One hundred and forty premium galleries with 78 from overseas locations including the USA, Europe, and across Asia came to this year’s show to break into the Asia art market and build relationships with Asian collectors.

Art Taipei 2013

During the 5-day fair, some galleries saw sales of over NT $100 million. Aside from Taiwan’s own sharp-eyed collectors, the fair had participation from buyers from China, Japan, Korea, and across Southeast Asia, establishing its importance as an arts platform in the Asia Pacific region.

Of note: Japan’s Whitestone Gallery sold more than 20 of Yayoi Kusama’s artworks for sales of over $2 million USD; Taiwan’s Modern Art Gallery, which presented Han-Chinese modern master Liu Kuo-Sung’s solo exhibition, sold several pieces for a total of $1.2 million USD; and Imavision Gallery’s works from sculptor Katsura Funakoshi received a lot of attention and sold for NT $9.3 million ($300,000 USD).

Art Taipei 2013

A highly diverse range of artworks was on display this year including contemporary art and masterworks along with new media installations. First time Art Taipei exhibitor Ms Kwai, Director of Hong Kong’s Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, says, “Taiwanese collectors are of the highest quality, especially in terms of their deep understanding of new media works. I was very surprised to see how knowledgeable they were in this area.”

Live painting performance by Chiaki Kohara

Fans lined up to meet with world-renowned Japanese photographer Moriyama Daido, who was at Art Taipei to present his “Farewell, Photography” series and to give a lecture.

Japanese photographer Moriyama Daido’s “Farewell, Photography” exhibit

The eight artists from the MIT New Artists section also saw great success at Art Taipei. Chang Teng-yuan, Huang Wan-ling, and Hsieh Yi-ju all sold works at the show, and pieces from Chang Chuan-lun and Chang Yung-ta received a very warm reception from collectors and museums. Hong Kong artist Kingsley Ng showcased his new media installation built from an antique French loom, which explores concepts of capitalism and economic survival in the contemporary world. Filipino artist Miguel Aquilizan’s animal sculptures, meanwhile, were a favourite among Taiwan collectors, with every piece being sold.

Hong Kong artist Kingsley Ng’s media installation

Since its establishment in 1992, Art Taipei has persisted through the efforts of the Taiwan Art Gallery Association along with the local gallery community. Director of Longmen Arts Project Lily Lee says, “Art Taipei plays an influential and irreplaceable role in the Asian art market. The show’s professionalism and significance is irrefutable.”

Art Taipei 2013

The success of Art Taipei 2013 is seen not only in the sales volume and exhibition scale, but also in its potential across all levels of the market.

Next year, the organisers have promised a fair of an even bigger scale.

Top image: Live graffiti performance by Bounce

Art Taipei
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