10 Fun Facts about Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong

As Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong celebrates its 10^th edition in 2023, we would like to take you on a trip down memory lane where we look back on some of our proudest achievements in Hong Kong over the past decade.  

We’ve come a long way in 10 years, witnessing the growth of the Hong Kong art scene and the Affordable Art Fair family business expanding into 10 cities around the world, including London, New York, Sydney, and Melbourne.

1. Our first fair in Hong Kong took place in 2013.  

It all started with the first fair that took place in May, 2013.  

The concept was simple yet unique – make art accessible to all. We had a vision to connect our audiences to galleries, artists, and artworks, where everyone can afford to own original contemporary art. 10 years later, we are honoured to have greeted guests from all around the world to the Hong Kong fair, introducing them to a wide array of artworks from our hand-picked galleries.  

2. We have welcomed almost 200,000 visitors in Hong Kong.  

You are such an important part of our fair! Despite cancellations, delays, and uncertainties during the pandemic, Affordable Art Fair continues to see an increasing art-loving crowd visiting our fair. With a footfall of about 25,000 annually, our four-day fair remains undeterred in giving visitors an unforgettable experience of discovering beautiful artwork.

3. Our founder, Will Ramsay’s, favourite memory of Hong Kong involves a tailor at Punjab House in Kowloon.

Will Ramsay first visited Hong Kong in 1987 when he was 18 years old. Already a budding art collector, Will has always identified Hong Kong as a city with a thriving art scene. After co-founding ART HK (now known as Art Basel) in 2008 and Art Central, Will then launched the first Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong in 2013.  

“When I started art fairs in HK in 2007 there were only 30 local galleries, and now… you can witness the immense growth in the market over the past 10 years. I feel so proud to have supported and witnessed Hong Kong’s art scene grow and develop over the past decades, and to see an immense amount of art lovers visiting the Affordable Art Fair to buy their first piece of art.” 

“Over the years, the Hong Kong fair has developed its own distinct character and offers a diverse range to suit all tastes, styles and wallets. Our motto hasn’t changed – creating a friendly space for all Hong Kong people to buy and love art, and we will stive to continue doing so.” 

On reminiscing about his favourite aspect of Hong Kong: “I love the small street shops and markets at Wan Chai and Central. 

I still remember having a suit made in Hong Kong back in 1987 at tailor’s Punjab House in Kowloon, which I can still fit into!” 

4. We take our key visuals very seriously, so much that a filming took place at 5am, Landmark!  

A lot of thought goes into planning our key visuals, from make-up, modelling and, of course, the artworks! 

Back in 2016, we (almost) recreated the Abbey Road Beatles moment right outside of Landmark, Central.  

While this final campaign did not make it to the final cut, we were glad to have DJ Kulu as our campaign celebrity at the end, featured below.

Disclaimer: no artists were harmed in the making of this creative image.  

Some other fan favourites include our 2015 campaign, which took place at the Ho Lee Fok Chinese restaurant in Soho, with the King of Kowloon graffiti attached onto the walls. We love to have fun with our key visuals, and hope that you have enjoyed them as much as we do!  

5. Our favourite public transportation is the tram!  

While we love the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, nothing beats a gentle ride on our favourite ding-ding! We love it so much that we’ve put Affordable Art Fair on a tram for many years. 

If you’re walking through Hong Kong island, you might be able to see our new tram roaming around this April. Catch them if you can. 

6. We love our Hong Kong community, and have worked with M+, Hong Kong Dance Company and Sovereign Art Foundation, and more.  

It takes a village to raise a child, and it sure does take a community to build a love for art! With art education as one of our core values, we constantly work with various art communities and non-profit organizations to bring art experiences to everyday Hong Kong.  

Ahead of the M+ Museum opening in 2021, we have worked with M+ Rover, a travelling creative studio that takes students into uncharted creative territory, bring creative activities into the local community.

Dedicating focus to the Hong Kong arts and creative scene, as well as supporting the local ecosystem, we have also teamed up with Sovereign Art Foundation, Art with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (2017), Hong Kong Cancer Fund (2015-2016), TEDx talk with Conor Brothers, and Warhorse Theatre Production, adding to Hong Kong’s diverse cultural landscape.  

With our network of creative partners across Hong Kong, we have empowered aspiring artists in being recognised for their talent, as well as showcasing artwork from disadvantaged or disabled communities, fostering creative collaborations between artistic professionals around the world.

