Beauty, joy and happiness — the meaning
of the Latin word beatus, and also the name of contemporary Asian art gallery Art
Beatus.
Founded in Hong Kong in
1992, Art Beatus expanded four years later into
Vancouver, which gallery owner Annie Wong saw as the ultimate platform to bring Chinese art to the West. But
she didn’t stop there. Wong also established the Annie Wong Art Foundation, which supports and encourages
young Chinese artists in developing and promoting their work. She is a painter and philanthropist, and has a
keen appreciation and understanding of Asian art.
“[The gallery] is the
first of its kind to be operating on both sides of the Pacific,” says the Vancouver gallery’s administrator,
Tamla Mah. “It’s used as a measure to share and enrich people’s knowledge on contemporary Asian
art.”
The recent spring exhibit
Gates:
Spirit of a City was as close to home as it gets in terms of showcasing Chinese history and culture.
When artist Weizhi Zhang’s daughter in Vancouver reached out to Mah about featuring her father’s
traditional paintings in the gallery, Mahwas impressed — instantly. The Beijing artist’s watercolour
paintings of courtyard gates in China’s capital are his way of preserving the monumental, intricately
detailed gates that are being torn down due to urbanization.
“I’ve never been to
Beijing before, but I could almost feel the temperature of the scenes through the paintings. The light and
shadows are so beautiful,” says Mah about her impression of Zhang’s paintings. Art devotees also had the
chance to meet the artist himself at the launch of the exhibit.
Next under the spotlight
is Chinese artist Xu Yong. Known as one of the founders of Beijing’s 789 Art District — which has drawn
comparisons to New York’s SoHo neighbourhood — Yong’s collection of abstract photographs are taken using a
peculiar technique with his camera that makes photos purposely blurry.
“He’s changing the concept
of capturing photos of the world into capturing pictures made possible by photography,” says Mah about
Yong.
Other featured artists
include Yang Yi, Xu Yong, Tomoyo Ihaya, Taiga Chiba and Frank Tam. Although the Hong Kong gallery holds the
main shows, the Vancouver location usually has four solo artist shows and one group show (featuring four
artists) per year. In Vancouver, the focus is on Asian artists from Japan, Korea and China, whereas in Hong
Kong the principal focus is on Chinese art.
“We tend to show a variety
of different work and for a lot of them there isn’t anything upon first glance to tell you that they’re
Asian,” says Mah, when explaining the Asian influence of the artwork.
The selection of artists,
the genre of art, the technical talent and the out-of-this-world standard for quality make the gallery like
no other in Canada. While Art Beatus features many established
artists, the team also looks for emerging artists with a quality of work that matches those at the top of the
list.
Good news for art
collectors: Every piece on display in Art Beatus can be yours to own, allowing
gallery-goers an artistic experience that can’t be beat.
For more information,
visit artbeatus.com.•
Photo Courtesy:
Art Beatus
