Review | Art021 Hong Kong, granted nearly US$2 million by Mega ACE Fund, disappoints in many areas
A cramped space, over-reliance on mainland Chinese galleries and poor installations among issues affecting inaugural contemporary art fair
Those wondering about the size of the grant approved by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund for the inaugural Art021 Hong Kong Contemporary Art Fair – which ended on Sunday with the exception of an ongoing public sculpture display – now have an answer.
Confirmed in an email from the government’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the fair was approved HK$15 million (US$1.9 million), the maximum allocation for any applicant.
The sum, which is dependent on the fair performing “relevant responsibilities”, is the same as that allocated to this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong and HK$4 million more than what was allocated to Art Central, both held in March.
It is easy to imagine why Art021 Hong Kong would appeal to the committee that vets applications.
The fund was set up in 2023 to support events that can bring tourists back to Hong Kong after the Covid-19 pandemic and that can also promote the city as a centre for both cultural exchanges and the development of the arts in Hong Kong.
Art021 has been around for over a decade. The Shanghai-based company founded in 2013 by collectors Bao Yifeng, Kylie Ying and David Chau holds two other annual fairs, in Shanghai and Beijing. From 2021-23, it also held fairs in Shenzhen.
