We interviewed Giant Year Gallery about how they select their artists, what they would do in this year’s affordable art fair, and how to properly collect art. Blog contributed by Jamie Au Yeung.
We are excited to introduce the Giant Year Gallery! Based in Hong Kong, The Giant Year Gallery focuses on the promotion of local contemporary ceramic art and provides a platform for showcasing the works of emerging artists. They also feature ceramic works from the world, enriching the cultural palette of the collection.
Can you briefly introduce the Giant Year Gallery?
Giant Year Gallery was established in 2012 by contemporary ceramic artist Solan Chiu, focusing on the development of ceramics. The gallery aims to promote ceramic arts by building an exhibition platform and discovering more local contemporary ceramic artists.
How do you feel about returning to an art fair?
It must be very exciting to see the art fair again. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the art community in Hong Kong stands strong and finally can continue to showcase the art power again at the art fair. Actually, our gallery has just joined another art fair in March before the Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong and we witnessed the unstoppable art power.
What do you feel most excited about the Affordable Art Fair?
We think we can share our well-selected artworks with a wide range of buyers and collectors. We have joined the Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong over the past few years and saw that more and more people in Hong Kong are willing to buy artworks. It is so enjoyable to see this.
What is the difference between starting your own gallery and starting a business with SOIL (Handmade Craft Gift Shop)?
Giant Year Gallery, which is dedicated to contemporary ceramic arts, joins forces with SOIL, which specialized in contemporary lacquer art, to present well-highlighted artists around the world and can have a more powerful and creative selection to push the boundaries of traditional techniques and bringing this millennium-old medium into the modern era and inject new energy into these traditional media and keep traditions alive.
Can you share with us the curatorial angle/direction of Giant Year Gallery’s next step?
Giant Year Gallery has already worked with many well-known and emerging contemporary ceramic artists from Hong Kong and around the world through holding gallery shows or taking part in art fairs in the past few years. We will try our best to work with other art forms and, in fact, we have conducted art shows displaying ceramic, painting, and photography in the past.
How do you describe artists Solan Chiu’s artworks? Can you also describe how her inspiration comes from?
Solan Chiu is a devoted contemporary ceramic artist. Her creations have become more and more versatile in recent years, ranging from functional wares, ceramic sculptures, and mixed-media works to installations. This constant artistic evolution, apart from being her creative journey, is also a means to explore society, the concept of self and the core of life. People, happenings and surroundings interact on an unknown trajectory. She turned her ceramic practice away from utility to focus on the aesthetic and artistic value of ceramic wares.
What advice would you give to a visitor who wants to start collecting art?
Don’t think collecting art is just for a particular class or type of person. Before you even start looking for works to collect, the first step for new art collectors is to establish a budget, which will allow you to decide what is available for you to buy and where. Start small and gradually increase your budget as you grow your collection, confidence, and understanding of art.
Thank you Giant Year Gallery for your time, we have definitely learned much from the conversation. At the Affordable Art Fair, we completely acknowledge that devotion to the arts is key to being a successful artist. With lots more art to discover, why not follow the link below to buy tickets to visit the fair in August, or find out more about our exhibiting galleries?
Main Image: Solan Chiu, The Island The Totem, Ceramic, HK$30,000, Giant Year Gallery