Staff Writer
Not every market will greet you with a sign upon entering reading “Juicy Melons!” Then again, not every market is Natural Selection and not every market has an employee like Dan Ludemann, who is not only an accountant with the grocery but is also responsible for the colorful and often comical signage within the store.
![[INTERVIEW] Phillips Asia chairman sees Korea as foothold in Asian art market](https://www.mecreates.com/story/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/00804758319e454c9c423db5474da8c5.jpg)
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| Jonathan Crockett, chairman and head of 20th century and contemporary art at Phillips Asia, poses in front of Julien Nguyen’s “New World Order” (2016) prior to his interview with The Korea Times at Songwon Art Center in central Seoul, Aug. 31. The global auction house is hosting a pop-up group exhibition, “Briefly Gorgeous,” at the center until Saturday on the occasion of Frieze and Kiaf Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
‘Briefly Gorgeous’ exhibition offers unique blend of established, emerging artists
By Park Han-sol
It isn’t just the galleries and museums across Korea that are joining the art-filled action on the occasion of the return of two major art fairs ― Frieze and Kiaf Seoul ― this week.
As the leading global auction houses have mounted their own free pop-up exhibitions throughout the capital city, dazzling art lovers who are traveling beyond the fair venue at COEX in southern Seoul, Phillips is stealing the limelight with its fresh approach.
Whereas Sotheby’s and Christie’s have zeroed in on bringing multimillion-dollar Basquiats, Warhols, Banksys and Harings, Phillips has used a notably different tactic in its presentation, putting the works of established masters like Alexander Calder and David Hockney in dialogue with those of the emerging creatives.
Lee Yoo-ra, Oh Se, Kim Ho-jae and Annette Hur are some of the rising Korean-born artists featured in the roster of more than 30 artists in its group show, “Briefly Gorgeous,” which runs until Saturday at Songwon Art Center in central Seoul.
Such a blend of art titans and next-generation talents in its showcase reflects the auction house’s reputed role in bringing emerging international names to the market in addition to 20th century luminaries, according to Phillips Asia chairman Jonathan Crockett.
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| “Briefly Gorgeous” includes 20th-century icon Alexander Calder’s “One Yellow Crinkle” (1975), a moving sculpture ― or “mobile” ― valued at $1 million. Courtesy of Phillips |
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| Korean-born artist Oh Se’s three ceramic works are on view at “Briefly Gorgeous.” Courtesy of Phillips |
“It’s long been in Phillips’ DNA to be the house that works on the cutting edge of the contemporary market, bringing new names in our auctions and selling exhibitions… It’s important for us to give the opportunity to artists and use our auction as a platform to reach a wider, more global audience than they might be able to do within their own pre-existing ecosystem,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times, Aug. 31.
“But we’ve also been simultaneously developing our success in the 20th century art market with some significant sales recently.”
In Phillips’ New York sale in May 2022, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Untitled” (1982), a monumental red painting of a horned devil, was hammered for $85 million ― the most expensive lot the house has sold in its history.
“The work was consigned by an Asian consignor and went to an Asian buyer. This means that our Asian client base has proved to be invaluable to our success as a company on a global level,” he added.
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| Installation view of “Briefly Gorgeous” at Songwon Art Center / Courtesy of Phillips |
Phillips was a relative latecomer to the Asian art market compared to its rivals, launching its first auction in Hong Kong in 2015.
But at the helm of its current executive chairman Edward Dolman, the house has prioritized the expansion of its business in the region, hiring more than 100 employees over the years across eight different cities, including Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo and Shanghai. Last March, it opened its new Asia headquarters in the West Kowloon Cultural District ― the largest of any auction house in Hong Kong.
The participation from Asian clients is growing year by year, both regionally and internationally, in all of its major auctions, Crockett noted. “Approximately 35 percent of our buying activity comes from Asia on a global level now, based on the results seen from the last three years.”
The firm opened a regional office in Seoul’s Yongsan District in 2018. Last September, in time for the debut of Frieze Seoul, it hosted its first curated pop-up exhibition in the city, “New Romantics.” Shortly after, it announced the appointment of a new regional director of Korea to expand its footprint in the country.
