Fotan 2010 – a growing cluster of art studios in Hong Kong

HONG KONG ART STUDIOS

Fo Tan is a place that you might not be able to name straight away when speaking of Hong Kong’s local art. However, this fading industrial district is home to more than 50 art studios and 180 artists. Each year in January many of Fo Tan’s artists invite outsiders into their studios to show their work as well as to exchange ideas and dialogue.

Fotanian Open Studio Programme 2010  which showcases artwork of a multitude of media, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, mixed media, printmaking, installations, photographic and video works, is the eighth incarnation of the event.

This year CNNGo takes a peek inside some of the studios and interviews the artists about their experience of Fotan.

Chow Chun Fai at Studio 1023: “Fotanian follows no rules. It’s a natural process. People come and go. It renews itself.”

Homan Ho at G16: “Fotanian is coming together to be able to dream together, even if we still need that day job.”

Sculpture and furniture designer Homan Ho is sitting in front of the bookshelf he made for G16, the unofficial café of this year’s Fotanian event.

Installation artist Samuel Adam Swope (left) and painter Sarah Lai share the studio “just like honey.”

Swope: “People think Fotanian is a festival. I think it’s more like a carnival. You know, more casual. For all walks of life to have fun.”
Lai: “Fotanian is like your private space within a family.”

For more, please visit CCNGo

If you were not able to visit during the open studio event  and CNN’s report is not enough for you, you can arrange your own visit at any time during the year by taking a look at the website Fotanian.com. Here you will find a map and a complete list of artists, the location of their studios and contact details.

 LLH

Related Posts:

• {Inter}Viewing Possession with Leung Chi Wo, Hong Kong artist at Asia Art Archive – interview
• Is Singapore threatening Hong Kong as next Asian art mecca? Wall Street Journal
• Embedding the Bed in Public Space – interview Hong Kong artist and ParaSite director Tim Li
• Sound art, trickery and time – interview Hong Kong new media artist Chilai Howard Cheng