Bay Area Art Week” centred around the Hong Kong fair.
This means events in their own spaces will be promoted as “satellite” events associated with the Hong Kong fair, which Art021 says can help raise the visibility of local art communities in the region.
However, one gallerist in Hong Kong’s Wong Chuk Hang district, speaking on condition of anonymity, has expressed concern about the high participation fee of HK$30,000 (US$3,850) for “art week”, even if it promises opportunity for media exposure and access to Art021’s client database.
A number of galleries the Post has spoken to also remain undecided about whether to take part.
Earlier, the fair organisers said they were exploring a potential partnership with Art Dubai, the Middle East’s leading art fair. However, there is no mention of that in the latest details about the Hong Kong fair.
A number of galleries from the Middle East and Central Asia are still expected to make their Hong Kong debut at the fair.
The scale of the main fair is also expected to be smaller than the 80 exhibitors originally anticipated, even though the public elements, such as the sculpture exhibition, have been expanded.
Through the display of a number of art landmarks, the art fair hopes to reach a wider audience and create a more positive atmosphere of art appreciation
In an interview before the announcement, David Chau, co-founder of the fair, explained the reasons for the delay and for the new format.
He said the launch was redesigned to infuse the fair with the “cultural context” of the city and the region, and show art in a way that complements Hong Kong’s diverse urban architecture and the everyday lives of its residents.
“Through the display of a number of art landmarks, the art fair hopes to reach a wider audience and create a more positive atmosphere of art appreciation,” he said.
The fair, which is backed by the Hong Kong government’s Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund, with financial services company Sun Life as title sponsor, adds to an already busy art fair calendar in the city.
Besides the long-running Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central, March this year also saw the launch of a new fair called Supper Club, which was held at the Fringe Club. There is also the Affordable Art Fair in May as well as Fine Art Asia, which features antiques as well as contemporary art, in October.
