Curatorial Statements

Every artist all want to prove themselves, to say: “Yes, I can!” Yet it would take the artist not only quality and creativity, but also luck to be able to pull it off. Art Revolution Taipei is a stage on which stars shine and collectors hunt, and it is the place where artists from the world over can directly meet the challenge of the market.

This year’s A.R.T. will see a very demanding screening process for the selection of participating artists and their works. We firmly believe that when it comes to art there is no good or bad and there is no right or wrong; but an art exhibition is in and of itself an “enormous piece of art,” so being the art director I would have to make a lot of difficult choices.

Artists come to show their best works and art exhibition presents the best show, in a way we are all trying to prove ourselves - - Yes, we can!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

Being the Art Director how do I pick a piece of artwork -- in just 20 seconds! This is a simple and, yet, very important math.

The last thing people going to an art fair want to see is a show full of unattractive works. They leave quickly without any hesitation. Some people would like to think that this is a matter of subjective taste and preference, but an art fair is usually organized for the 90% of people who know little about art to come to visit and appreciate, and they are all potential collectors. If the first piece of artwork collected by a new collector happens to be your work, congratulations, then, because next time when this new collector is thinking about making a purchase again, the first name popping up in his/her mind would be yours!

We are planning to exhibit 1200 pieces of artwork at the Art Revolution Taipei 2011. If one would spend 20 seconds watching each and every one of the 1200 works, it would then take him/her seven hours to finish, plus one hour for a break, that’s exactly how long the show is open every day - - eight hours.

If one can’t finish in one day, that’s even better. Because an art fair that attracts people to come back and visit twice without thinking about leaving is definitely a good exhibition!

So artist, your responsibility really is…..To create an artwork that would catch the viewer’s attention for 20 seconds!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

From the Art Basel Miami Beach to the Armory in New York, from the FIAC in Paris to the Frieze in London, we’ve visited all the major art fairs around the world and yet we’ve never seen the names of the artists shown on the banners hung in the street.

Art Revolution Taipei declares to “let the artists be proudly presented before the world.” Each and every banner will show the name of an artist and his/her works! Exactly, it would cost 150 times more to make 150 different prints; however, the crowded streets in Taipei would look a lot more artistic when the names of these artists and their beautiful works are waving in the air. Isn’t it something beautiful and to be proud of? This is art!

Perhaps we are not very calculative financially? Well, aren’t we the art people a bit all like this, and somehow be very proud of it!?

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

A fully-booked art fair is nothing but the beginning of a successful art fair.

When all the booths are filled and a more-than-expected number of artists sign up, then what else is still missing from this art fair? A fundamental choice is still missing - - Is it the intention of the fair organizer to make A.R.T. 2011 a purely commercial event? Or, is it to present an opportunity for the participating artists to have the honor to exhibit their works side by side with those of the masters? If only once in a lifetime an artist has this footnote: “My works were on display along with those of Rembrandt, Chagall, Miró, and Picasso”, then imagine what a sense of pride it would establish and maintain over the artist’s entire career.

The choice that Art Revolution Taipei has made is to have Miró’s work with its print on display side by side. Those who are in the art business would recognize right away that this is the collecting style of Tate London.

We have also found the only “red print” by Rembrandt that is available. We will have it on display side by side with the identical black print along with a classic oil painting with the same content which is so dazzling. When one sees the signature of Rembrandt on the top and the year “1635”, a picture comes to mind of the master’s hands leaving the final finishing touch 476 years ago - - such a sweet reminicence leaves one feeling moved so deeply.

Picasso’s “final artist’s proof”, Chagall’s masterpiece in his later years, the Guillaumet’s at the Musee d' Orsay, the Vernet’s at the Louvre...... We have not lived until we meet them. This coming May, we’ll all have an “art meeting” with the masters.

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

The first annual A.R.T. 2011 fair closed with great acclaim -- a total of 26,681 collectors and art lovers attended the show with great enthusiasm. Of the entire 203 participating artists, 182 sold their works, an astonishing 89.66% “success rate.” Some said we did such a great job that it seemed we were very seasoned in the art fair business; others dubbed us “the art fair experts;” while still others considered A.R.T. 2011 indeed “inspired artists in Taiwan and rocked the Asian art fairs.” We are truly moved and excited to hear of these recognitions and furthermore that our hard work, efforts and diligence have been recognized and appreciated.

