The Art021 Hong Kong Art Fair (Art021 HK) made a swift debut on August 29th, opening its doors less than nine months after its initial conception.
Founded by Art021 Group—the company behind Art021 Shanghai and Jing Art Fair in Beijing—Art021 HK has an ambitious vision: revolutionizing the art fair experience by integrating exhibition elements and serving as a bridge to showcase art from the Global South to a wider international audience.
Co-founder David Chau also pointed out that while Hong Kong—with its considerable art market value—has long been Asia’s art hub, the city often places too much emphasis on sales figures. By blending commercial elements with nonprofit initiatives, Art021 HK, which also marks the company’s foray into the international market, aims to cultivate Hong Kong’s art scene and establish a sustainable, alternative fair format.
“We want to change the art fair model,” he said. “Like a smaller Venice Biennale, we want visitors to explore multiple venues, not just the main hall, Arsenale.”
So, unlike most art fairs that unfold in drab convention centers, Art021 HK is spread across four different locations. Chau added that this year’s inaugural edition—which runs until September 8th—is a trial run, and they may adjust the format based on feedback for next year.
Of the 82 participating galleries, 31 are featured in the main venue, Galleries, located at the Asia-Pacific headquarters of Phillips, the auction house. The remaining galleries and artists’ studios are showcased in one or more of the peripheral sections within the Asia Society’s Hong Kong Center, the Fringe Club in Central, or Victoria Park, which showcases curated programs of film-related, installation, and performance art, as well as a free, large-scale sculpture exhibition.
Spread over three floors at Phillips’s headquarters, the fair places regional heavyweights, such as ShanghArt, Whitestone Gallery, and Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, on the lower floor. Younger galleries are placed on the second and third floors.
Visitors were elbow to elbow as soon as the opening preview began at 1 p.m. Lifts to the third floor were frequently congested throughout the day, requiring visitors to wait for multiple cycles.
Notable figures from Hong Kong’s art scene—including Patrick Sun, founder of the Sunpride Foundation; Adrian Cheng, CEO of New World Development; and Angela Leong, director of casino company SJM Holdings—were among the high-profile attendees.
The crowd overall was predominantly regional, with many traveling from Shanghai and Shenzhen, mirroring the geographical origins of most participating galleries. Several collectors and curators from Southeast Asia and the Middle East were also in the mix, such as Filipino collector Timothy Tan, and Lucas Morin, the curator of Jameel Art Centre in Dubai.
And in an art world where fairs are aplenty, Art021 HK aims to differentiate itself by prioritizing a diverse range of artists and galleries from the Global South.
Iranian-born American artist Amir H. Fallah took over the booth of Gallery All, which has locations in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Stockholm. Richly ornamental works by the artist, who left Iran at the age of four after the revolution, blend themes and patterns from Persian myths, miniatures, and Western pop culture. With works priced between $6,000 and $40,000, one piece was quickly acquired by a Chinese collector, while three others were on hold at the time of reporting.
The 7,000 reported attendees on the first day swept away concerns from some galleries worried about low attendance due to the upcoming school day in Hong Kong, and sales figures varied between galleries.
Several prominent Chinese galleries reported strong sales. For example, Hive Contemporary sold a painting by Yongqing Tan for the equivalent of $56,000. MadeIn Gallery sold a third of its exhibited works, priced between $20,000 and $28,000 on the first day. Taiwanese gallery Each Modern sold eight works by Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki for $1,100 each, while works by modern Chinese artists Chen Ting-shih and Yuichi Inoue sold for around $40,000 each.
Since March—which saw the debut of the new boutique fair Supper Club—multiple new fairs have announced plans to expand into the Hong Kong market, including Photo Fair and the African art fair 1-54.
The success of Art021 HK’s inaugural edition could signal Hong Kong’s capacity for additional art fairs, as well as the organizers’ ability to replicate the success of their flagship event, Art021 Shanghai. Many gallerists from nearby Shenzhen visited Hong Kong to evaluate the potential of participating in the next edition.
Others are drawn to Art021HK’s boutique atmosphere. Ryotaro Ishigami, director of Japan’s YOD Gallery, chose to attend Hong Kong instead of Shanghai this year, citing Hong Kong’s market advantages and the venue’s proximity to M+, Hong Kong’s leading contemporary art museum, which creates a culturally immersive atmosphere for potential visitors. The gallery dedicated its small booth to emerging Japanese artist Nobuo Sekine and quickly sold a piece to a local collector just hours after the opening.
“The atmosphere is relaxed; you don’t have to walk too far, and you can easily chat with your friends,” said Huang Yaji, the founder of Each Modern. She noted that the venue’s straightforward yet high-quality design, tailored for art exhibitions, complements its works with minimal adjustments.
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