7. Some galleries have shown with us for 10 years, and counting! 

We love supporting our galleries to grow their business, creating an accessible platform for all artists and collectives to share their art with the public.  

So many galleries have been with us since the beginning, witnessing our growth while supporting us with their artworks! On the success of Affordable Art Fair over the past years, Keng from Utterly Art expresses that they’ve watched a tremendous growth in terms of popularity and size, transforming our fair into a highly sought-after event across the Asian art calendar. With increased interest from both artists and visitors in Hong Kong, Keng envisions the fair to continue growing in size and scale with each edition.  

“We’re looking to see how Affordable Art Fair can reinvent itself post-pandemic, and continue at the forefront of providing visitors access to quality and affordable artworks.” 

Linda Blackstone Gallery, who have exhibited with Affordable Art Fair since the very beginning, documents the milestone that they have been witnessing at all the Affordable Art Fairs.

“We are delighted to be celebrating Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong’s 10th Anniversary. We have had the pleasure of celebrating 20 years with AAF New York and 20 years with AAF Battersea, London. As one of the Founding Galleries back in 1999, we are so glad we took a “Leap of Faith” with Will Ramsay at the very first Affordable Art Fair in London. With the global presence of Affordable Art Fairs (in 14 cities!), it really does feel we are part of a family.” 

Fun Fact (and we’re sorry!) but Linda once got stuck in an elevator with a flight to catch home to London.  

“On the last evening of the fair, we rapidly left the Exhibition Hall since we needed to be at the airport by 9pm. Having a fair amount of packages with us, we took the lift rather than the escalators! Cramped between a lot of boxes in the lift we started going down and then…….. the lift got stuck for over one hour with no air conditioning!!

“You can picture the scene. We were all sitting on the floor, waiting for the fire department to come and rescue us. Thankfully Lady Luck was with us and we discovered that our flight had been delayed and so we had not missed it. Of course, that calls for a very LARGE Gin (no tonics) before finally boarding our flight home!” 

Not the best #ThrowbackThursday Linda was looking for, we’re sure.  

When she is not frantically rushing to her flights, Linda also enjoyed eating pizza with the Affordable Art Fair Team once we had packed up before leaving the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

8. We keep artists from coming back – Eleanor McColl, Franceso Lietti, and more!  

Franceso Lietti, Italian artist based in Asia, joined the first fair back in 2013. Since then, he has been in seven fairs of Hong Kong, and four fairs in Singapore.

“My experiences showcasing at Affordable Art Fair have always been great: the support by staff is always fantastic, and I love the feeling of being part of a community of artists: at each event you meet so many friends, be it gallery owners, fellow artists, or recurring and new art lovers. It is always inspiring and energising to be a part of, or even simply visit, the Affordable Art Fair shows!

“Joining an Affordable Art Fair is the first thing I recommend to any of my artist friends.”

“The exposure provided by the fair is unmatched by any other type of events, and energy and art sales are unparalleled.”

Eleanor McColl

While Affordable Art Fair has been growing, so has Eleanor and her family of three. As someone who has showcased with Affordable Art Fair for 10 years: “the past decade has flown by. I was pregnant with my third child at the first fair, and he turns 10 just before this year’s show.”

“I love creating artwork for the AAF. It’s a unique fair that caters for different tastes and income brackets – I value that as an artist and an art buyer because I believe art should be accessible.

“I was on a high for days. The thrill of exhibiting never fades, but the first fair was a huge pivotal point for me in my art journey. I will always look back on this moment and see how far I have come. I’ve evolved and developed my art practice over the years and I will continue to do so.

“I love this, everyone can have an experience here.”

9. We have sold over 502,000 artworks in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong fair has been captivating the hearts of many art lovers for years. Over 502,000 artworks have been sold and made their way into art collections as a result! From contemporary paintings, original prints, photographs and sculptures by both established artists and rising stars, the selection at our fair ensures that everyone can find something special, no matter what budget you’re working with.

Whether you’re just starting out as a collector or have been collecting for years, we sure hope you find your “One True Piece” at our fair!

10. Affordable art fair is 100% female-led!

Over the past decade, our family has grown from a small group of three in the UK, to now a global business of over 70 team members across 10 markets. We know that running an art fair can be hectic, so we always ensure that our flexible working policy and global team support allows our working mums to balance motherhood and their Affordable Art Fair career at the same time.

Here’s to channelling more feminine energy!

Come and say hi to our lovely team members at this year’s Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong. Limited tickets are still available.