The Asian Contemporary Art Fair was a contemporary art fair held annually in New York City. The first fair took place November 8–12, 2007.“Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York .” e-flux, accessed November 2, 2010 The second Asian Contemporary Art Fair occurred November 6–10, 2008.“Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York .” e-flux, accessed November 2, 2010
The Asian Contemporary Art Fair (ACAF) was hosted by AsianArtWorks, a Korean company with offices in Beijing, Seoul and New York. The fair's primary sponsor was the Korean engineering company HNC.
Asian Contemporary Art Fair 2007
ACAF 2007 was the first art fair dedicated to Asian contemporary art to be held in New York City. It included 81 exhibitors from China, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States. The fair was held at New York's Pier 92 at 52nd Street and 12th Avenue.
The opening night preview reception was on November 8 with a performance by Korean-born dancer Sin Cha Hong.Koh, Dong-Yeon. “Defining “Asian-ness”: The First Asian Contemporary Art Fair ACAF NY 2007.” M / The New York Art World, December 2007, accessed November 2, 2010
As well as the exhibiting galleries, the fair's program included panel discussions, such as Robert Storr in dialogue with Xu Bing, and a special exhibition, “Simulasian: Refiguring ‘Asia’ for the 21st Century,” curated by Eric C. Shiner and Lilly Wei. Performances by artists Frank Fu, Cai Qing, and Qiu Zhijie and the Long March Project were also held throughout the fair's duration.
Participating Galleries 2007:ACAF NY 07, Asian Contemporary Art Fair. Catalogue. New York, AsianArtWorks, 2007
1918 ArtSPACE, Shanghai 2x13 Gallery, New York 798 Avant Gallery, New York AHL Foundation, New York Aicon Gallery, New York/Palo Alto/London Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin/Beijing Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong Arario Gallery, Cheonan, Beijing/Seoul/New York Art Vietnam Gallery, Hanoi ATM Gallery, New York Aura Gallery, Hong Kong/Shanghai Author Gallery, Shanghai Base Gallery, Tokyo Beatrice Chang Contemporary Art, Inc., New York Cais Gallery, Seoul Cheryl McGinnis Gallery, New York ChinaSquare, New York Chosun Art Gallery, Seoul Ego Gallery, Jakarta Ethan Cohen Fine Arts, New York Frederieke Taylor Gallery, New York Galerie Bhak, Seoul Galerie Caprice Horn, Berlin Galerie 89 Eyety Nine, Paris Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich Galerie Teo, Tokyo Gallery Artlink, Seoul Gallery Artside, Beijing/Seoul Gallery Espace, New Delhi Gallery Hirota Bijutsu, Tokyo Gallery Ihn, Seoul Gallery Kong, Seoul Gallery Q, Tokyo Gallery Terra Tokyo, Tokyo Gallery Touch Art, Paju Gallery Tsubaki, Tokyo Gallery Yamaguchi, Tokyo Gallery Yeh, Seoul Gana Art Gallery, Seoul Goedhuis Contemporary, London/Beijing/New York Hakgojae Gallery, Seoul Hino Gallery, Tokyo HNC Culture, Beijing/Seoul Hosane, Shanghai Interart Channel, Seoul/New York Iroom Gallery, Paju Jean Art Gallery, Seoul Jeff Cain Collection, Los Angeles Kimjaesun Gallery, Busan Kimyoungseob Photo Gallery, Seoul Krampf Gallery, New York Kukje Gallery, Seoul Leehwaik Gallery, Seoul Lillian Heidenberg Fine Art, New York Mem, Osaka Moca China, Hong Kong Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo Nodo Contemporary, Nagoya Olyvia Oriental, London One and J. Gallery, Seoul Parkryusook Gallery, Seoul Ping's Gallery, Tapei PYO Gallery, Seoul Red Gate Gallery, Beijing Rho Gallery, Seoul Sanshang Art, Hangzhou Seomi & Tuus Gallery, Seoul SHiNE Art Space, Shanghai Sotheby's, New York Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York/Beverly Hills Susan Eley Fine Art, New York Taguchi Fine Art, Ltd., Tokyo Taipei Cultural Center, New York Tenri Cultural Institute, New York The Newgate East, Seoul The Tolman Collection of Tokyo, Tokyo/New York/Shanghai Today Art Museum, Beijing Tokyo Gallery + Btap, Tokay/Beijing Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi Wellside Gallery, Seoul/Shanghai Zendai MoMA, Shanghai
Asian Contemporary Art Fair 2008
The second ACAF was held from November 6–10, 2008, at Pier 92. It had 62 exhibitors from Australia, Bangladesh, China, England, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States.
