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 May 16-20:
Christie’s Contemporary Art Spring Auctions In Hong Kong: What To Expect
Between May 27-31, the upcoming Christie’s Spring Auctions in Hong Kong should see the same spirited bidding and estimate-smashing results that have characterized the city’s booming auction market over the past two years. Led by mainland China’s ever-increasing ranks of new collectors, who have flooded Hong Kong to drop their cash on wine, watches, jewelry, contemporary Chinese art, antiques and even apartments and wine cellars in which to stores some of their purchases, buyers at recent auctions in the former British colony have made it the world’s third-largest auction market behind London and New York in just a few short years.
Coming off of the recent record-breaking Sotheby’s Spring Auctions, what can we expect to see at the Christie’s Spring Auctions in Hong Kong? In this installment, we look at the Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art auction (May 28), and the Asian Contemporary Day Sale (May 29).
Gucci’s Low-Key Return To Guangzhou: Missed Opportunity? Or Shrewd Move?
For a brand that’s been absent from a fast-growing and important city for so long, the opening of Gucci’s new Guangzhou boutique shortly before the May 1 holiday came not with a bang but with a whimper. No high-profile, star-studded event, no parties, just a store opening like any other. While this kind of modest re-launch would be par for the course in most cities, it seems to have rubbed Guangzhou’s fashion and luxury press the wrong way. Coming off of a year in which the city held prestigious events like the 2010 Asian Games, according to the Yangcheng Evening News (羊城晚报), many of Guangzhou’s more fashionable residents expected to see major labels head to the city in droves, rushing to open ever more lavish flagships.
While few thought Guangzhou’s luxury market would soon catch up to other top-tier cities like Beijing or Shanghai, the newspaper writes, they thought its growing attractiveness for top brands would see it approach the level of Shenzhen, at least.
Shang Xia’s Jiang Qiong Er: Behind China’s Home-Grown Luxury Market
Jiang Qiong Er, artistic director and CEO of Shang Xia, the “designed in China” sub-brand of French luxury titan Hermès, is widely considered one of the most promising individuals working to build Chinese-style luxury today. Fluent in French, conversant in English, and a native Mandarin speaker, Jiang has, since the official launch of Shang Xia last fall, leveraged her experience in the luxury and design worlds to integrate traditional Chinese and contemporary Western culture and create a cosmopolitan and sophisticated new brand that is distinctly Chinese in spirit and craftsmanship.
Located at Shanghai’s Hong Kong Plaza, Shang Xia’s Kengo Kuma-designed boutique has caught the attention of the media world and called attention to the brand’s mission to become China’s first true Chinese high-end brand.
Japanese Artist Takashi Murakami Talks Art, Business With Beijing Students
This week, the renowned Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami (村上隆) made his first trip to Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), where he discussed with students the melding of art and commerce that has defined, and continues to influence, his work. As the CAFA blog notes, Murakami’s talk, entitled “The Journey of My Art” (我的艺术之路), not only introduced younger students to his iconic work, it delved into the ways artists now can navigate the worlds of art and commerce.
This is a particularly important topic in China, where we’re now seeing more luxury brands looking to partner with Chinese contemporary artists on limited-edition collections.
Ordos: Part Ghost Town, Part Luxury Goldmine
Despite the snail’s pace at which residents have settled down in Kangbashi, retailers are apparently flocking to the city in the hopes of tapping the area’s ultra-wealthy and notoriously free-spending nouveau riche. Noting the increasing frequency with which Ordos millionaires show up at their boutiques in Europe, North America and Dubai, major brands are setting up shop in the city as eager automakers take part in events like last September’s Ordos International Auto Show.
This week, the Inner Mongolia news portal North News takes a look at the Ordos luxury industry, offering a glimpse into a high-end market that is quite literally starting from scratch