CatchOn to: ART ASIA with Alexandra A. Seno

Before ARTHK hits town this month, CatchOn caught up with Alexandra A. Seno, whose insightful coverage of the art and culture scene in Asia always puts things in perspective. Alexandra writes about economics, culture and the economics of culture. Based in Hong Kong, her work regularly appears in Newsweek Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. She serves on the advisory board of Para/Site Art Space in Hong Kong, and helps operate Intelligence Squared Asia, the region’s forum for live debate.

Name 5 people who will in influence art in Asia in the next 5 years? 

1. Lars Nittve, executive director of the M+ museum which starts pop-up exhibits in early 2012 and is set to open doors in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District by 2016
2. Claire Hsu, founder of the Asia Art Archive and a champion for the region’s contemporary art
3. Thomas Shao, influential Beijing collector and owner of Modern Media Group which produces lifestyle and culture publications in China like Leap and City Magazine
4. Anupam Poddar, Indian art patron and a pioneer in making a family collection available to the public; his hotels showcase world-class modern Indian design
5. Rirkrit Tiravanija, Thai artist whose practice questions the world and embodies the excitement of art in the present moment; he also epitomizes why art emerging from the cultures of Southeast Asia is on the ascendance on the global stage

Name one trend that will have a significant impact on the Asian art world in the next 5 years?

Given the rarity of independent, public-funded museums in Asia, the next five years will see the increasing influence of private collectors — they will determine the tastes, shape and prices of the art world.

What are 3 of most underrated art buys?

Photography

HK art

Japanese art

If you could buy only one piece of art today, what would it be and why?

An important, vintage-print Nobuyoshi Araki photograph. He profoundly influenced the aesthetics and attitudes of generations of East Asians with his sexually charged images about life and death. In five years, a significant Araki might be absolutely not affordable.

Catherine Feliciano-Chon