If you’re reading this post, it’s because you are either an emerging artist in Hong Kong, or someone who has just arrived here. While I’m still far from being an expert in this area, I’ll tell you what my experience has been, as I was (am) both an emerging artist and someone who was new to the city.
What are the basics to cover?
Getting started can definitely be daunting and does require quite a bit of work and time upfront. I would recommend starting by getting your house in order! This means:
- Create a social media account just for your art: start an account built around your art and life as an artist. Bonus points if your feed looks aesthetically pleasing, and if your posts have a specific and recognizable brand style. If you’re curious to see an example of a curated art feed, you can take a look at my own account – @thequietplaceart.
- Start a website: there are thousands of tutorials on YouTube and guides on how to do this, so I won’t get into the details. But create a website with your bio and your art portfolio – it will be worth it for many reasons! As for my website, www.thequietplaceart.com, I use WordPress.
- Design a business card: create and print business cards for you as an artist, by sending your design to copy-printing shops in Hong Kong or ordering them via online services, like E-Print.
Once you got your basics covered, it’s time to start getting your name out there! This requires getting out of your comfort zone, but it might be one of the most rewarding and fun parts of your experience as an artist in Hong Kong, and I’ll talk about this in the next section!
How to network in Hong Kong
There are many ways to do this, but I guarantee you that the more doors you knock on, the more will open. In no time, you’ll be on a virtuous circle and you’ll on a roll! It involves establishing connections, talking with other local artists, getting tips and building a network.
In order to do, I would recommend to:
- Do your research: spend some time reading online articles about local artists and getting a sense of whom to keep an eye on. Follow those artists and see what they are doing and where they are exhibiting.
- Attend artist meetups: there are groups, like MeetUp or on Facebook, for artists in hong Kong, that organize meetings IRL and fun events, like art crawls, artist coffees, life drawing events etc. These are great opportunities to get to know other artists in Hong Kong and ask them about their experience. I would recommend, in particular:
- Go to art events and openings: keep up to date with the latest openings by following the Instagram account of galleries and attending their opening nights. This will be a great chance to meet other art lovers, artists, curators and gallerists. Here are some local art galleries that you should keep an eye on:
- Young Soy Gallery
- Opera Gallery
- …there’s a ton more, but the best resources for keeping up to date with the latest exhibits in Hong Kong are hands down Galleries Gal and the Hong Kong Arts Collective.
- Reach out to other local artists: send a friendly message to other local artists in Hong Kong and propose meeting for a chat over a coffee. I’ve made some great friends by using this method and it’s always a great way to hear of opportunities and hear how people are getting along in Hong Kong.
Become part of artists’ groups
In Hong Kong, there are a number of artist’ clubs. Joining them is one of the best things you can do as an artist. You’ll be able to meet other artists, build strategic connections, participate in group exhibits or get other important opportunities.
The one I’d recommend the most is the Hong Kong Arts Collective. They represent artists in Hong Kong and have been helping them in various ways since 2019. I joined them myself in 2020 and was able to participate in group and solo exhibitions thanks to their help. They also feature artists through their social media, interviews, and offer useful printing services. If you’d like to become part of the collective, you can contact them here.
In conclusion…
In conclusion, to get started as an emerging artist in Hong Kong can seem like a daunting task, but it’s not impossible! It just requires getting some prep work done and networking. Once this is done, it will be easier to hear about artists opportunities and more doors will open.
I hope this was useful! If you have specific questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me via laura@thequietplaceart.com
Best,
Laura
