London's global art fair Art15 will feature a significant number of galleries from China this year, giving global collectors the opportunity to explore new and innovative works by Chinese artists.
The fair, which was founded two years ago as Art13, with a mission to present artwork from all markets around the world, has a strong Asian focus. Its founders, Tim Etchells and Sandy Angus, are also the founders of ART HK, which is now Art Basel in Hong Kong, China's premiere art fair.
Art15 will be held between May 21-23, showing works from 134 galleries from 41 countries, of which 32 percent of galleries will be from Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taiwan and Singapore.
Kate Bryan, Fair Director of Art15, say she believes Chinese artwork is fresh, surreal and distinctive. "I like the fact that Chinese artists always try to do something new. There are so many unique and distinctive voices in China now as the society opens up and thinks about its future."
Bryan says Chinese contemporary art has changed dramatically from the stereotype of Chinese traditional ink painting, as Chinese contemporary art is presented through a great variety of media, including installations, video work, conceptual work, oil paintings, amongst others.
She says the quality of Chinese art work is also very high. "I think there is a strong Chinese schooling system for art. I visited a few academies in China, and the quality is very high. At the same time there are many Chinese artists who study overseas, and I think it is important that many people are open to new ideas".
One famous Asian gallery to be presented is Pearl Lam Galleries, which have a presence in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. The galleries have been championing Chinese contemporary art for over 20 years by presenting emerging and established artists on the international stage.
They will bring works by artists like Su Dongping, whose work is collected by key contemporary organizations in China including Inside-Out Art Museum in Beijing.
Bryan has witnessed much of China's art market growth in recent years as she lived in Hong Kong between 2007 and 2012. "I saw the art market develop in Hong Kong, it's exciting to see it develop and grow and become more international."
She says the growth of art galleries, art fairs and the expansion of international auction houses into China all contributed towards China's art collection culture, and accompanying the trend is a growth of high quality art work, which is now in demand with many international collectors, because they are seen as fresh and different. And as not all collectors can go to China, opportunities to buy Chinese art at fairs like Art15 become valuable.
Bryan says Chinese art is becoming increasingly widely understood internationally, and at the same time she has also observed a changing attitude towards artists in China.
"I met lots of young Chinese artists. Their parents are not delighted that they have become artists, but are not angry either. Ten years ago they would not have been taken seriously by the community, but now so many Chinese artists are household names and the Chinese government also supports them."
ADVERTISING3 3 She says she loves Chinese art for their authenticity. "They approach things in a different way than we have done in the West. The tradition of oil painting has been completely transformed in the hands of Chinese artists. It is because they haven't had hundreds of years of oil painting, so they are not bound down by the weight of history and tradition so they can do things differently".
Art15 will take place in Olympia, London, 21- 23 May 2015.