“Korea remains very important and highly relevant in the pan-Asian stage. I think it’s very much up there with other leading art hubs in Asia, including Hong Kong and perhaps Shanghai,” said the Asia chairman.
The country’s strategic location in the Northeast Asian region as well as its key economic conditions ― existing tax incentives for artworks and openness that makes the import and export of art pieces feasible, among others ― makes its art ecosystem a viable and attractive one, he added.
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| Scott Khan’s “Resting by the Stream” (1985) is currently on display at “Briefly Gorgeous.” Courtesy of Phillips |
And as for the collectors’ buying activities, Phillips’ transactions coming from Korean clients have risen by some 340 percent since 2018. The auction house has also witnessed a rising demand from Korean collectors for works by lesser-known artists, signaling a shift in the market dynamics.
“Koreans have long been pioneers in collecting artwork from around the globe by some of the world’s leading artists,” he said. “That continues today with a younger generation of collectors who are looking to experiment and invest in the most in-demand yet youngest names ― as in names that are new to the market here. This is a phenomenon that’s happening across Asia, but we see it happening in Korea on a heightened level.”
For instance, Scott Kahn, a 77-year-old American landscape artist who lived in obscurity for most of his life, has recently found success in the secondary market. Khan’s “Resting by the Stream” (1985) is currently on display at the Seoul show.
“There’s something here for everyone at all price points within all media ― sculptures, works in paper editions, or unique works on canvas,” the chairman spoke of “Briefly Gorgeous.”
“And the show represents Phillips in a way that it is truly international and also promotes artists from Korea, too.”
A sudden movement behind the sika stag caught Atsuyuki’s eye.
In an instant, using a tree as a springboard, a young Yakushima macaque jumped onto the deer’s back.
Monkeys rodeo riding on deer on Yakushima Island is rare but not unheard of.
In this case, the macaque was a young female, and appearing to just be enjoying a free ride on the stag’s back.
The Camera Austria Award for Contemporary Photography by the City of Graz, which is awarded biennially, will be bestowed on Joanna Piotrowska in 2023.
Laudatio: Mirela Baciak, director Salzburger Kunstverein
The jury founded their decision to honor Joanna Piotrowska with the Camera Austria Award on the following statement:
“We are pleased to announce that Joanna Piotrowska has been selected as the recipient of the Camera Austria Award for Contemporary Photography by the City of Graz 2023. In making their decision, the jurors of this year’s prize responded to the artist’s ability to evoke the uncanniness of our relationships to our bodies, to architecture, and to one another. With a distinctive and recognizable visual language, Piotrowska’s images consistently make the experience of photography strange – an accomplishment that is all the more worthwhile for her masterful use of the medium. The jurors additionally highlighted the generative tension produced between Piotrowska’s black-and-white images, and her inventive installation techniques which, in engaging with color, consistently animate the experience of photography in new and unexpected compositions. The jury gave rigorous consideration to the equitable distribution of funding and the impact that this prize would have on its recipients’ practice and career. We look forward to seeing how the support and recognition offered by this award will influence the next chapters in Piotrowska’s already noteworthy body of work.”
Members of the jury
Orit Gat, freelance art critic, London
Mitch Speed, freelance art critic, Berlin
Nadine Weixler, artist and chairwoman Fotohof Salzburg
Koshik Zaman, art critic, editor C-print. A journal about contemporary art, Stockholm
Christina Töpfer, editor-in-chief, Camera Austria International
Joanna Piotrowska (b. 1985, Warsaw, lives and works in London) examines the human condition through performative acts and the construction of multiple “social landscapes” using photography, performance, and film. Recent solo exhibitions include Entre nous, Le Bal, Paris (France, 2023); Sub Rosa, with Formafantasma, Phillida Reid, London; Sleeping Throat, Bitter Thirst, Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover (Germany, 2022); Thump, Museum Insel Hombroich (Germany, 2021); FROWST, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw (2020); Stable Vices, Kunsthalle Basel (Switzerland); and All Our False Devices, Tate Britain (London, 2019). Piotrowska’s work was included in The Milk of Dreams at the Venice Biennale 2022 (IT), Manifesto Of Fragility, 16th Lyon Biennale 2022 (France); and We don’t need another Hero, 10th Berlin Biennale, Germany (2018). Piotrowska’s work is held various collections including: Museum of Modern Art, New York, Centre Pompidou, Paris, and Tate, London.