We are most happy and satisfied when collectors and artists become friends, when art dealers express interests in representing a particular artist, and when institutions commission artists tocreate artworks. Only when these things happen can we somewhat relax and breathe easier. That is when we know we have at last accomplished something for our artist friends.

Exactly two hours after A.R.T. 2011 ended, the organizer officially announced the launch of A.R.T. 2012. Yes, you read it right, we had only 120 minutes to celebrate while dismantling walls and drinking coke. The high-fives, the laughter, and the cheers were the most spectacular fireworks. The bond between the artists and us all the while is growing stronger and inseparable. We’d like to label this relationship “An art market with the warmth of life.”

New challenges have splendidly presented themselves right before our eyes. The theme of A.R.T. 2012 is: “My Art‧My Show.” Past success tells us only one thing -- that you can have the opportunity to accomplish your dreams. But right now, right here, and every day we shall relentlessly demand ourselves: “If we can’t do a better job tomorrow, how can we pleasantly accept praise from yesterday?”

What we shall prove in A.R.T. 2012 is - - We can always accomplish more!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

By the time the first annual Art Revolution Taipei was wrapped up at 5 p.m. on May 15th, 2011 and the result was made known to me, I was truly thrilled by it. I was certainly pleased with the wonderful 89.66% “hit rate,” which indicates the percentage of attending artists who had made sales, a number that really made you want to laugh out loud! Then immediately came a shocking thought: “What about next year then?” The 89.66% figure is like a wall standing in the way, you can’t simply pretend you did not see and just bypass it. I was immediately debating with myself: Should I announce this figure as it is?

It was A.R.T. organizer’s decision at the very beginning to set the guideline of not disclosing total sales. What we had not come to expect, however, was the extremely high ratio of attending artists making a sale. We’ve been to enough art fairs to know that if only 30% of the attending artists sold their works at the fair, most people would not come back for next year. 50% generally speaking is an acceptable ratio. If ever the ratio goes up to 70%, you would see smiling faces everywhere and everyone would be scrambling for the chance to come back next year. If there is one international art fair in the world that has the chance of achieving a 90% success rate, it would most likely be Art Basel - - and only Art Basel!

“Let’s just disclose the real figure as it is!” That was our conclusion after discussion and the other directors said to me: “Hold on, Art Director! Our goal for next year’s A.R.T. – simply to secure 80% and aim for 90%.”

Holy Shit! I know we are going to make a lot of people unhappy if we really set out to “secure 80% and aim for 90%.” Because in order to achieve that goal, no matter who wants to get in the show we must without exception stick to the rule of evaluating the artist, the works, and the prices. We've had to turn down some very attractive offers from certain applicants who simply just want to have presence at the fair; and because we demand every A.R.T. fair to look fresh, we would then require the returning artists to come up with something new and creative regardless of how well received their earlier works might have been. One artist’s duck painting sells very well and another sells a lot of vases – so well that some collectors were literally competing for the paintings on site and would have to eventually turn to the organizer in order to make reservations for the artworks. It then became our problem. Rather than figuring out a way to get the collectors what they want, what we did actually was to call the artists and tell them: “please don’t do the same stuff for the next three years.” It’s our job to communicate with the artists so that they don’t turn themselves into artisan painters, and it is our job to make sure that collectors will not acquire commodity artworks at A.R.T.

I was just talking to Vincent, the chairman of Ferrari Taiwan, the other day and he said to me that he now has very few friends left because almost all of them were complaining to him about the car’s steep price tag. While explaining to his friends that pricing was set by the Ferrari Headquarter in Italy and there is not much he can do about it, they would mock at him: “what kind of chairman are you anyway?” I could not help myself but burst into laughter upon hearing what he said, for I, like Vincent, already don’t have that many friends in the Taiwan art circle and now would probably have none left in the whole world as a result of the “secure 80% and aim for 90%” goal!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

The inaugural edition of Art Revolution Taipei ended with “shocking” success, which nevertheless created an aftereffect - - how is the second edition of A.R.T. going to surpass the barrier it created for itself ?! The only answer is... the artists.

