季豐軒走過的28載 | The Three Decades of Kwai Fun Hin

一間畫廊能夠突圍而出不單單靠名氣,更著重於創辦人對藝術的哲理,才能在不斷變化的藝術市場立足。

An art gallery’s success hinges not only on its reputation, but the founder’s philosophies on art is also indispensable to gaining a foothold in the ever-changing art industry.

季豐軒是一間位於中環雪廠街的畫廊,自1991年成立以來一直致力推廣中國及亞洲當代藝術。直至現在,季豐軒已經主辦了超過百場展覽,連同美術館合作策劃了十一個大型展覽,更出版及製作了三十五本藝術畫冊,確為中國及亞洲當代藝術有著不少貢獻。

Located in Ice House Street in Central, Kwai Fung Hin is an art gallery that has strived to promote Chinese and Asian contemporary art for almost three decades. Since its establishment, Kwai Fung Hin has organized over a hundred exhibitions, and has held eleven major art events at museums, and has published and produced over thirty-five art catalogues. Doubtless, Kwai Fung Hin has contributed much to the development of Chinese and Asian contemporary art.

「其實季豐軒所謂的導向及哲理是什麼?我們最主要會欣賞藝術家有很好的傳統功底,從傳統理念學習,繼而走上當代藝術。」創辦人季玉年女士說。

“What is the so-called philosophy of our gallery? The most important factor is that we appreciate artists having a consolidated artistic background, and learn from traditional ideas, and then move on to producing contemporary art,” said Miss Catherine Kwai, the founder of Kwai Fung Hin.

季女士在一路走來的28年實在功不可沒。季女士一直以來堅持跟從自己對藝術的哲理帶領畫廊的導向,她認為一個成功的當代藝術家不但需要有個人特色,更重要的是有精湛的傳統功底,繼而走上當代藝術。她認為藝術是一種延續,藝術家需要從自己的歷史及文化土壤發展出來。

Ms. Kwai undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in the gallery’s success. Ms. Kwai has always led her gallery in accordance to her own philosophies of art. She perceives that to become an extraordinary contemporary artist, one must possess his own unique artistic style, and that having exquisite traditional skills is also essential to embark on contemporary art. She believes that art is a continuation, and artists need to develop from their own historical and cultural backgrounds.

每一間畫廊都會有自己對藝術品定位或偏好,而季豐軒則由開辦以來就著重於中國及亞洲當代藝術。問到季女士選擇此定位背後的原因,她表示作為一間中國人創立的畫廊,面對著自己的歷史及文化,她會覺得更感興趣,更認為推動自己地方的藝術會有更深意義。當然,作為一個藝術愛好者,季女士對西方藝術也有不少認識,但她坦言即使她努力探索西方藝術,始終覺得對她而言,推廣中國及亞洲當代藝術來得更得心應手。

Each gallery has its own positioning or preference for artworks, and Kwai Fung Hin has been focusing on Chinese and Asian contemporary art since its establishment. When we asked about the reason behind, she said that as a Chinese, she feels more passionate about studying her own history and culture. Of course, as an art lover, Ms. Kwai also studied a lot about western art, but she admits that compared to western art, she finds that promoting Asian art has a more profound meaning to her.

「為何一些藝術家可以走得高?其實如果沒有一個詳細資料,所有學者希望研究他也都會無從入手。因此,這就是我們的下一步,這幾年我們很努力的一個工作。」季女士說。

“Why could some artists reach higher than others? Without formal archives, there is no clues for research. Therefore, establishing archives for artists has been our focus, and is what we would continue in the future,” said Miss Kwai.

面對競爭激烈的藝術市場,季女士認為季豐軒相對於其他畫廊最大的特色必定是她們出版的刊物、畫冊以及文獻庫。她認為有好的紀錄是一個藝術家能夠成名很重要的一環。假如缺乏好的紀錄,即使學者或學生希望研究作品,也會無從入手。因此,季女士一直致力紀錄藝術、研究藝術,希望為自己畫廊的藝術家留下好的紀錄。在舉不勝數的出版當中,不得不提的是為李華弌及趙無極出版的畫冊。一間畫廊出版如此詳盡的紀錄可以說是難能可貴,更有人對季女士表示,她們畫廊的出版質素絕對比得上藝術館。

Facing the competitive art market, Ms. Kwai believes that her gallery’s most extraordinary feature is their publications. She believes that having a good record is very important for an artist to stand out. If there is a lack of good records, even if scholars or students want to study the artist’s works, they could not access any information about them. Therefore, Ms. Kwai has always been committed to documenting and studying art, hoping to leave a good archive for the artists in her gallery. Among the numerous publications, she believes that Li Huayi and Zhao Wuji’s albums are the most admirable ones.

最後,季女士說:「那如果你說回顧28年的過程,我認為很有趣的是什麼呢?就是如果生意好的時候,一切也好安逸的話,我想我也會是那種每一天都過得很愉快,不需要思考太多問題。但我覺得每一次香港有危機,或者有很大的轉變既時候,其實也是令我自己去深思,再想一想我們的前路該怎麼走。」正是因爲季女士多年來永不言敗和精益求精的精神,季豐軒才能做到真正的穩中求變,在藝術界屹立不倒。

Finally, Ms. Kwai said, “Throughout these 28 years, the most interesting thing I notice is that, whenever the market is stable, and sales are growing, I can definitely put things behind and live a carefree life. Despite that, it is an opportunity for me to ponder and contemplate our gallery’s next steps whenever there are major changes or crises in Hong Kong.” Thanks to Miss Kwai’s perseverance, Kwai Fung Hin has successfully gained an exceptional status in the art market of Hong Kong.

季豐軒於2019年參與水墨藝博,水墨藝博於2015年成立,是全球首個專注於當代水墨的藝術博覽會,現已是備受國際肯定的現當代水墨藝術平臺。水墨藝博2019不僅匯集了承襲傳統水墨脈絡、尋求創新的精彩作品,更集結了受水墨啟發的衍伸性創作,持續拓廣現當代水墨的視野與疆界。

Kwai Fung Hin took part in Ink Asia 2019, an international art fair dedicated to contemporary ink. Ink Asia is now acclaimed as a unique international platform for modern and contemporary ink art. The fair presents an impressive array of ink and ink-inspired works, influenced by traditional ink painting but following innovative artistic paths.

#KwaiFungHin #hkart #hkartgallery #hkartexhibition #chineseart #asianart #inkasia2019 #季豐軒

Leave a Reply