10 highlight artists at the Hong Kong fair

We know it’s been some time since you’ve been able to visit Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong IRL, but the good news is, we’re back! The upcoming fair (26 – 29 August, HKCEC) will boast a wide selection of galleries and artists and we’re delighted to bring you this preview of ten highlight artists, with works that are perfect to add to your collection. Read on for all the inspiration you need to snap up a piece or two in August!

1. SY Chan – Zone A Gallery

There is nothing is like a photograph to remind us of the small everyday moments of happiness in life. Artist SY Chan not only captures these beautiful moments with in her artwork, but also has a special sense of aesthetics – her training as an architect will likely have contributed to this! Be it a colourful piece that bombards your vision or a black-and-white photo that highlights the protagonist, her works will definitely bring a sense of calm to your home.

2. Ze Ze Lai – Rainze Gallery

Continuing in the theme of relaxing  artworks, we love Ze Ze Lai’s watercolours. She has been exhibited, nominated and recognised with many awards worldwide, not to mention she is the president of Hong Kong International Watercolour Society. While the usual impression of watercolour artworks can be dreamy in nature, Ze Ze utilises her extraordinary skills to command the medium in a similar way to oil paint, while putting an emphasis on shape and shadows. In her piece ‘Interlude’, the contrast between the foreground and background provides great depth of field.

3. Kwing Wing Poon – BLINK Gallery

If you’re a fan of Hong Kong literature or photography, then you should not be a stranger to the works of Kwing Wing Poon. He is a true creative force, being not only an artist, but also a well-known photographer, designer and film director. Previously he was also a photo-journalist for various media titles! Although Kwing Wing Poon is now 75, he is still passionate about drawing and photography. As he once said, “If one takes photo with love, the photo will be a beautiful one.”

4. Arco Lee – K & J Gallery

It’s easy to guess where artist Arco Lee’s inspiration comes from: Chinese calligraphy, ink, Cantonese proverbs, Hong Kong daily lives and the local food scene. The combination of thousand-year-old painting technique and his hometown’s culture started as a way for him to search roots and identity, which later developed into his career. The artist also takes the process of creation as a form of meditation, allowing him to maintain a calm state of mind and a sense of wellbeing.

5. Christina Tung – Cheer Bell Gallery

The flexibility of Chinese ink will astonish you when you look at artist and gallerist Christina Tung’s work, which presents a completely new style within the medium. Containing delicate details, lightness and transparency are expertly conveyed due to the thin layers and contrasting hues. The delicacy of these pieces suggests an intimacy that we rarely see, and one can easily imagine the motion and swing of the feathers.

6. Yanrunan Tong – Art of Nature Gallery

Born in JiuJiang, China, artist Yanrunan Tong’s art series ‘Manjuelong Comrades’ documents the inhabitants of the small farming village of Manjuelong near Hangzhou. Tong’s paintily style less focusses on detail and more on the true nature of a portrait; representing the unexplainable depth of the subject. This, in turn, invites visitors to pause and take longer to appreciate his work. The simple use of paint strokes to portray the faces in Yanrunan Tong’s work is breath-taking and touching.

7. Jie Cui – J&Z Gallery

At the centre of Jie Cui’s work is a sense of adventure and exploration. She does not limit her creativity to one particular medium, such as the two above works “In the seek of tranquility” and “Dialogue” – one of which is oil while the other is acrylic. Jie Cui’s themes range from traditional animal drawings to a marriage of contemporary art objects and patterns in pastel colours. We’re looking forward to seeing more artworks by Cui at the fair, and so should you!

8. Martin Lever – F.L.Y.

We’re absolutely in love with artist Martin Lever’s geographical depiction of Hong Kong streets. The artworks act like a map to show direction and names of streets while the colourful blocks represent buildings along. This representation of Hong Kong’s street-scapes is refreshingly simple, just like his approach to painting: he closes his eyes, then paints what he sees! With striking contrasts of colour and light-hearted observational touches, the powerful impressionistic artworks celebrate our surroundings from a new viewpoint.

9. PLUM – Art Supermarket

Let’s fly to France to see French artist PLUM’s unique style. While the pop culture icons that PLUM represents, including luxury items and symbols, are a popular topic – PLUM uses a unique ‘plumage technique’ to create his works. The feathers PLUM uses are selected for their shape, texture, original colour and curvature; each being carefully placed within the artwork. A huge two thousand feathers can be used to create one single artwork, but PLUM keeps everything else about his production process a closely guarded secret! Imagine owning a PLUM piece of your own to study it’s secret for years to come…

10. Harry Harrison – TavernART

You may not know the artist’s name, but you’ll definitely have seen his works in various media titles. UK artist Harry Harrison is best known for his humorous and satirical cartoons on various social issues, but little does one know that he also creates children’s books! The artist once shared, “I love to try to encapsulate what’s bugging me about an issue, in an off-beat sort of way.” With our ever-changing global environment, we’re ever curious to see how Harry is going to portray the world!

Still want more? Not a problem – sign up to our newsletter and follow along on social media to stay up-to-date as we introduce each one of the Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong exhibitors! And for the best experience of all, don’t forget to book a timed ticket to the fair (26 – 29 August, HKCEC) to avoid queues and ensure you have a fantastic day out with family and friends!

Main Image: Ze Ze Lai, Interlude 2, HK$25,000, Rainze Gallery