Private Collectors Strive for Youth Market

The contemporary art in China has got a leap-frog during the past decade, due to the worship of contemporary art in the market, the big material and thought reservoir provides numberless inspirations, which accumulated in the past soaring 30 years since the opening and reforming of China. 

 

As a part of the attention of the western world, Chinese contemporary artists got international fames in the 90s, those who became the first group of contemporary artist nouveau riche gradually drove the domestic status to a new era. 

 

It’s not a new topic any more that art is going to the folks in China. In the rush seasons, there’re weekly exhibitions in several different galleries, you always get invitations for a new exhibition show, more often that a new contemporary art product broke the price record in an auction, then the artist comes from China. Within more and more young artists devoting to this cultural movement, that incredible price can only keep a short champion. However, the prosperity has to be connected to the rapidly growing market demand, the big organizational and private collectors are the backbones.

 

While the commercial art galleries are springing up like mushrooms, private collectors are also strengthening their group by absorbing young artists who have not built any fame so far. "We're focusing on the 1980s' young artists because we assume the emerging buyers are also from the same age group who can understand the context behind." said Hong YANG, a Chongqingnese art collector living in Shanghai. Ruhr 2010 did a home interview with Hong YANG,  expressed and shared his own harvest and opinions on Chinese art, artist and markets.

 

 

Before the collecting business, Hong YANG was a dancer in Chinese folk dance in a theater. After leaving the theater, he was arranged into a public civil cultural center which couldn't make him satisfied for the future career, then inspired by his natural art nose, he turned to another life to do art collecting together with his cousin Tianjin, who is an expert in arts, especially on ancient ones. That's why he decide to start from collecting Ming & Qing Dynasty paintings, and Tianjin was one of the most important auction market.

 

But it was not easy to switch the hobby to business mind, he did some senseless pickings in the first 2 years since 2003, which was also lucky that the market has not boomed up yet, which didn't make him loose that much. Then a growing appreciating taste helped him to gain his first pot of gold. 

 

During the 7 years, the business module didn't change that much, only the hot-spot of market has transferred from the ancient antique arts to modern arts. Regarding to the profit, contemporary art business has much bigger growing space. But he also mentioned the personal understanding onto esthetics, the contemporary arts are closer to the current situation, which is a rebellious way to record the times by expressing the presenting societal circumstance. 

 

Nowadays, he is concentrating on 1980s' artists even some 1990s', his strategy is quite clear to rick the low budget market but still full of miracles in today's market. "They are the future!" So he and other private collectors are willing to support them to grow up. The rising of young artists in the contemporary field supports the whole market in a positive line, which is good that they're not representing the mainstream, but full of uncertainties. The 1980s' artists now are becoming popular and getting agents' support, which make them be careful in selling in order to prevent loosing value while they have no personal financial crisis.

 

At least, the market wants artists but not just painters.


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Channel: Expo 2010 - Shanghai