Recently we have put in a great deal of time and efforts trying to convey this message to the artists: “No matter how well you did in the last A.R.T. event, please do come up with something different creatively for A.R.T. 2012.” What we are demanding from the artists is not only the need to transcend themselves, but even more so, to be responsible for the collectors. As an artist, we think it’s your responsibility, after having sold your first piece of work, to prove to your collector(s) that you do have a great future.

What does an artist have to offer to prove that he or she indeed has a great future? What one can do at the very least is come up with something new in terms of creativity. Only an artisan would repeat the same thing over and over again. Aside from creativity, as an artist you would like to offer a convincing testimony so that the collector of your works can rest assured that “In the future there is great potential for the values of your works to go up.” And just how are you going to prove that? A resume with a national exhibition record would certainly do, and international recognition is even more convincing. So, how would one go about being recognized on an international level? Getting approved and admitted into one of the top international art competitions would certainly present the most straightforward and powerful testimony.

There are only a handful of art competitions in the world with a history of more than a hundred years. There are seven in the UK which have been granted the “Royal” title; in France there are three renowned and celebrated salons with hundreds of years of influence: “Salon des Artistes Indépendants”, “Salon d’automne”, and “ Salon des Artistes Français”, respectively.

Have any of the previous A.R.T. participating artists achieved admission in one of these prestigious competitions? Yes! On October 6th, five artists including TT, Liu Bao Jun, Ling Ling, Singway, and MANIHOO, were admitted into the well recognized “Royal West of England Academy 159th Autumn Exhibition.”

Can he walk the walk or just simply talk the talk? Ha～although he presented for the occasion only one piece of artwork at the inaugural edition of A.R.T., he would still very much like to set an example. After all, walking the walk is far more important than just talking the talk. On October 12th the 127th Salon des Artistes Indépendants just announced that the application of Mr. Lee Sun-Don’s three paintings have all been selected to the exhibition. The venue: the Grand Palais in Paris.

There are quite a few artists who have learned of this information said: “Even the Art Director himself has strived so hard, there is no excuse not to try harder and bring out the best in ourselves!”

That is the spirit! My fellow artists, let us do it ～ Transcend beyond the present and prove yourself for the future to come!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

Lee Sun-Don, the Art Director of the third edition of A.R.T. (A.R.T. 2013), has something to say: "Without knowing why, the second edition of A.R.T., A.R.T. 2012, has achieved an artist hit rate of 91.18% (meaning 91.18% of the attending artists had sold their works). We are now pulling back the target for A.R.T. 2013 -- we'll be happy with just 70% hit rate! People usually set their targets upwards, but we art people like to think backwards and don't want to tangle with the numbers, which would be very unartistic."

A.R.T. 2013 will dedicate 20% of the entire show space to an exhibition emphasized more on academic, experimental and avant-garde works。There's Damien Hirst in the UK, Philippe Pasqua in France, Jeff Koons in the US, Takashi Murakami in Japan, and ....in Taiwan? We welcome those who have the guts to come and join us, and together we'll be at the forefont of waging a wave of a new genre of art!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

The challege presented by the 3rd edition of Art Revolution Taipei does not stop at asking the attending artists to be extremely selective about their works, it in fact continues to push the artists to strive for greater perfection, to lift to a higher level. Artists not only are asked to refine their works, they need to be versatile, innovative, and creative, and they need to transcend the limits they set for themselves.

“It’s not like I enjoy pushing the artists or anything,” I gave a forced smile at the directors’ meeting, “it’s just that I feel there’s no other way if we want the guests who come to A.R.T. every year find their visit worthwhile.” I’m pleasantly surprised to see, however, that within only 40 days after the “unofficial” application for the Taiwan Section began, we saw not only the booth space reserved for the Taiwan Section fully booked, a portion of what’s originally designed for the International Section has now to be reallocated to accommodate the spillovers. How remarkable these artists are as they demonstrate their talents in an entirely new fashion as evidenced in their works of “transformation.”