An opening night reception was held on November 6. It included a fashion show by Angel Chang and performance artwork by Yibin Tian.Healy, James. "Asian Contemporary Art Fair ." Design:Related, November 24, 2008, accessed November 2, 2010
The fair commissioned two special exhibitions, one from Central Asia and the Middle East, and one from China. “Given Difference,” curated by Charles Merewether, examined art from Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Georgia. “My Bone, Flesh and Skin,” curated by Feng Boyi, brought together the work of five young contemporary Chinese artists who used the body as a subject for exploring contemporary states of existence.“Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York .” e-flux, accessed November 2, 2010
Participating Galleries 2008:Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York 2008. Catalogue. New York, AsianArtWorks, 2008
2x13 Gallery, Seoul 798 Avant Gallery, New York A Thousand Plateau Art Space, Chengdu Aibo Fine Asian Art, Purchase Art for All Society, Macau Art Seasons, Beijing Art Vietnam, Hanoi Artside, Seoul/Beijing Base Gallery, Tokyo Bengal Gallery of Fine Art, Dhaka CCA Gallery, New York China Blue, Beijing China Previews Gallery, New York Chinese Contemporary, New York/Beijing/London East Asia Contemporary, Shanghai Eli Klien Fine Art, New York Exhibit A, New York Feizi Gallery, Shanghai Frederieke Taylor Gallery, New York Galeria Bellarte, Seoul Galeria Dolores de Sierra, Madrid Galerie Hussenot, Paris Galerie Lansar, Switzerland Gallery 456 – Chinese American Arts Council, New York Gallery Beyond, Mumbai Gallery Terra, Tokyo Iberia Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing IFA, Shanghai InfraRed Art Projects, Hong Kong/Paris Ippodo Gallery, Tokyo/New York Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, New York Jean Art Gallery, Seoul Johyun Gallery, Seoul/Busan Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York Lillian Heidenberg Fine Art, New York Linda Gallery, Jakarta/Singapore/Beijing/Shanghai Magee Gallery, Beijing/Madrid Max Protetch, New York Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery, Beijing PYO Gallery, Seoul/Beijing/Los Angeles Red Gate, Beijing Redlips Studio Gallery, Sydney Regis Krampf, New York Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai Sheng Ling Gallery, Shanghai Shiseido HATANAKA, Tokyo Silverlens Gallery, Manila Sohn Wook Gallery, Gyeongju Studio Rouge, Shanghai Sundaram Tagore, New York T Space, Beijing Taipei Cultural Center, New York THE Gallery, New York Tibetan Bridge, New York Today Art Museum, Beijing Tolman Collection, New York TS1, Beijing UCCA, Beijing Vietnamese Contemporary Fine Art, New York White Box, New York Xerxes Fine Art, London Yamashita Gallery, Tokyo
Attendance and Reception
In 2007 approximately 25,000 people attended ACAF. Sales were reported as "steady". The fair received mostly positive reviews from a critical standpoint. Ken Johnson wrote of ACAF 2007 in The New York Times, “Fizzy and entertaining on the surface, it has a disquieting underside.”Johnson, Ken. “It’s Asian Work, but Abandon the Stereotypes Before Entering the Booths.” The New York Times, November 10, 2007, accessed November 2, 2010
In 2008, attendance at ACAF was estimated at 30,000 visitors. The effects of the 2008 financial crisis on the art market dominated the fair's media coverage.
AsianArtWorks moved its main office to Beijing, China in 2009.
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