Mandarin Fine Art Gallery--featuring contemporary Chinese art

I was sitting at an outdoor bar/ restaurant across the street from Delano in South Beach during the week of Art Basel last December, having some sushi and a glass of wine. An architect from NYC sat across the table from me whom I had never met, started talking to me about art: Art shall be the ultimate form of human condition and expression; there shall be no government, politics, morals, philosophy or religion but art; art rules and governs it all.

His commentary sounded intriguing and loaded with meaning and profundity with sushi and a glass of chardonnay in the midst of Art Basel. But I can't say I agree with Dan (was his name) in its entirety. But it raised a very interesting point: What is art? Art is for what?

Many people are asking precisely the same question in China about contemporary Chinese art in the current whirlwind market.

YUE MINGJUN: "NO. 10"

I am sure many of you have heard or read about how hot the Chinese contemporary art is both in the East and the West. There is much speculation on this red-hot phenomenon. Many major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Town and Country, and Art News have written articles about contemporary Chinese art.

Facts and figures have shown us that there is no doubt that contemporary Chinese art is the hottest commodity in the world art market and it commands big bucks. Big bucks that the dealers and collectors are not only willing to pay, but fight to pay.

Surging value and prices and high demand left many of us including dealers, galleries and collectors in awe, but the same time in disbelief and concern. The question now becomes: is this a bubble? And if it is, when is it going to burst?

As an art dealer and gallery owner specializing in Chinese contemporary art in the midst of all this, I have to admit: it is exciting time! It is like being in a perfect storm!

From my numerous trips to China and much time spent there among the artists and in the art circle the past few years, I witnessed this red-hot phenomenon first hand. Nobody can predict the future but the following are my observations:

1. The rising prices are supported by the current economic boom in China. The newly rich are now turning to buying art for investment as well as a status symbol. It has proven to serve them well especially on the investment front with the fast-appreciating prices. The Chinese economy has been growing at a fast and steady pace for the past two decades and there is no sign of a collapse or slowing down in the near future.

2. The commercial value of contemporary Chinese art. The prices of contemporary Chinese art may seem inflated part of the reason being it was significantly undervalued prior to this market boom. The prices of contemporary Chinese art have come a long way but still have room to grow. If you compare the price of the artwork by a Chinese contemporary artist to a comparable work by an comparable Western artist, even with the surging price, the price for the Chinese artist is still significantly lower than his Western counterpart. The market is hot, but is not maxed out; there is still room for growth.

3. The artistic value of contemporary Chinese art. People read about those highly sought-after artists and their art in newspapers and magazines. I was one of those lucky ones that has actually met them, had dinner with them and visited their studios. I have listened to them talk about their life experiences, their desires and beliefs, and their hopes and fears. Many of them are among the most talented, hard-working, deep, inspiring and extraordinary human beings I have ever met. As a result of it, they create art that is highly accomplished artistically; and deeply relevant and meaningful socially and culturally. Individually and aggregately, they form a voice that can't be ignored.

With this voice, they reflect on contemporary Chinese history, including Mao's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Tiananmen Square (1989) and what is going on in China currently with the economic growth and its impact on ordinary people. Including corruptions and social unfairness, exploitation of human rights, increasing gap between the rich and the poor and the potential social unrest that comes with it; and westernization and loss of traditional values. They are on the forefront of the new Chinese Cultural Revolution, fighting for basic human rights such as freedom for creation and expression by mean of so called "Political Pop Art" and "Gaudy Art". Either with subtle satire or shocking exposure, they pointed out sides of the society that we do not always wish to face, but in a way that we can not turn our heads away.

4. With this kind of rich and fertile historic and cultural ground, a more and more open political and social atmosphere, combined with the immense talent of those artists, we can expect a continual emergence of more quality contemporary Chinese art.

If you already have included contemporary Chinese art in your art collection, congratulations! If not, now might be the time to start. Your collection will not be complete without a few pieces by contemporary Chinese artists. If you are interested in acquiring artwork by a certain Chinese artist or are curious about their investment value, Mandarin Fine Art Gallery is here to facilitate you with the process as well as provide you with data like auction and sales records for the past few years on a particular artist.

Apart from the investment value of contemporary Chinese art, Mandarin Fine Art Gallery is a proud participant of the 13th Annual Los Angles Art Show, one of the most prestigious expositions in America.

The calendar of events as follows:

General Show Hours:

Stop by to see us at LA Art Show and here is a sneak preview of a participating painting by our artist, Wang Niandong.

For more information on the LA Art Show, please call us at: 949 376 9608 or email us at: info@mandarinfineart.com