All beings’ lives would come to an end once they become ossified. To keep on creating something new and innovating is to prove our existence worthwhile. We see the hope of the art community in Taiwan amid our demanding request of the artists - - our artists are so talented they were just never given the opportunity to prove themselves.

There’s an entirely new presentation strategy behind the A.R.T. 2013 - - keeping our composure and getting ready for the stunning admiration. To our artists, your works shows that Taiwan’s art is definitely good enough to challenge the world scene!

What’s it like being grateful? When you have so many great artists from all around the world swarming in to apply for A.R.T. 2013 due to the huge success of the previous two editions of A.R.T., that’s how grateful you are.

What does “keeping our composure” really mean? That’s when you have a name list, a pair of aces, and a great deal of fine artworks in your pocket, and you light up a cigar acting cool.

And what do we really mean by “getting ready for the stunning admiration?” Well…, would you like me to reveal a little bit of that? “Cheer and drink with Emperor Kangxi” will most definitely shock you! Besides, we are already ready.

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

The fourth annual edition of Art Revolution Taipei (A.R.T.) features artworks by 280 artists from 48 countries around the globe participating with a genuine passion. Overall we have received applications by artists from 86 countries worldwide and therefore have had to turn down a great deal of them due to our absolute requirements for quality and creativity.

A.R.T. may have already established a good reputation in the international art scene, “but it is exactly when you reach the summit and people can then tell how big a heart and how wide a mind you have,” as I brought this up in a meeting with all the directors of the show: “what do we see when we are standing at the top?”

Some people enjoy surpassing other people to reach to the top, while others reach to the top to enjoy the view, still others feel humble realizing how immense the world is while on the top…..

“We should be touched, thankful and grateful for being able to reach the summit,” as I said in the meeting:” we are so fortunate to be able to reach the summit and how many people do we owe this honor to?!”

This is exactly how we are feeling right now to be grateful and indebted to all the participating artists! To all the artists from 48 countries around the world attending the 2014 A.R.T., I thank you for bringing with you to my home country – Taiwan – so many wonderful and amazing artworks, which took painstaking efforts to create, of such diversity and variety. The only thing I can say now is, again, :”thank you so very much!”

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director

The fifth edition of Art Revolution Taipei will soon be opening in a grand and stunningly sensational manner. To use the description “stunningly sensational” is to give compliments to our colleagues at the international department. They have always strived to bring more variety to the fair, and sensational works created by great artists around the globe have come in as a result. Because of the great success of the previous four editions of A.R.T., plus our colleagues constantly making contact and communicating with artists all over the world for the past few years, we finally see their efforts come to great fruition this year and beyond, as there are more wonderful artists expecting to present their works at the A.R.T. in the next 3 to 5 years.

And yes, as an art director of an art fair, it is indeed my most wonderful dream that the fair would attract a great deal of outstanding works and I would be able to select and show some of the most astonishing and breathtaking ones at the fair. It is precisely because these many great artists have come to recognize and believe in how we see the art, Taiwan and the meaning of the six-letter-word is no longer just an island on the map, it now stands for a palace of art, which artists can resonate with and have respect for in their hearts.

In the far away Poland, A.R.T.’s reputation has reached to the presidential palace; in Spain, A.R.T. is first and foremost the art fair to go to for those artist who look to enter and test the Asian market; in Russia, we have not seen any artists who we invited to the fair would turn us down; artist who represented the Egyptian National Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia (the Venice Biennale) is also exhibiting at the A.R.T. this year; and more artists are joining us from countries so far away that we have not imagined to see before: Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Ecuador, Latvia, Slovenia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and many more. And it is through the A.R.T. that I have humbly learned that the number of artists in Ethiopia far exceeds that of refugees, which itself is a thing of the past as I have also learned now, and their works are astonishingly good. We are now in a head-on competition for artworks with some of the major Western galleries for the next three years to come!

To have art in one’s life is really a fortunate and wonderful thing. Here, boarders between countries disappear in the world of art so we can freely connect to one another without boundaries, and come to realize that it is always possible that a connection, no matter how remote, can be built. This is what I call wonder!

Lee Sun-Don

Art Director