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Selling city on contemporary art
June 2, 2010, Wednesday
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Well-off Hangzhou is famous for traditional Chinese art, and many people have sniffed at contemporary works. A recent art fair tries to change attitudes and build a market. Xu Wenwen reports.
Hangzhou strongly supports the arts and cultural industry, and not just traditional Chinese arts. Many exhibitions today feature art of all kinds from China and abroad.
But contemporary art is an acquired taste in the city that is known as a showplace of ancient tradition.
"Two years ago, Hangzhou people turned up their nose at contemporary art," says Li Xitian, executive supervisor of the just-concluded third Hangzhou Art Fair, which was deemed an improvement over past years and a satisfactory event.
"Some doubted if these collections were art at all, and some even said promoting this kind of art would ruin Hangzhou as a traditional cultural city," he says.
The six-day fair that ended Monday attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the Hangzhou Peace International Convention and Exhibition Center, far more than in the past.
It was co-organized with the Italian Artists League, which set up a major exhibition area for contemporary Italian art.
The event featured more than 5,000 contemporary art works presented by 38 art organizations. They included the works of 150 artists from China and abroad, covering painting, printing, sculpture, photography and digital art.
Most of the 38 exhibitors made some deals or received orders, an improvement over past years, organizers say.
In the past two years most visitors were artists or art students; this year the attendance was much broader, and many people were willing to buy 20-yuan (US$2.93) tickets.
The aim of the fair is to promote high-end contemporary art to the public.
"We're gradually helping Hangzhou people understand this art," says Li. "Hangzhou doesn't lack an atmosphere for the arts, but there's been a lack of promoting contemporary art, so we're trying to fill the void."
The Italian Artists' League brought more than 300 works from Italy, including some from the Italian Museum and the Venice Biennale.
Works from other countries included glass art and sculpture; East-meets-West works integrating traditional Chinese elements with Western abstract art created by well-known artist Su Xiaobai, who lives in Germany; and impressive bronze sculptures created by artists from China.
Though local people are becoming familiar with contemporary art, many exhibitors say Hangzhou people are too "leisurely" and in no hurry to buy.
"Shanghai people rush into a fair, pick something up, buy it and leave, but for Hangzhou people, it's like wandering in a park and observing," says exhibitor Michelle Tang, who frequently attends Shanghai art fairs.
"Many Hangzhou enterprises are interested in investing in artwork but ordinary people are not so enthusiastic," says Hangzhou artist Tang Xuegen.
For the past three years Sophie Gu, a teacher at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, has taken her students to the fair and she says it's improving. But prices still scare many people away.
In the exhibitions, works priced over 10,000 yuan were common and those priced over 100,000 yuan were not rare.
In one book, A4-sized prints of sketches by a famous artist cost 800 yuan; framed prints cost 1,500 yuan. The exhibitor says those prices are relatively low.
The Zendai Art S-Supermarket, a Shanghai market selling inexpensive art, only sold six works with an average price of 3,000 yuan, according to employees.
"We're here mainly to promote the brand and recruit local artists' works - sales are second," says exhibitor Danya Yang from Zendai. "Although Hangzhou has a great number of artists, the market needs cultivation.
"Compared to cities like Shanghai and Beijing, Hangzhou's contemporary art market is just beginning. It takes time to win local people's attention and acceptance," says Li, the fair's executive supervisor.
Hangzhou strongly supports the arts and cultural industry, and not just traditional Chinese arts. Many exhibitions today feature art of all kinds from China and abroad.
But contemporary art is an acquired taste in the city that is known as a showplace of ancient tradition.
"Two years ago, Hangzhou people turned up their nose at contemporary art," says Li Xitian, executive supervisor of the just-concluded third Hangzhou Art Fair, which was deemed an improvement over past years and a satisfactory event.
"Some doubted if these collections were art at all, and some even said promoting this kind of art would ruin Hangzhou as a traditional cultural city," he says.
The six-day fair that ended Monday attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the Hangzhou Peace International Convention and Exhibition Center, far more than in the past.
It was co-organized with the Italian Artists League, which set up a major exhibition area for contemporary Italian art.
The event featured more than 5,000 contemporary art works presented by 38 art organizations. They included the works of 150 artists from China and abroad, covering painting, printing, sculpture, photography and digital art.
Most of the 38 exhibitors made some deals or received orders, an improvement over past years, organizers say.
In the past two years most visitors were artists or art students; this year the attendance was much broader, and many people were willing to buy 20-yuan (US$2.93) tickets.
The aim of the fair is to promote high-end contemporary art to the public.
"We're gradually helping Hangzhou people understand this art," says Li. "Hangzhou doesn't lack an atmosphere for the arts, but there's been a lack of promoting contemporary art, so we're trying to fill the void."
The Italian Artists' League brought more than 300 works from Italy, including some from the Italian Museum and the Venice Biennale.
Works from other countries included glass art and sculpture; East-meets-West works integrating traditional Chinese elements with Western abstract art created by well-known artist Su Xiaobai, who lives in Germany; and impressive bronze sculptures created by artists from China.
Though local people are becoming familiar with contemporary art, many exhibitors say Hangzhou people are too "leisurely" and in no hurry to buy.
"Shanghai people rush into a fair, pick something up, buy it and leave, but for Hangzhou people, it's like wandering in a park and observing," says exhibitor Michelle Tang, who frequently attends Shanghai art fairs.
"Many Hangzhou enterprises are interested in investing in artwork but ordinary people are not so enthusiastic," says Hangzhou artist Tang Xuegen.
For the past three years Sophie Gu, a teacher at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, has taken her students to the fair and she says it's improving. But prices still scare many people away.
In the exhibitions, works priced over 10,000 yuan were common and those priced over 100,000 yuan were not rare.
In one book, A4-sized prints of sketches by a famous artist cost 800 yuan; framed prints cost 1,500 yuan. The exhibitor says those prices are relatively low.
The Zendai Art S-Supermarket, a Shanghai market selling inexpensive art, only sold six works with an average price of 3,000 yuan, according to employees.
"We're here mainly to promote the brand and recruit local artists' works - sales are second," says exhibitor Danya Yang from Zendai. "Although Hangzhou has a great number of artists, the market needs cultivation.
"Compared to cities like Shanghai and Beijing, Hangzhou's contemporary art market is just beginning. It takes time to win local people's attention and acceptance," says Li, the fair's executive supervisor.
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