The Camera Austria Award for Contemporary Photography by the City of Graz was established in 1989 and is bestowed every two years on an artist who has published a noteworthy contribution in the magazine Camera Austria International and has made an important contribution to contemporary photography. The prize-money is EUR 15,000.
Joanna Piotrowska’s work has been published in Camera Austria International no. 146/2019 and accompanied by a text by Alexander García Düttmann.
Previous recipients of the Camera Austria Award include
2021: Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński’ (Austria); 2019: Lebohang Kganye (South Africa); 2017: Jochen Lempert (Germany); 2015: Annette Kelm (Germany); 2013: Joachim Koester (Denmark/US); 2011: Heidrun Holzfeind (Austria); 2009: Sanja Iveković (Croatia); 2007: Marika Asatiani (Georgia); 2005: Walid Raad (Lebanon); 2003: Aglaia Konrad (Belgium); 2001: Allan Sekula (US); 1999: Hans-Peter Feldmann (Germany); 1995: David Goldblatt (South Africa); 1993: Seiichi Furuya (Japan/Austria); 1991: Olivier Richon (Switzerland/GB); and 1989: Nan Goldin (US).
Press inquiries: Angelika Maierhofer, =(c=c.charCodeAt(0)+13)?c:c-26);});return false”>exhibitions [at] camera-austria.at
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It seems there’s no stopping Fotografiska. Next week, the private museum group opens its fourth branch in Berlin (after Stockholm, New York and Tallinn), with a fifth scheduled for Shanghai by the end of this year. Since launching in Sweden in 2010, the maverick photography hub has become known for throwing out the museology rule book in favour of an innovative approach that combines immersive exhibitions, trendy hospitality offerings, varied event programmes and striking architectural settings. Housed in an imposing five-storey former shopping arcade in the city’s Mitte district, its Berlin outpost promises to deliver the same.
For Berlin-born chair Yoram Roth, the expansion to the German capital has a personal significance. “One of the leading cultural cities I wanted to bring Fotografiska to was my hometown,” he says. “As a German Jew, I love the idea that [the building] was originally built as a department store by a Jewish family. Then during the wars it had a number of different roles, not all of them great, as is the entire German history.”
Indeed the building’s evolution reads like a modern history of the city. Built in 1908, it closed down as a store six years later, subsequently serving as a showroom for electric appliances, a Nazi prison and, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a home for an artists’ collective. The latter’s imprint remains the most visible: the group’s name, Tacheles, is scrawled in massive letters on its facade; inside, graffiti murals nod to the creative havoc that once unfolded across its halls.
While it retains this punk spirit, the building is now entering a new, glitzier chapter. Along with four exhibition spaces, the 5,500 sq m structure has been revamped to accommodate two bars — one in a dramatic top-floor extension by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron — a bakery, restaurant, café and shop. On a tour of the site we pass an open kitchen where chefs are pulling trays of freshly baked focaccia from ovens. A few floors down, in an opulent event space known as “the ballroom”, staff are busily preparing for the opening festivities, which will feature a performance by queer feminist singer Peaches, DJ sets and panel talks.
Creating an art mecca that doubles as an all-day hangout has proved a winning formula for the for-profit museum, drawing 750,000 visitors to its locations in 2022. It points to a larger trend where museums become more like social clubs, an area of expertise for Roth, a photographer turned culture and hospitality entrepreneur who became majority owner of Fotografiska in 2021 when it merged with his company, the members’ club and workspace NeueHouse. “As neither a state museum nor private collection we are tasked with having to cover our own tab at the end of the day,” he says. “We have the responsibility to fill that space with life for as many hours of the day as we can. That’s why we like being open late.”
As well as generous opening hours (to 11pm, seven days a week), the museum sustains itself through memberships (€160 a year) and ticket sales — though the Berlin museum is more moderately priced than its New York equivalent (€14-16 compared to $30). This financial model, Roth says, also gives the museum the flexibility to stage the bold temporary shows it has become known for.
