Cover Angela Cheng-Matsuzawa, Daphne King Yao and Stanley Chou at Alisan Fine Arts’ new gallery in Tin Wan (Photo: Humphrey Ng)
Angela Cheng-Matsuzawa, Daphne King Yao and Stanley Chou at Alisan Fine Arts’ new gallery in Tin Wan (Photo: Humphrey Ng)
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Tatler attends the soft opening of Alisan Fine Arts new venue, which opened with an exhibition by award-winning landscape photographer Stephen King
Unexpectedly artsy crowds poured in and out of Hing Wai Commercial Building in heavily industrial Tin Wan on the evening of August 22. The soft opening of Alisan Fine Arts new venue attracted notable guests from the city’s art community and beyond, including Asia Art Archive’s Christopher K Ho, Audry and Tom Morrow, Stanley Chou as well as award-winning landscape photographer Stephen King.
The sprawling new space was inaugurated with King’s Brush with Nature showcase, featuring recent photographs taken during his travels to Scotland, Iceland, the US and Japan. The works which appear to be abstract, examine the diversity and complexity of nature, and at times are evocative of Chinese ink brush stroke, a hallmark of King’s style which he produces through experimenting with light, colour and composition.
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Consisting of a gallery, an office, a library and study, a flexible and viewable art storage, the vast industrial square footage is put to good use; the functions of the rooms will transform to align with with the art on view. There is also a more private area in the back, used for lifestyle- and entertainment-related projects and programming, such as special art events and talks.
Stephen King with his work at "Brush with Nature" at Alisan Fine Arts’ new gallery in Tin Wan (Photo: Humphrey Ng)
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“The concept behind [the new space] was to create something that was about living with art rather than just a white cube. I wanted people to be able to see how art can enhance their life and enhance their environment,” says gallery owner Daphne King-Yao, whose mother Alice co-founded the gallery in the 1980s and whose brother is King the photographer. King-Yao began working with Alisan Fine Arts in 1996 and formally took over in 2011.
Alisan has gone through significant expansion under King-Yao: as well as the Tin Wan space, there is the original flagship space in Central, and a branch in New York that opened in November 2023, each with its own function and focus. The New York gallery mainly shows works by Asian American artists, “to have a conversation with what’s going on locally in America”, King-Yao explains. In September, for example, the gallery is opening an exhibition of works by late Chinese abstract expressionist painter Chinyee, who, like many female artists of her generation, only received recognition later in life.
“The Central space is more for established artists, a lot of who might have passed away already,” King-Yao continues, while the Tin Wan space “is more for younger, emerging artists, or those who want to work with the space to really create something different and make their art stand out”. One key goal for the new space is to keep it fresh and engaging. Says King-Yao, “When you come next time, the gallery will probably look entirely different.”
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Aaina was the Arts and Culture Editor of Tatler Asia. A passion for history and all things visual led her in the pursuit of art history. With extensive experience in the art world working for a range of art institutions, she combined her passion and expertise in the form of art and culture journalism. Prior to Tatler, Aaina worked as a culture reporter for South China Morning Post and editor at the online art platform Cobo Social. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of prestigious art publications including Art Review, The Art Newspaper, Ocula, Art Agenda, Artsy, Design Anthology, and Artomity. Follow her on Instagram.
