Contemporary Art

Beijing, China

With the new freedoms offered by China's switch to a more market-style economy, an explosion of artistic expression occurred that has only continued to gather momentum with each passing year. Beijing is one of the best places in the country to experience the contemporary art scene, especially as the country's cultural focus shifts there in advance of the Olympic Games. Visit the best galleries in the Caochangdi area, which became an art district after the celebrated artist Ai Wei-wei moved there. Continue to the Dashanzi art district, a complex of galleries housed in a former industrial zone. Meet with the curators of renowned galleries such as 798 and Long March and have lunch or tea with them at Sichuan No. 6, amidst the arches and left-over Maoist slogans of a former military-electronics factory. Back in the city, have dinner at CourtYard, one of Beijing's best contemporary restaurants, which has stellar views over the moats of the Forbidden City, and also includes a highly regarded gallery on the lower level.

Shanghai, China

In wealthy, bustling Shanghai, contemporary art is big business. Visit the M50 Gallery district, and have private studio visits with some of Shanghai's most critically acclaimed painters. Ding Yi is a seasoned abstractionist with a sunlit studio bedecked in 1930s Art Deco furniture. Browse his collection of vintage Art Deco furniture at his boutique. Zhou Tiehai, called "the Andy Warhol of China" in a 2006 New York Times profile, runs a factory-like operation staffed by numerous assistants. Visit Shanghart Gallery, the oldest and most respected contemporary gallery in China. Have lunch with some of Shanghai’s avant-garde art personalities at BizArt contemporary art center, also in M50, then preview exciting work by young, still undiscovered artists working in international media such as video and installation. Take a private tour of the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) with a top curator. Dine at the spectacular Jean-Georges at Three on the Bund, which is also home to the Shanghai Gallery of Art, where you will receive a private, after-hours look at their current exhibition.

Bangkok, Thailand

Begin your introduction to the Thai contemporary art scene at H Gallery, founded by H Ernest Lee, who is considered one of Thailand’s leading contemporary art dealers. Learn about artists H represents and arrange for meetings or studio visits with some of them. Visit the equally avant-garde Art Republic gallery, and have a private tour with founder Claire Chatikavanij. Have an exclusive studio visit at the home of renowned Thai artist, Jakkai Siributr. While Jakkai’s art is overwhelmingly contemporary, his artistic lineage and significant ancestry provide a fascinating glimpse into royal court life in Thailand, hinting at some of the psychological and societal pressure that meld his art. Jakkai's grandfather was HSH Prince Subha Svasti, a grandson of King Mongkut (Rama IV), the monarch made famous in the Anna and the King memoirs.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnam's contemporary art world is centered on the graceful French colonial city of Hanoi. In the narrow streets of the Old Quarter and the vibrant neighborhood surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake, gallery after gallery after atelier has opened since the national government instituted economic reforms known as doi moi in the '90s. One of the first to avail herself of the opportunity to exhibit art in a non-state-run space was Tran Phuong Mai, a central figure of the Hanoi scene, whose Mai gallery has two locations in the city and exhibits some of the best of Vietnam's rising artists. Meet with Mai and other local curators, and have private studio visits with some of the artists they represent to learn about how this generation is reclaiming traditional art forms, such as landscape and lacquer painting, and imbuing them with a modern sensibility.

 

All travel is bespoke and completely personalized. Please read about how we work, and contact us for a complimentary consultation so we can create the perfect experience for your own highly discerning needs and desires.