As Protests Continue to Rock the City, a Hong Kong Art Fair Show Has Cancelled Its Spring 2020 Edition

The Asia Contemporary Art Show in Hong Kong, one of the region’s
oldest hotel fairs, is suspending its spring 2020 edition
after sales and attendance at its October show were disrupted by
ongoing protests in the city.

The 15th edition of the event, which ran from October 4
through October 7, was marred by vehement demonstrations against
the government, which have turned increasingly violent.

In a statement, representatives for the event noted that sales
were down across the board during the October edition, and that
visitor attendance had dropped by 40 percent. They also cited the
increasing effects of a slackening global economy.

“Regrettably, there seems little end in sight for the protests
in Hong Kong with the knock-on effect on the broader economy
accelerating,” fair director and co-founder Mark Saunderson
said in a statement. “Our regular exhibitors are apprehensive.”

The cancelled edition was due to take place from March 13
through March 16, and would have ended just days before the opening
of Art Basel Hong Kong.

Earlier this month, Art Basel organizers told artnet News they
were “monitoring” the situation, but that they intended to stage
the fair as usual. Art Basel representatives did not respond by
press time to new questions about whether the cancellation of
the Asia Contemporary Art Show had changed their calculus.

Protests have rocked Hong Kong since late March, and have become
increasingly confrontational as clashes between police and
demonstrators have become more regular. On Sunday, police alleged
that protestors had detonated a bomb, and there is growing concern
that the violence will spur the government to postpone elections
scheduled for November.

The Asia Contemporary Art Show is refunding all application
deposits for the March 2020 edition or allowing exhibitors to
transfer those fees to the fall 2020 event, which is still on the
calendar for October.

In his statement, Saunderson also blamed the cancellation
on other external factors.

“On the heels of a number of local galleries shutting up shop,
the rest of 2019 is poised to be more challenging in some ways than
the global financial crisis,” Saunderson said. “Then there’s the
Trump factor, impacting buyer sentiment and confidence.”

According to Saunderson, “diehard” collectors still showed up to
the October show, which included about 120 artist presented across
65 hotel rooms.

Instead of a March edition, the fair says it will now focus on
building its online marketplace.

The post As Protests Continue to Rock the City, a Hong Kong
Art Fair Show Has Cancelled Its Spring 2020 Edition appeared
first on artnet News.