The Strong Global Influence of Asian Art Galleries (P1)
The trend of Western galleries expanding their activities into Asia has been clearly noted in recent years. For instance, the world’s three most significant art fairs have been held in Hong Kong, and branches of Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, and David Zwirner are also present there. In 2021, according to the UBS and Art Basel Global Art Market Report 2022, the total value of art imports and exports in Hong Kong was approximately $8.6 billion, with mainland China accounting for $4.9 billion and Singapore for $600 million.
Alongside this wave of movement, major Asian galleries have also extended their reach to the Western Hemisphere. Some representatives from Manila have expanded to New York, Tokyo Gallery has opened in Shanghai, and galleries in Shanghai have spread to Singapore.
“Although the influence of Asian galleries has increased, it is not yet significant. Indeed, all of Asia only accounts for 8% of the world’s art galleries,” said Jeffrey Rosen of Misako & Rosen in Tokyo.
Tokyo Gallery in Japan’s capital was founded by Takashi Yamamoto in 1950. While Japanese artists like Kazuo Shiraga and Jiro Takamatsu have been present there, Yamamoto also collaborated with Western galleries to introduce artists and exhibit their works, including Yves Klein and Jackson Pollock. After visiting South Korea in the 1970s, he introduced artists such as Park Seo-bo and Lee Ufan. This event also allowed the first Dansaekhwa exhibition in Japan in 1975. Yamamoto’s son, Yukihito Tabata, has maintained that spirit, visiting the “China Avant-Garde” exhibition in 1989 at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing and organizing exhibitions for artists like Xu Bing and Cai Guo-Qiang in the 1990s at his family’s gallery.
Tabata accompanied Chinese artist Huang Rui in searching for a spacious studio in Beijing. Eventually, the gallery and the artist found a shared space in a decommissioned military factory complex in Dashanzi, Beijing. Beijing Tokyo Art Projects (BTAP) opened in 2002 and now features nearly 200 galleries and institutions, including the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art.
A few years before BTAP’s launch, Zheng Lin from Hunan taught fine arts in Bangkok. After surveying the local scene and finding no art galleries, he established Tang Contemporary Art in 1997 to fill that gap.
Vivian Har, the Executive Director, said, “The timing was perfect. The Chinese art market had not developed, and Chinese art was affordable. The gallery mainly sold to affluent foreign visitors.” Har added, “The galleries gradually moved to the 798 Art District, international galleries began relocating, and Beijing became our headquarters.” The gallery has three spaces, the largest of which is about 3,000 square meters. From there, the gallery expanded its operations to Hong Kong in 2008. Another global financial crisis made rental prices very attractive, especially for its first basement location. Since then, the gallery has been upgraded to a space designed by architect and collector William Lim in the Central District.
