Art What!: Woaw Gallery x Avant Arte Presents WoP

HONG KONG – From 18th June to 7th July 2021, WOAW Gallery will be collaborating with Avant Arte to stage an exhibition of original works on paper, WoP, at 9 Queen’s Road Central in Hong Kong.

Avant Arte have rapidly established themselves as a dynamic, disruptive force in the art world. Beginning as a contemporary art blog and now collaborating with world-leading artists like Cai Guo-Qiang, Jenny Holzer, Yue Minjun and James Jean, the company’s guiding principle remains that art should be radically more accessible.

While Avant Arte centers on an Instagram community of over 2.4 million followers, authentic offline encounters — exhibitions, studio visits and chance encounters — represent the beginnings of many of their collaborations. As these experiences slowly become possible again, the unmatched magic of an in-person art encounter has never been more apparent. Works on paper, in which the artist’s hand is arrestingly present, joyfully tangible, offer the perfect opportunity to reconnect and re-engage.

WoP will be Avant Arte’s first exhibition in Asia in collaboration with Woaw Gallery. This show allows audience access to original work from a collection of first time and existing collaborators, it also presents an opportunity to cement a longstanding relationship between fellow founders Christian Luiten (Avant Arte) and Kevin Poon (Woaw Gallery).

WoP will be exhibiting close to 50 original works from 24 artists both established and emerging talents from around the world. Eclectic visual codes and geographies are united by a collective embrace of the compelling immediacy of a work on paper. The exhibited works will be accompanied by a selection of recently released sculpture editions from Alake Shilling, Hebru Brantley, James Jean and Joakim Ojanen. Beyond the brief for original works created in the preceding year, the show’s curation attests a willful eclecticism — one that speaks to the disparate experiences of artists under lockdown, and to the enduring tenacity and fervent creativity present in each of their contributions to WoP.

“I have been a personal fan of Avant Arte for a long time now — especially of what Christian & Curtis have created, not only on the media side but also their synergies with artists as well as their creations,” says Kevin Poon, founder of WOAW Gallery. “So to be bringing this energy to Hong Kong is a great feeling! Looking forward to doing more together and combining our worlds.”

“Ever since Kevin and I met we’ve always talked about doing something together. He has a great eye for art and is such an important influence for younger people to become interested in visual culture,” echoes Christian Luiten, co-founder of Avant Arte.

“It’s an honour to curate a show for his gallery, and great to be exhibiting in Hong Kong close to so many of our collectors and collaborators. The list of artists who have contributed works is incredible, and I can’t wait to see them all come together in the gallery space!”

– Christian Luiten, co-founder of Avant Arte.

Photo of Nigel Howlett’s Inside Out is courtesy Avant Arte and the artist. All other images are courtesy Avant Arte and the artist, with photos by Eddo Hartmann.

WoP runs from 18th June to 7th July 2021 at Woaw Gallery, 9 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. More information available here