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more traditional, particularly in terms of medium. I think again the major institutions play a role. For instance, Guohua (traditional painting) has a strong presence in Beijing art schools such as UCCA, and this is reflected in the technical ability of the artists they produce. Meanwhile, the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou has a reputation for being more experimental in its approach, and a lot of the artists who study there go into installation, digital, or other new media. The characters of the two cities are also important. Being a more international city, the Shanghai art scene is arguably more modern and commercial, whilst in Beijing a lot of the works produced may have a more political concern. The growth in the Chinese art market has been driven primarily by domestic demand, and this demand is mostly for Chinese works. Do you see this dynamic changing any time soon? Well, it’s already happening. If you look at Hong Kong, the market is much more international than the mainland. Of course, Hong Kong is not subject to a lot of the bureaucratic restrictions that the mainland is, but it is also an issue of exposure. As the market matures, and Chinese buyers gain more understanding of foreign artists, demand for foreign artworks will increase. This is already the case with big international names, as wealthy Chinese want to buy the most expensive works, but in the future I think lesser known Western artists will also see increased demand. China was the world’s biggest Fine Art market last year, for the second year running. However, industry experts have become pessimistic about whether this growth can be maintained, since there are already signs that the market is slowing. What do you think the future holds for the Chinese art market? What we are seeing is the art market evolving, not stagnating. Yes, there are less major sales happening, but this is not confined to art. It is a phenomenon that happens with any ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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