“Traditionally museums are either funded by the state, grants or through private donations, and those are all perfectly viable paths, but they can limit as well as help,” he says. “Especially when it comes to contemporary art, I think the big museums can’t act in a timely manner.”
Fotografiska also differs from traditional museums in that it has no permanent collection, which Roth says allows it to embrace an expansive definition of photography through revolving exhibitions. “Fotografiska is a Swedish adverb that means ‘in a photographic style’, so that concept enables us to go beyond photography,” says Roth. “So we’ll have three to four exhibitions up at any given time, and it’s everything from fine art to documentary work to fashion photography, and some of the biggest names all the way down to emerging talent that’s never had a gallery show.”
This wide-ranging approach is reflected across the three inaugural exhibitions in Berlin, all of which focus on female and female-identifying artists. Taking over the third floor is Nude, a group show that seeks to challenge the conventional representations of the body through the lenses of 30 international artists — from the statuesque images of black models by the Dominican Republic’s Denisse Ariana Pérez to the intense, intimate photographs of naked lovers by Japan’s Momo Okabe. Upstairs the museum is mounting the largest European exhibition to date of the trans multidisciplinary artist and musician Juliana Huxtable, who will present her stylised self-portraits and a new video installation. On the fifth floor, Berlin-based South African artist Candice Breitz’s solo show Whiteface satirises the way white political and media figures discuss race through a series of video installations.
Sceptics of Fotografiska have raised eyebrows at its experience-economy model, and indeed there’s a certain irony to the idea of a swish for-profit museum moving into a former art squat which was symbolic of Berlin’s scrappy, ad hoc creative scene. But the hope is that by mounting ultra-contemporary exhibitions which engage in pressing topics, the new museum will be received as a major new art destination in the city. For Roth, the secret to Fotografiska’s success is the way it has gone beyond the traditional parameters of a museum: “By being deadly serious about art, photography and culture, we get to have fun with everything else around it.”
Fotografiska Berlin opens on September 14, fotografiska.com/berlin
Visitors view a painting at the exhibition held at China Institute Gallery in New York, the United States, on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Rui)
Art is an essential tool to build bridges between cultures and people while China is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of the auction landscape, said Simon de Pury, a Swiss auctioneer.
by Martina Fuchs
LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — Art is an essential tool to build bridges between cultures and people while China is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of the auction landscape, said Swiss auctioneer, art dealer and curator Simon de Pury.
“I believe that at a time when there is great polarization in the world, art is more important than ever because it is so hard to get to know other cultures and other people that we are less familiar with,” said de Pury, a leading figure in the art world, also known as the “Mick Jagger of auctions,” who is famous for his legendary performance on the auction podium.
“Art builds bridges and is absolutely essential to get a better understanding of people from all over the world. Art has a very, very important role to play now more than ever,” he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua in London.
The 71-year-old art veteran was born in Basel, Switzerland, to an attorney and pharmaceutical executive father and a mother who was an expert in Ikebana, the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers.
De Pury started his career in the world of art with the auction house Sotheby’s and then Phillips, before he founded his own contemporary culture company. It is estimated that he has raised several billion U.S. dollars for a number of charities and cultural institutions over the course of his career.
Asked about the impact of COVID-19 on the contemporary art world and auction sales, de Pury commented: “The pandemic has shown that the art market could function very, very well thanks to technology and now it has really caught up with technology and has made big strides forward.”
Art enthusiasts discuss a painting by Chinese artist Yue Minjun at preview exhibitions of art works to be auctioned by British auction house Sotheby’s in Beijing, China. (EPA via XINHUA/ADRIAN BRADSHAW)
CHINA’S AUCTION SPOT
According to a report published by the Statista Research Department in July, the combined auction sales of Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips worldwide declined by roughly 18 percent year-on-year to around 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of 2023.
De Pury said the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong will remain “hugely important” for the global art market. “First of all, Hong Kong is with New York the most important auction place anywhere in the world. This is an absolutely key place for top-end auctions.”
“Then you have every year Art Basel Hong Kong, which is one of the most important art fairs in the world, and a must for anybody interested in following art. Then, the depth of collectors in China’s mainland is huge,” he noted.
He continued: “All the auctions that have taken place, regardless of whether they took place in New York or in Europe, the Chinese participation has been substantial. In some auctions, it has been up to 40 percent of the buying or bidding that came from Asia.”
