AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS COOKING UP A STORM @ ART HK10

Today Artist Profile continued their tour of the 2010 Hong Kong International Art Fair. In its third year and with an increased participation from international galleries, the fair hosts a large and varying array of artists on exhibition. On the floor, works by Damien Hirst sit alongside pieces by collaborative artist duo Gilbert & George. A collage of eastern and western art hangs amongst one another. A mixture of genre, mediums, styles and outputs comes together in what can only be described as an overwhelming visual – and at times audible – sensation.

For the Australian artists and their gallery representation, the fair is an opportunity to extend their international profile as the international art world is, quite obviously, focusing its attention on who is here and what they’re doing – be they from Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Berlin, London, Melbourne or Sydney (to name but a few cities branded for their lively art scenes).

On exhibition at ART HK10 are some of Artist Profile’s favourite artists. Showing with Sullivan + Strumpf Fine Art is 2010 Archibald prize winner Sam Leach, marble fiend Alexander Seton and ceramic conservator come political activist Penny Byrne. Each artist has produced a new body of work to show here in Hong Kong. From Melbourne, ISSUE 11 cover artist Brook Andrew has completed a new series of belgian linen, gold reflective canvases inscribed with text extracts taken from library archives as he attempts to reveal the truths of unspoken stories from our past. These works hang alongside the paintings of Tim Maguire in the Tolarno Galleries stand.

Hitesh Natalwala has proven a favourite in GBK’s stand, with his vibrantly colourful gouache on paper works, who is exhibiting with 2009 Venice Biennale representatives for Australia Sean Cordeiro and Claire Healy who have created images of nuclear explosions with corkboards and pins. Dani Marti has woven a golden delight for the BREENSPACE stand with three large woven portraits created by a gilt of golden materials. These simply glow next to the light boxes of Gary Carsley who has recreated images of the Hong Kong Botanic Gardens.

On a darker palette, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has brought over both landscape and portrait works by Bill Henson from his current exhibition in Sydney.  GRANTPIERRIE allows Lionel Bawden to bursts off the walls with his coloured pencil sculpture creations while Raafat Ishak, represented by Sutton Galleries, shows 2D geometric works on board that give the illusion of 3D. Mori Gallery, arguably the most minimal stand in the entire fair, has installed Susan Norrie’s latest video piece SHOT which adorns the dimly lit white walls. And, by contrast, Conny Dietzschold has filled her space with sculptures of Robert Schad and Julia Davis‘s beautiful metallic stones.

As David Elliott said in his opening address for this year’s Sydney Biennale, “Something’s cookin’ down here” referring to Australia and its art scene. If the artists who are exhibiting here in Hong Kong, holding their own amongst some of the – arguably – best of the contemporary art world, are to go by then David Elliott is spot on. Something is cooking and it smells good.