Room to show: Katie de Tilly
Being able to support artists in Hong Kong and the region is art dealer Katie de Tilly's dream come true, writes Doretta Lau
On a recent afternoon, a French collector stops in at art dealer Katie de Tilly's gallery, 10 Chancery Lane, in SoHo. Just steps away, construction is under way on the Central Police Station Revitalisation Project, which will display contemporary art after its completion in 2015.
The conversation between collector and dealer unfolds against a backdrop of videos and canvases by Indian artist Sonia Mehra Chawla. As de Tilly talks about her artists, many of whom live and work in Asia, she is in her element. It's clear she has a strong sense of what she can sell, as well as who will receive critical attention. She has shown Dinh Q. Lê, The Propeller Group, Huang Rui and Sopheap Pich. Four of the artists she represents were included in the Documenta (13) exhibition last year in Kassel, Germany.
After the collector departs, de Tilly starts talking about her formative years in California. "I always wanted to be an artist. I was going in that direction, studying art. I did a lot of painting and art classes. In high school, I got the artist award at graduation. I started as an art major at university. [But] the critique was difficult - I realised it wasn't for me."
Instead, de Tilly studied chemistry and biology, and went on to work for a pharmaceutical company. Then she became a director for the non-profit Doctors Without Borders.
My artists are like family. It's not just a business. The relationship is really important; that's key
In 1994, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband. She began doing exhibitions in her apartment because "artists are really sticking their necks out to say something about the world in a creative way".
