In Macau today, more and more people are partaking in creating or consuming art. But what determines good and bad art is always subjective, and depends on each individual, their language, background, experiences and personal tastes. And the market for art in Macau is certainly limited.
Last month AFA Macau (Art For All Society) took a total of 60 artworks by 16 local artists to participate in the “Affordable Art Fair New York 2013” at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, with the objective of promoting local art products to much wider audience.
The art fair, hosting over 80 galleries and a huge array of contemporary art, provided a platform for art lovers in New York to shop and collect their favourite works at a relatively low price, in a creative and friendly atmosphere.
“New York is always leading the world of art and stands at the front line. It gathers so many good galleries and artists. Too many awesome things happen on the same day!” says James Chu, the president of AFA who coordinated the trip to New York.
According to Chu, the event featured the works of young, emerging artists from all over the globe, and many art seminars and education projects were also held during the four-day event.
After similar events in Singapore, Melbourne and Hong Kong, this was the fourth time for AFA to participate in an international art fair.
About seven pieces of work were sold at the fair and Chu is satisfied with the result.
“It’s good enough. Sometime we don’t even sell one. We don’t have much experience in selling art,” he admits.
Showing artistic progress is also important.
“Art collectors won’t buy an item easily unless they see a breakthrough in your work from the past, and the artwork witnesses your personal growth,” Chu notes.
Chu believes that people should not evaluate the success of the event simply based on the number of products sold.
“So far Macau is not yet a famous place for art, and the art market is much fiercer outside the territory. We have to learn to identify who our buyers are and what they want,” he says.
“Our job is to build up some sort of connection with the buyers and establish a healthy trade system for our artists,” says Chu. “In Macau we don’t have any international agency to promote the local arts. We are on our own.”
Most local artists create art simply as a hobby, or as a way of expressing themselves, and generally prefer not to make it too commercial. However they need to survive too, so for practical reasons it is inevitable that they also need to consider their audience and potential buyers.
As for how to put a price on an original art piece, Chu points out that AFA has its own criteria.
“We consider the artist’s educational background and what kind of exhibitions they have participated in, for example, local or abroad and in which gallery. That’s where the recognition of their work comes from,” he explains.
“Also time and materials are often overlooked, but are very important. It costs a lot of money to paint a picture, like buying large canvas and paying rental for a studio. All this counts,” Chu adds.
As part of the strategy to gain attention, local artist Fortes Pakeong Sequeira performed his painting skills on site at the art fair. His wit sparkled and his striking work opened a cultural conversation with the local viewers in New York.
Other Macau artists at the fair included Carol Kwok, Eric Fok, Hong Wai, James Wong, João Ó, José Dores, José Drummond, Lai Sio Kit and Sylviye Lei. The 60 artworks presented used a wide range of media, including oil painting, photography, paper sculpture and mixed media.