Asia Now’s first edition hosts 18 galleries, with 11 nationalities represented, galleries whom Fain, and fair curator Ami Barak have come to know over several visits to China, Korea and Singapore, “I met a young generation of formidable artists” says Fain. By launching this fair at the heart of ‘Paris art week’ the frenzy of fairs, exhibitions, openings, performances and hors les murs projects that orbit around the Fiac, Fain hopes to educate passing visitors to an Asian art that isn’t just dragons and 1980s stereotypes “there has been so much that has happened since the 80s, as great as the artists from that generation are,” she despairs.
“it’s not too late to jump on the Asia bandwagon!”
She highlights also the wish not only to “start new Asian art collections, but to integrate these kinds of works into important European collections.” That said, the fair is an accessible space, with photography works, collages and young emerging artists on display — these pieces are a million miles from the blockbuster prices that we so often associate with Asian art. Fain is aware of the reputation of her field “I feel like we are all so much more aware of the monetary value of the Asian art market than the value of its artistic scene.” It is maybe for this reason that the director exudes such pride when talking of her galleries, and it is true that the quality of the presentation is certainly high. Leo Xu projects is presenting work by Cheng Ran whilst Aike-Dellarco has brought never-seen-before Tao Hui Pieces, Arndt Fine Art has on display a magnificent tapestry by Khadim Ali.
With the recent announcement of a partnership between the Centre Pompidou and the K11 Art Foundation and this year’s Année Corée-France, Asia Now’s timing couldn’t be better. In Alexandra’s on words, “it’s not too late to jump on the Asia bandwagon!”
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Asia Now with Alexandra Fain: Not just dragons and 1980s stereotypes
“It was born from a very simple desire to share” says Alexandra Fain softly. The daughter of collector Claude Fain is the co-founder and director of Asia Now, the latest art fair to join Paris’ ever growing list of October art events. “It was also born out of frustration from the fact that we don’t see enough Asian art in Europe, especially not in Paris.”
