Force for Good
THE ASIA ART ARCHIVE’S ANNUAL FUNDRAISING AUCTION IS A GREAT CHANCE TO SNAP UP SOME EXCELLENT ART WHILE AIDING A GOOD CAUSE. Leanne Mirandilla PREVIEWS THE EVENT
The work of some of Asia’s best-loved artists will go under the hammer for charity on November 15 when the Asia Art Archive stages a fundraising auction and dinner at the China Club. Lin Tianmiao, Leung Kuiting and João Vasco Paiva are just three of the artists whose works will be snapped up, adding their names to such illustrious previous donors as Ai Weiwei, Takashi Murakami and Zeng Fanzhi. “Donating my works to the Asia Art Archive is something I have always loved doing,” says Leung, “because it’s for a non-profit organisation that plays such an important role in preserving and promoting art in Hong Kong.”
Others featured in this year’s invitation-only sale, which the archive is conducting in partnership with Christie’s Hong Kong, include prominent South Korean Lee Bul, local artist and designer Stanley Wong, Indian artist Anju Dodiya and a promising local newcomer, recent university graduate Nicole Wong. The works will be on display at a preview exhibition at Christie’s from November 11 to 14.
Fifty per cent of the annual budget of the Asia Art Archive, which houses more than 50,000 records and runs a variety of free programming for the public, from artists’ talks to tours and open days for students, comes from the proceeds of the auction. Up to 70 works have been sold at previous auctions, which used to be run in partnership with Sotheby’s but switched to Christie’s last year.
The archive is the brainchild of Claire Hsu, who realised 15 years ago that no one was documenting the Asian art world. After finishing her masters in art history at London University, she raised HK$1 million to kick-start the archive. She says the proceeds of this year’s auction will fund “a new digital platform, a move to adopt the Creative Commons licence and efforts to better understand our audiences... as we continue our quest for a permanent home.” In the following pages, seven artists discuss the works they have donated for the auction. For further information, go to aaa.org.hk/annualfundraiser