Fotan art district grows in Hong Kong’s industrial area

Forty five minutes from Central on the MTR brings you to a bleak warehouse area housing industrial storage and artist studios close to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Don’t be misled by the lack of galleries and coffee houses lining the street, there are more than 70 artists in studios in seven or so mid-rise blocks. Without a guide it would be hard to find these non-commercial strictly working studios says Conor Purcell in Silkroad magazine.

The first artists started arriving in 2001 and in October 2007 Blue Lotus Gallery was set up by Belgian, Sarah Van Ingelgorn who not only promotes the work of the artists but also acts as ad hoc adviser to the artists,  ” The artists are not commercially minded at all” she says. “I sometimes have to push them to show their work”.

In January each year the Fotan Open Studio event, sponsored by Sino Group, is held and January 2008 saw 6,000 visitors descend on the area over two weekends. There’s no need to wait til January though and the relaxed easy-going atmosphere means you can explore for yourself, take a beer, have a chat with the artists. And if you see something you like, ask if it is for sale.

There is an enormous diversity of work produced in the studios from Danny Lee whose works are displayed at Hong Kong International Airport and Elements Mall to new unknown graduates. Painter and art devotee Christopher Ku is one of Fotan’s long-time residents.

For more information www.bluelotus-gallery.com

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Beijing art districts in Orientations magazine June 2008

MAGAZINE ARTICLE CHINESE ART DISTRICTS BEIJING

Look out for this piece in Orientations Magazine June 2008. Article “In and Around Beijing’s `SoHo’ Art Districts: A Conversation with Frank Uytterhaegen and Pascale Geulleaume” by Julie Segraves, Executive Director of the Asian Art Coordinating Council.

The Chinese contemporary art scene has become a global force with an increasing number of record auction results for its artists and China becoming the world’s third largest art market. The author provides a very useful guide to the various art complexes that have opened in Beijing to showcase contemporary Chinese art.

This article is not available on-line but details of magazine are provided below. You can also try Asia Art Archive www.aaa.org.hk

Pascale Geulleaume and Frank Uytterhaegen

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• Orientations website Orientations is a monthly/bimonthly magazine for collectors of Asian art, occasional articles of interest to the collector of contemporary art in Asia
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Larger sites for art dealers in new art district Pasong Tamo, Philippines

PHILIPPINES GALLERY SHOW to August 2008

While Manila’s Finale Art File gallery will be closing two of its venues – Makati LaO and Megamall – by September, it will be opening a new warehouse space in the quickly developing new art gulch of Pasong Tamo on the edges of Makati.

It will join Slab, also opening in September, and Silverlens, the first along this strip of larger sites.

Finale will open with a series of three ‘young contemporaries’ exhibitions. Leading up to this, Finale will be showing three artists hot off last month’s Southeast Asian auction market: Geraldine Javier with the new Sampaloc Cave Paintings until 7 July, followed by Nonia Garcia 9 to 21 July, and Wire Tuazon in August. www.finaleartfile.com

Source: http://www.artmonthly.org.au/artnotes.asp?area=Asia

For more posts on art districts in Asia

https://artradarasia.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/caochangdi-as-alternative-art-district-in-beijing/