Jing Daily’s Top Posts for the Week#
In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of February 14-18:
Hong Kong-Listed Luxury Brands Faring Best In Mainland China: More To Come?
In the wake of the recent Chinese New Year holiday, during which luxury brands recorded impressive sales in mainland China and Hong Kong, Aaron Fischer, regional head of consumer research at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets, tells CNBC this week that he believes Hong Kong-listed retailers are best positioned to capture the mainland’s demand for high-end merchandise. Pointing out examples such as Emperor Watch & Jewellery, cosmetics retailer SaSa International, department store operator Parkson Retail, and the French cosmetics chain L’Occitane, Fischer notes that these Hong Kong-listed companies are likely to benefit greatly from growing spending power in the Chinese mainland, since “a greater percentage of their earnings are derived from Chinese customers.”
Additionally, their mid to high-end product mix “offers accessibility to a wider range of consumers,” including the country’s rapidly growing middle class.
Exclusive Interview: Hao Sheng, Curator (Fresh Ink: Ten Takes On Chinese Tradition)
JD: There’s quite a multiplicity of voices represented in this show. Could you talk a bit about the range of production strategies on view here, and perhaps the range of perspectives they reflect?
HS: Even though we called it Fresh Ink and the title may give the impression that we are emphasizing ink painting, when you look at the artists you will find many different strategies. The diversity of their reactions came from their particular art making practice but also came from the different responses they had to the artwork. Liu Dan’s work is not just a two dimensional, ink painting on paper, but a complex installation of ten works of art surrounding the rock in the middle. Though it is ink painting on paper, it is actually very complex. When visitors came, they were struck at how diverse the show was even with two pieces that initially look very similar, such as Xu Bing’s print and Qiu Ting’s ink painting. [Once] visitors realized the different ways they were created, it came as a revelation.
The artists were thinking very carefully not only about the work of art but also how to engage the audience. I think this really comes through in their choice of material and the formats of their installations.
Auction Wrap-Up: Chinese Artists Beat Estimates In London
This week, Sotheby’s and Christie’s held a series of Contemporary and Post-War art auctions in London. Reflecting the ascendance of top-tier Chinese artists into the upper echelons of the art world, works by Beijing-based artist Ai Weiwei and France-based painter Yan Pei Ming were auctioned alongside pieces by the likes of Andy Warhol, Andreas Gursky, Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Also reflecting an art world trend that has only picked up steam over the last two years, these works by Ai (”Sunflower Seeds”, sold at Sotheby’s) and Yan (”Grand Timonier”, sold at Christie’s) handily beat estimates, with prices driven up by intense telephone bidding from Asian collectors.
As Jing Daily wrote earlier this week, Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” sold to an anonymous bidder for £349,250 (US$560,476), nearly three times its high estimate of £120,000.
Michelin Star Chefs, The Pourcel Brothers Looking To Build A Brand Within China
French restaurateurs the Pourcel brothers are not new to Shanghai, having previously opened Sens & Bund in 2004 and providing an authentic French gastronomical experience to the 650-850 guests who visited 6SENS, their restaurant at the 2010 Shanghai Expo’s French pavilion. Towards the middle of the Expo run, the Pourcel brothers decided that “[Shanghai] is well prepared for French dining,” and last August the pair opened Maison Pourcel. Located in the city’s French Concession area, Maison Pourcel features a refined dining experience and a more elaborate menu.
Maison Pourcel pares down the Expo experience to an elegant two-level restaurant, providing private rooms to cater to businesspeople and fine dinner dining on the 8th floor, and lunch, afternoon tea, and a nighttime lounge offering tapas on the 6th floor.
Chloé Readies Shanghai Runway Show, Launches Chinese-Language Blog
On February 25, the French luxury brand Chloé will launch its largest-ever runway show in China, debuting its Spring 2011 line at the Shanghai Expo Center. Organized to commemorate Chloé’s fifth anniversary in China (which recently saw the release of a limited-edition, China-only handbag), the upcoming runway show will also be simulcast online, marking the first time Chloé has used webcasting for one of its seasonal collections.
Also in celebration of the brand’s fifth anniversary, Chloé recently launched an interactive Chinese-language blog, “Je Suis Chloé” (http://www.jesuischloe.com/), which lets visitors vote on their favorite supermodels, see behind-the-scenes footage, and register to watch the red carpet activities and runway show in real-time on February 25.