Visitors look at exhibits during Art Basel Hong Kong 2018 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in south China’s Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Li Peng)
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
De Pury also stressed that he will continue his primary market live auction series, a business model aiming to ensure that artists and their representing galleries receive the proceeds directly from the sales.
The auctions also designate a fixed percentage of the hammer price to be donated to a public or not-for-profit cultural institution or charity.
“The proceeds go directly to the artists and to the galleries that represent them. It’s great to give galleries and artists access to the auction world as well.”
“It’s an avatar of myself who conducts these auctions which makes it more fun, because usually when you have an online auction, you just see the fingers going up. But if you see a little caricature of an auctioneer conducting it, it makes it more lively.”■
Jack Zhi/Bird Photographer of the YearPhotographer Jack Zhi’s dramatic picture of a female peregrine falcon protecting her young has won this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year award.
The picture was taken in California and beat more than 20,000 entries to claim the prize.
“For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans with incredible speed and agility,” he said.
“I love the eyes of the pelican in this image – surprised and scared. The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.”
The Young Bird Photographer of the Year award went to 17-year-old German photographer Anton Trexler for his atmospheric picture of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon.
Photographers competed in a number of different categories in the adult competition, including a Conservation Award, Portfolio Award, and Video Award.
Here is a selection of the pictures that were awarded a gold, silver or bronze, with descriptions by the photographers.
“In early autumn, a sardine shoal at Los Islotes attracted seabird predators.
“Amid the shoal, I waited patiently for the elusive shot of a blue-footed booby rising with a sardine in its beak. Finally, a crash came down close to me, and I instinctively captured the moment.”
“Venturing into the tropical forest, I was excited to spot the rare glistening-green tanager.
“After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid-green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colours.
“I captured every detail, grateful for this magical moment amid the lush jungle backdrop.”
“The sword-billed hummingbird, common in the Andean forests, has the world’s longest bill relative to its size.
“This bird’s unique bill, adapted to feed on flowers with long corollas, makes it a vital pollinator, as bees and butterflies can’t reach the nectar and so don’t pollinate these plants.
“This image captures the bird approaching a feeder, with natural backgrounds and lighting.”
“During winter migration, owls from northern Finland often head to the south where they can find more food due to less snow.
“This great grey owl chose a cemetery with abundant voles as its hunting ground. While hunting, the owl would often stop on tombstones or other structures to observe the area.
“Keeping a safe distance, I followed the owl and managed to capture a fleeting moment when it landed briefly on a beautiful angel statue.”
“The purple heron is a migratory bird that nests in the lake basins of the Italian Peninsula and feeds mainly on fish, although it also preys on mice, snakes, toads and other creatures.
“In this shot, the heron caught a large crucian carp and voraciously swallowed it after several attempts to turn the fish on to its side.”
“Southern boobooks, the smallest Australian owl species, are often brought to veterinary hospitals after car accidents.
“Their large, outward-projecting eyes adapted for low-light hunting make them vulnerable to injury. In this image, Dr Luke Gregory is examining an owl named Rocket, focusing on the posterior eye, where injuries can be less visible.”
“The Emperor penguin breeds during winter in Antarctica, the coldest environment on Earth.
“It endures temperatures as low as -40°C during the long polar nights and 250km/h (155mph) blizzards. Adaptations allow it to maintain body temperature and conserve energy.”
“On a winter morning, fog swirled around perched birds and dead trees like tentacles.
“It was a breathtaking sight that filled me with calm and tranquillity. Converting the image to black and white in post-processing further emphasised the sense of stillness and peace.”
“This image features an abandoned farmhouse in my town, with a painting of a woman and a European stonechat perched on the door.
“I orientated the door to let the sunrise in and used three flashes to illuminate the painting. It took multiple sessions to achieve the desired effect.”
“When observing King penguins, I was struck by how their behaviour sometimes resembles that of humans.
“This juvenile constantly begged until the annoyed adult walked away. However, the fact that the juvenile was more massive than the adult suggests good parenting overall.”
All photographs courtesy Bird Photographer of the Year, you can find out more about the competition and how to enter next year on their website www.birdpoty.com.
