16-08-19

Art galleries and auction houses are the 2 dominant players in the art world apart from art fairs. People look at them positively and negatively.

Artist Robert Smithson said, “A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world.” In contrast, art critic Jerry Saltz said, “I see 30 to 40 gallery shows a week. No matter what kind of mood I am in, no matter how bad the art is, I almost always feel better afterwards. I can learn as much from bad art as from good.”

Are auction houses better? “You can buy history at auction but you can’t buy a culture,” said KOL Nathan Mirts. Businessman Tyler Winklevoss said, “Auctions create greater price discovery and liquidity, resulting in a very meaningful final auction price.”

For myself, my art world is all about art exhibitions―no transaction on the spot and the relationship between an artist and admirer is pure and clean. Besides, I try to avoid collecting and possessing, especially when a piece of awesome art should be free and not made a commodifiable object to be imprisoned in a rich man’s house.

Turning back to my great friend Fabio Rossi. He is a gallery owner and art dealer in Hong Kong. He was born into a family of art business in 1963. He has frequently come to Hong Kong and other Asian cities since the age of 7. After completing his art degrees in London, Fabio started a gallery in London with his mother and their business Rossi & Rossi opened a branch in Hong Kong in 2011. Married to a Chinese girl, Fabio has settled down for many years in Hong Kong that becomes his hometown. He said, “Hong Kong is a wonderful place to do art business. It holds every good factor together. It is centrally located in Asia. We have the freedom to express and exhibit ideas here. Hong Kong has no foreign currency control, import and export tax, inheritance tax, withholding tax and most importantly, no complicated legal restrictions on art and antiques. Any foreigner can easily come to Hong Kong. The city is a lovely melting pot where different people, cultures, theories and styles are mixed together. We should be proud of Hong Kong!”

I asked Fabio, “Running an art gallery is plain sailing in Hong Kong?” Fabio shook his head, “Getting more and more difficult. Rental is extremely high in Hong Kong and there is no rent control. As Hong Kong is an ideal place to do art business, international galleries are coming to town and the local galleries are being marginalized. In order to survive, local galleries are forced to sell art pieces which are ‘easily fit for human consumption and popularity’ at the expense of perhaps art quality. In the wake of commercial ‘Poseidon’, galleries will give up the local emerging young artists as their works can be painful and wearisome as commercial commodities.”

Fabio added, “I hope Government can change the old mindset that its art and culture activities should be without art galleries which are classified as money-making enterprises. There must be projects that the Government and local galleries can work together to push the art development in Hong Kong.”

I supplemented, “I do think art galleries have a significant role to play in the art development of a city. It will be splendid if galleries, like London or New York, can be a plentiful supply. People can casually bump into a gallery for free art appreciation in all areas of Hong Kong. Shopkeepers can chat happily with any visitor about art meanings and styles.”

Fabio agreed, “Galleries, apart from getting an income to make ends meet, have 3 moral commitments. We shall help incubate young artists who are not yet famous or popular. Give them an opportunity to display their artwork. Give them hope and courage to struggle. Galleries must also select good art pieces in order to promote art standards among ourselves and to the collectors. They shall curate free art exhibitions which can mean public education on art. We should not serve just art collectors.”

Art must be life. When there is life, there shall be art. Even cavemen drew and sang. While many ones complain that there are not enough art museums in Hong Kong, encouraging more tasteful and civic-minded galleries to come into being may be a delightful solution option.

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