ART HK is held annually in May at the purpose built Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre overlooking the Victoria Harbour. In 2010 the
Fair welcomed 155 of the world’s leading galleries from 29 countries and
an audience of over 46,000 (up 60% on 2009). Exhibitors included the
most important galleries from the Asia Pacific region and leading
galleries from the west such as Gagosian Gallery, Hauser & Wirth,
Lisson Gallery, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and White Cube.
In just three years ART HK has positioned itself as a key fixture on
the international art calendar. Art world insiders increasingly
recognize the importance of the art market in Asia as part of their long
term strategy as the economic and political balance of power shift ever
eastwards.
Hong Kong is the natural location for an international hub fair in
Asia. With its longstanding reputation as the gateway between east and
west, its geographical location at the heart of Asia and its status as
the financial centre of Asia the city enjoys unparalleled advantages
over other locations in the region. Hong Kong is now the third largest
art market in the world after New York and London by auction turnover
and there is no tax on the import and export of art (in contrast to
mainland China where there is a tax of 34% on the sale of any imported
art work). With its shared history with the west, Hong Kong is a place
where people from all parts of the world feel equally at home. English
is commonly spoken and there are world class hotels, restaurants and
shopping all set before Hong Kong’s glittering skyline.
In addition to the affluent and internationally minded local and
expatriate population from Hong Kong, ART HK attracts collectors from
the different constituencies around the region: from Taiwan, Korea,
Japan, Southeast Asia, Australasia and mainland China. International
collectors are drawn by an opportunity to see a quality and geographical
diversity of art not presented anywhere else in the world.
ART HK is a much needed platform for networking for the international
art community and brings together collectors, curators, artists and
galleries from Asia and the rest of the world. The Fair is accompanied
by a packed VIP program of events showcasing the best that Hong Kong has
to offer culturally as well as socially, and an extensive talks program
featuring a world class line-up of speakers organized by Asia Art
Archive. ART HK 10 welcomed some of the world’s most influential museum
directors and curators. Highlight visitors this year included:
Richard Armstrong, Director, Guggenheim Museum
Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Joseph Thompson, Director MASS MoCA
Olga Viso, Director, Walker Art Centre
Elizabeth Ann MacGregor, Director of the MCA in Sydney
Jock Reynolds, Director, Yale Art Gallery
Nigel Hurst, Director of the Saatchi Gallery, London
Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator of Asian Art, Guggenheim
Maxwell Hearn, Douglas Dillon Curator, Department of Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jan Stuart, Head of Asia, British Museum
Shinji Kohmoto, Chief Curator at the National Museum of Art, Kyoto
Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Uike Kamiya, Chief Curator at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Barbara London, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of Exhibitions at the Serpentine Gallery, London
