"Affordable Art Beijing" Will Include Works For Less Than 10,000 RMB
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As many recent articles and auctions would attest, prices in the Chinese art world have bounced back following the onset of the global economic crisis of 2008-09, with new Chinese collectors going above high estimates to get their hands on increasingly scarce works by top contemporary Chinese -- and increasingly Western -- artists, rare Chinese antiquities, and traditional works of art by painters like Wu Bin and Qi Baishi.
Jing Daily noted recently that with prices for popular Chinese artists back on the upswing, a recent survey by ArtTactic showed that wealthy Chinese are increasingly purchasing art -- rather than just luxury goods, expensive cars or real estate -- as a hedge against yuan revaluation and/or inflation. According to ArtTactic's survey, the majority of respondents expect prices of Chinese contemporary art to fully recover from the economic crisis within two years, and top artists like Yang Fudong (previously), Ai Weiwei, and Xu Bing to command high prices at auction both in the short- and long-term.
Good for the Chinese art market, but bad for Chinese art lovers without hundreds of thousands, or in some cases millions, of dollars to throw around at auction.
To serve this demographic, in 2006 Tom Pattinson and Tamsin Roberts started the "Affordable Art Beijing" show, which allows those who can't afford an Ai Weiwei sculpture or Zeng Fanzhi canvas to take home high-quality, reasonably priced contemporary Chinese art. From the Affordable Art China website:
Affordable Art Beijing allows art lovers to take home an original piece of contemporary art and also gives artists a platform to exhibit their work. In the current Chinese art market it is becoming increasingly difficult to find affordable yet high quality works of art. But with works selling from just a few hundred RMB to a maximum of 10,000 RMB the event has something for everyone and every budget.
With the help of various sponsors along the way, AAB has now become the largest event of its type in Asia. AAB is held every Spring in the Capital.
The success of our event in China has led to many imitators attempting to copy the model, with some even taking the name. However, the collective knowledge and experience of the founders has meant that no other event has managed to present such quality in such volume and at such affordable prices. We will continue to develop and improve and in turn will hold our leading position for Affordable Art in China.
Affordable Art Beijing will take place this year from April 24-25 at The Orange at the Village in Sanlitun.
Address: 三里屯19号， 三里屯Village南区8号楼8-3-3单元S8-31, The VILLAGE at Sanlitun, 19 South Sanlitun Road, Beijing