Artists’ Town
There are more than 300 artists in Fo Tan. One-sixth of Hong Kong artists choose here to be their studios. They had the previsions to make use of the vacant industrial buildings ten years ago when the government was not sure what it could do with the vacant buildings. They bring energy and colors to this smoky industrial area.
Sometimes, when you walk along the corridor, you can hear them playing indie music.
Arts education
Artists here can open their studios to the public once a year. From private party at the beginning to public open day nowadays, Fotanian contributes to arts education in Hong Kong.
It is rare to see such a large group of local works of art exhibited elsewhere. Artists can share their works to other artists, gallery goers and even those who have never seen and learnt art.
Here, you can learn various independent art work in Hong Kong styles.
It is rare to see such a large group of local works of art exhibited elsewhere. Artists can share their works to other artists, gallery goers and even those who have never seen and learnt art.
Here, you can learn various independent art work in Hong Kong styles.
Specialization
There are few more industrial areas in Hong Kong, such as Kwun Tong and Chai Wan. Artists are moving into various districts. Each district is renowned for different art catergories. However, why do artists choose Fo Tan? Artists in Kwun Tong and Chai Wan mainly are photographers, musicians and movie productions. The rent there is higher that painters cannot afford. Visual artists concentrate in Fo Tan due to the lower rent. So mainly visual and installation arts are found here. Although there is high concentration of visual artists, they are all different, interesting individuals unlike mundane division of labor along the production lines.
Fo Tan’s Strengths
Home for artists
Virginia Woolf says,“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Maybe this quote is not only true to female fiction writers but also applies to artists in Hong Kong. And Fo Tan seems to have provided a way out to those artists in the region.
The rent in Fo Tan Industrial Area, according to Jaffa, an artist we have interviewed, said the relatively low rent in Fo Tan is the major reason attracting her to relocate her studio a few years ago.
The low rental in the area has enabled the artists to rent a larger space to physically cater their art pieces. More importantly, the quiet neighborhood has also provided a private space of their own in which artists can nurture ideas and let these imaginations flow upper in the air.
Virginia Woolf says,“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Maybe this quote is not only true to female fiction writers but also applies to artists in Hong Kong. And Fo Tan seems to have provided a way out to those artists in the region.
The rent in Fo Tan Industrial Area, according to Jaffa, an artist we have interviewed, said the relatively low rent in Fo Tan is the major reason attracting her to relocate her studio a few years ago.
The low rental in the area has enabled the artists to rent a larger space to physically cater their art pieces. More importantly, the quiet neighborhood has also provided a private space of their own in which artists can nurture ideas and let these imaginations flow upper in the air.
Threats to Fo Tan
Rising rental
Inexpensive rent is the driving force of Fo Tan in appearing as a cluster where artists set up their studios. Yet, in recent years, the overall rental value in the area has been increasing due to infrastrucure development in the vicinity. If the trend goes on, and this seems very likely to us, some artists may want to re-locate their studios to somewhere the rent is lower and the cluster could be dispersed.
Inexpensive rent is the driving force of Fo Tan in appearing as a cluster where artists set up their studios. Yet, in recent years, the overall rental value in the area has been increasing due to infrastrucure development in the vicinity. If the trend goes on, and this seems very likely to us, some artists may want to re-locate their studios to somewhere the rent is lower and the cluster could be dispersed.
Fotanian and commercialization
It is an inconvenient truth that not every artist wants to make money but money is always inevitable in the picture.
This is because (full-time) artists need money to pay for studios, raw materials and to sustain their own living. It is a poor scenario that artists make much commercialized art pieces just to meet market taste and pay the increasing rent instead of following their minds. The annual open studio event FOTANIAN has received some criticism for finding sponsorship from commercial organizations. However, if we consider the fact that capital is needed for producing brochures and advertisements, which all contribute to a higher publicity of the Fotanian event and the ultimate goal – art education, this kind of commercialization is not necessarily a bad thing to the local art scene, or in fact, mutually beneficial.