An Artists’ Colony Turns 10: The Growing Pains of Mass Appeal

Ten years, 260 artists, 80 studios, thousands of visitors, and counting …

Hong Kong — When a group of art graduates from the Chinese University of Hong Kong got together to open their studios to their small circle of friends, little did they know their event would become an annual tradition, drawing thousands of people to an industrial neighbourhood near suburban Shatin.

That was 10 years ago.

This year, over two weekends in January, an unprecedented number of artists and art lovers gathered at the Fo Tan art village for the 10th year of the Fotanian Open Studios event.  About 260 artists from more than 80 studios participated.

In Fo Tan, an art community has quietly developed mainly because of low rents. Over the years, artists producing paintings, sculptures, installations and other art forms have come to dominate a neighbourhood of low-rise industrial buildings once dominated by textiles and plastic goods factories.

Open Days Draw Crowds of Thousands

About 14,000 people attended this year, according to the organisers, who based the crowd estimate on the number of leaflets that were handed out. That’s an almost 30% increase compared with last year. The larger turnout means Fotanian is gaining popularity beyond Hong Kong’s art community, even without heavy financial help from corporate sponsors. Last year, the property giant, Sino Group, was a chief sponsor. But not this year.

“We actually have less funding for marketing and advertising this year, but more people came because there has been more media coverage,” said organiser Homan Ho Man-Tung, a sculptor.

Some studio artists and tenants are happy to see the larger crowds. “It’s a big chance for our gallery’s business because many potential clients come, which means more exposure for our work,” said Edwin Lo, who works for the Blue Lotus Gallery.

Winnie Davies, an artist at the Joy Art Club Gallery, said the Fotanian event provided an opportunity to educate the public about art.

[Corrected the spelling of Winnie Davies' last name. It is Davies, not Davis.]

The Joy Art Club studio

“For us, the open-studio idea is not about selling,” she said. “The idea is to nurture the public to know about art, to think about artwork as a kind of joy. It’s fun, not just a boring place to go.”

Exploring Hong Kong’s Cultural Side

Caroline Wuthrich, a visitor from Switzerland, said quality of the artworks ranged greatly.

“It’s nice to have so many creative people in one place who are working for art and culture in Hong Kong,” she said.

Kevin Young went to support local artists. He said Fo Tan was a good place to see what’s going on in Hong Kong’s art world.

The focus here isn’t the commercialisation of art, Young said. “Here, they are selling ideas,” he added, “so maybe they are not the finest paintings in Hong Kong, but they are the most original.”

More People, More Headaches

But, for some Fo Tan studios, bigger crowds also means more headaches.

“More people is a good thing, but in some cases, art has been destroyed by the audience,” Lo of the Blue Lotus Gallery said.

Artist Castaly Leung

Artist Castaly Leung Ching-man says she doesn’t appreciate visitors who don’t come for the art.

“Last year, I saw 10 people who just came in to talk on their phones here in my studio, “ she said. “I know it sounds unwelcoming, but I am just asking for a chance to interact with my audience, or exchange views with them, whether they like my work or not.”

Leung, who moved into the industrial buildings here 10 years ago, is one of the original organisers of the Fotanian event.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect that it would be such a huge event,” she said. “A few years ago, the lifts weren’t very packed. But since last year, the place has become so crowded. There are so many people queuing up for the lifts.”

“I feel happy about having so many people coming,” she said, “but I think it’s a bit too much now.”