Uncertainty is rife with art fairs cancelled and auctions rescheduled
By Valencia Tong

Key Points

Art Basel Hong Kong 2020 is cancelled and Venice Architecture Biennale 2020 is postponed
Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams postpone Hong Kong Spring Auctions
Most auctions in Asia Week New York are postponed to accommodate Asian buyers, who are affected by travel restrictions, except some of the Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art auctions, which will run as scheduled
Museums in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Italy, France and beyond temporarily close
Galleries, museums and institutions harness the power of technology to host their exhibitions on online platforms and viewing rooms, as there is no end in sight for the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Art Basel in Hong Kong. Image courtesy of Art Basel.

Overview
For more than half a year, the fate of the 2020 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, an important occasion on the calendar of most gallerists and collectors, was fraught with uncertainties. Ongoing protests in the city and the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the Greater China region resulted in the cancellation of the major art fair. Shortly after Art Basel Hong Kong 2020’s decision for cancellation, satellite fair Art Central followed suit. In mainland China, postponements of events include Gallery Weekend Beijing, exhibitions at UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art, the launch of X Museum and He Art Museum, and the inaugural CAFA Art Museum Techne Triennial 2020. Beijing's Jingart cancelled its 2020 edition entirely.

Sanyu, ' Quatre Nus', circa 1950s, oil on masonite, 100 x 122cm. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s Hong Kong Limited.

Changes to the Auction Calendar
The art world cancelled its plans this year to fly to Hong Kong, one of the top three art markets in the world, due to the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, increased travel restrictions are preventing Chinese buyers from attending auctions during Asia Week New York. Some of Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Auctions are postponed to July, while others will be relocated to New York. Originally, record-breaking artist Sanyu’s ‘Quatre Nus’ was intended to be one of the highlights offered in Hong Kong during the Modern Art Evening Sale, which will now be auctioned in New York instead. Sotheby’s Asia Week New York auctions will be postponed to June, while the Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art auction is slated to continue as planned in March. Bonhams Hong Kong will shift a sale originally planned for 19 March 2020 online, a move intended to minimise the disruption to sales schedules arising from travel restrictions.

Affandi, 'Ka’abah', 1983, oil on canvas, 100 x 125cm, to be offered in the Ritual + Culture Online sale taking place 3 to 22 April 2020. Image courtesy of Bonhams.

Maqbool Fida Husain, 'Untitled (Varanasi)', circa 1960s, oil on canvas, 45.7 x 106.7cm. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. [2020].

Rameshwar Broota, 'The Trial', 1978, oil on canvas, 139.7 x 139.7 cm. Image courtesy of Christie’s Images Pte Ltd. [2020].

Similarly, Christie’s Asia Week New York auctions will be postponed to June with the exception of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art and the auction of single-owner collection A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection is to be held as planned in March. Works by Indian artists including Ganesh Pyne, Rameshwar Broota, Maqbool Fida Husain, Francis Newton Souz, Atul Dodiya, Anish Kapoor and more are among the highlights of the sale. Christie’s Hong Kong Spring 2020 Sales and Bonhams’ Hong Kong auctions have both been pushed back in hopes of an impending improvement in the coronavirus situation, while Bonhams’ Asia Week New York auctions are postponed till June. Meanwhile, China Guardian Hong Kong Spring Auctions are delayed and will take place in May. Poly Auction also decided to put their Hong Kong Spring Auctions on hold, with dates to be announced. Phillips Hong Kong will continue to hold their Spring Auction Series from 31 May to 2 June.

A&M analysed the performance of the Hong Kong auctions in 2019 earlier, and noted that the market for Southeast Asia was generally sluggish. It remains to be seen to what extent the turmoil brought by the coronavirus outbreak will affect the results of the upcoming Spring 2020 auctions.

Heri Dono, 'Flying Angels II', 2014, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 300cm. Image courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art.

Art Institutions Leverage Technology to Host Exhibitions on Online Platforms
While museums in mainland China and Hong Kong shut their doors until further notice, different parts of the art world have leveraged technology to ensure the show goes on. Art Basel’s online viewing room will launch in March 2020, allowing exhibitors affected by this year’s cancellation to move their shows online for global access. Some of the exhibitors have chosen to move their exhibitions originally curated for Art Basel Hong Kong 2020 to their physical galleries. For instance, Tang Contemporary Art’s exhibition ‘Echo among Geographies’ readapted for its Hong Kong gallery space, which stays open. It will feature Indonesian artists Heri Dono and Entang Wiharso, Thai artist Sakarin Krue-On and Filipino artist Rodel Tapaya, alongside Chinese artists Chen Danqing, Qin Qi and Zhao Zhao. Other collective campaigns include ART Power HK, an online initiative hosted by Asia Society Hong Kong, as galleries and institutions, including M+, Tai Kwun and Asia Art Archive join forces to launch their exhibitions together to make up for the disrupted Arts Month. Meanwhile, with China's National Cultural Heritage Administration’s (NCHA) strategy of promoting cultural development through technology, museums like Palace Museum are hosting virtual tours of the exhibitions. Similarly, private museums like M Wood have launched a virtual exhibition ‘A Hypothetical Show for a Closed Museum’ to explore how immersive technologies change the way the audience interacts with art.

Global Implications of Coronavirus Outbreak
As coronavirus spreads to countries such as South Korea, Japan and Italy, museums shut their doors and we can see that postponements and cancellations are starting to affect the art world globally, as well as major art events in the second half of the year. Art Fair Tokyo is cancelled and Art Dubai in the Middle East is also one of the latest victims in this wave of postponement. With the postponement of Venice Architecture Biennale, an institutional event in which countries from around the world showcase exhibitions, the virus affects not just the arts but also the realm of power and politics.

Uncertainties in Art Market and Geo-political Shift of Power and Capital
The first few months of 2020 have already made it a tumultuous year, which may potentially change the geo-political order of the world’s major art capitals. What will the fate of New York, London and Hong Kong be in the future as all three regions encounter game-changing historical events recently? Now that the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union, galleries are also planning to establish their presence in continental Europe, such as in Paris. With Brexit taking effect on 31 January 2020 and the subsequent anti-money laundering laws, the 2020 United States presidential election following the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, as well as the slowing down of China’s economy and the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, some other cities may find this an opportunity to propel themselves as art capitals in a more favourable light. A&M took a look at S.E.A. Focus organised by STPI during Singapore Art Week 2020 back in January, and noted the increasing momentum of the Southeast Asian art world to showcase its dynamic art scene. Singapore Biennale also draws attention to the city, and it remains to be seen if Art SG, whose first edition was postponed from last year to November 2020, will become “a new meeting place for the international art world”.

Given that the flow of global art capital has an impact on the art world, we shall wait and see how the situation unfolds for the rest of the 2020, a year which began with uncertainties in the first quarter.