25 years of Hauser & Wirth to be celebrated at HK Art Basel

Iwan and Manuela Wirth - the art world's power couple - have their hands full with meetings ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, which begins on Thursday.

They visited the first Gallery Weekend Beijing, held from March 17 to 19, before going to Shanghai where a burgeoning scene has attracted a strong international presence of gallerists, dealers and collectors.

The couple co-founded the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Zurich in 1992 and have expanded their art empire to London, New York, Los Angeles and Somerset.

In 2015, they topped the ArtReview Power 100, the influential annual list of the most powerful personalities in the global art world.

They will celebrate the gallery's 25th anniversary with a carefully curated booth at the upcoming Hong Kong fair. Distinctive areas will be created in the booth to show the works of three artists - Phyllida Barlow, Mark Bradford and Philip Guston.

They will also participate in the 57th Venice Biennale, which will be held from May 13 to Nov 26.

The gallery will also launch at the fair a "25 Years" website in both English and Chinese. It already operates a WeChat account offering updates about events related to the 60 artists and estates it represents across the world.

The gallery has been active in China for more than a decade and is looking to engage and collaborate more, according to Iwan Wirth.

Shanghai-based artist Zhang Enli is the only Chinese represented by the gallery. The 52-year-old's major solo exhibition, Gesture and Form, is underway at Firstsite, a public contemporary art gallery in Colchester, Britain. As the only Chinese representative, he is now aboard an art expedition ship, the venue for the first Antarctic Biennale.

"When we first met, I must say I felt an immediate connection both with him as a person and with his work," Iwan Wirth tells China Daily.

"The exhibition (in Colchester) marks the start of Hauser & Wirth's yearlong focus on identity, a key component of Zhang's artistic practice."

The Wirths are in the meanwhile introducing the works of Western artists they represent to the Chinese market, where they have observed a growing interest.

The gallery had booths at both West Bund Art Fair and Art 021 last year. They collaborated with Shanghai's Qiao Space, founded by Chinese collector Qiao Zhibing, to present British artist Martin Creed's debut solo exhibition in China, titled Understanding.

The two galleries cooperated on Polish artist Wilhelm Sasnal's one-man show, which was also held at Qiao Space, in 2015.

BRIC-a-brac: The Jumble of Growth, an ongoing exhibition at Beijing's Today Art Museum, features an installation by Subodh Gupta, an Indian artist who also works with Hauser & Wirth.

Last year, the gallery appointed Sichuan native Vanessa Guo as a director committed to introducing its artists to an Asian audience.

"In recent years, we have seen a newer, younger generation of collectors in Asia emerging who are more interested and involved with collecting Western art," says Iwan Wirth.

"At the same time, I would say there is still a strong demand for classical Chinese art. People tend to start collecting art that is close to their own culture and roots. Therefore, there will always be a market for Chinese art."

Emerging Chinese collectors have also shown their power by opening galleries and private museums. But to keep a 25-year-old institution active, the Wirths' advice is to be "constantly curious, open-minded and prepared to take risks".

"We are always looking for new talent globally," says Iwan Wirth.

"For us, one of the most rewarding things and which we still enjoy today is visiting artists' studios and even more so accompanying artists on a tour."

linqi@chinadaily.com.cn

Iwan and Manuela Wirth (right) will participate in Art Basel Hong Kong this weekend, presenting works by Phyllida Barlow (left), Mark Bradford and Philip Guston. Photos Provided By Hauser & Wirth