Preface
At the time of writing, there was the shocking news all over social media about the famous contemporary graffiti artist Banksy. His work “Girl with Balloon” was sold at the auction house for one million pounds, and right after the auction was concluded the painting was “self-destroyed” on the spot. It was torn down into pieces by more than a half with the shredded paper machine that Banksy himself has secretly installed before hand.
The act has stunned the public by and large. Some people think of it as an act of spoof by the rebellious artist to protest against the operation of the art market. But some also think that by doing this, the artist actually only makes the price of the artwork higher. The auctioneer’s staff said during an interview, "We have been Banksy-ed!” Undoubtedly the design of the artist has increased the popularity of the work, and by so doing he has pushed the artwork up to another level. The fact is that this “artwork” that has been torn down by two-third with the shredded paper machine has not “disappeared”, but it is being even more preciously collected. It is reasonable to expect a doubling of price in the future. As it turned out, Banksy also announced publicly through his agency after the work was “self-destroyed”, that the work is now renamed as “Love is in the Bin”. And the buyer also confirmed that she would pay the auction price as it was concluded. She said, “I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history.”
This incident has attracted a lot of discussion, and the questions that are drawn out are worthy of our thoughts. What is the value of art? How is the price of art defined?
The Macau Autumn Salon is co-organized by the Macao Art For All Society (AFA) and the Macau Orient Foundation. As the curator and one of the organizers, I take this opportunity to explore one of the key topics in the art scene.
The Autumn Salon has arrived to its ninth year. The original intention of this annual Macau art event is to expand the local art market and cultivate the public's habit of appreciation and collection of art. The exhibition is composed of artworks collected through an open call to artists from all over Macau. This year's entries are among the most numerous in the past years. 55 artists have participated with a total number of 116 artworks, and 43 artists and a total of 82 artworks were selected at the end.
In this small place of Macau, art sales are not popular practices. The pricing of artworks, such as in the Autumn Salon, is decided by the artists themselves. As artist, we consider factors such as our own artistic background, the time and energy we spent on the artworks, as well as the material used, the way of production and the size of the works to decide the price. Since Macau still lacks art dealers such as commercial galleries or art auction houses, the habit and tendencies of buying and selling art are mainly dominated by buyers themselves. There are many art lovers who see the artworks they like and consider if the price is within their own budget before finally deciding to buy the work. Intermediary roles such as the Macao AFA are committed in exploring the space for public exhibitions, presenting and promoting the artworks of local artists to the general audience. The curatorial direction of our association has always been one that combines the artist's creative ideas, processes and art theories into consistent concepts of exhibitions, so that the audience would be able to access to the story and value behind the artworks.
As for the Macau Autumn Salon, it is like a local art market showcasing various kinds of artworks that have been produced currently in Macau. After nine years of exhibitions and organization, it has become a landmark for local art trade. In the process of selecting the artworks, we do not limit the direction, method or concept of the creations, but tend to collect works that can best represent the vitality of local creation from various aspects. Since the works are collected from the public call for all artists from Macau, the Autumn Salon shows not the artistic direction of a particular art group or institution, but it is indeed the collection of existing local art.
We believe that the definition of artistic value cannot and should not be formed through manipulations, but it is an organic process that is gradually established, subject to the precipitation of social culture and the communication between the artworks and the public. We are happy to see that the simplicity of the small town of Macau is still being expressed in an honest and unique way through the artists’ passion for artistic creation. When we appreciate these artworks, in their various sizes and forms, abstract or figurative, we know that each one represents the artist's thought process and artistic practices. Their value lies in the fact that behind each piece of artwork is a projection of personal emotions into human society. We have no doubt that the audience will be able to find resonance and emotions from within.
After all, is the value of art not the subtle and moving moment, when the artist's emotions projected through the artwork, are felt at the heart of the viewer?
At the 250-year-old historical site of the Casa garden of Macau Orient Foundation, in the crisp magic of autumn, let us savor the value of art at the heart of Macau.
Curator
Alice Kok