CHINA:The Saatchi Gallery marked its latest foray into China's hot contemporary art market yesterday with the launch of a Mandarin-language website which will allow artists display their work online and interact with their peers around the world.
The launch of a Chinese version of the Your Gallery website - the world's largest interactive art gallery with some 20 million hits a day - is a sign of just how sought-after Chinese art is these days. Artists are taking advantage of new openness in China to explore and record social change.
There are more than 20,000 artists in China and a further 1,000 students graduating each year from art school. However, English is not widely spoken, making international communication difficult - and there are still no more than 200 contemporary art galleries to show their work.
The current global interest in Chinese contemporary art means artists in China need a platform to show their work and learn about art practice in other countries, Saatchi spokeswoman Annabel Fallon told a news conference.
Meg Maggio, director of Pekin Fine Arts, said the chatroom function of the site was perhaps even more important than the exhibition aspect, as it would allow artists from China to communicate better. "This is a wonderful way to introduce Chinese artists to as many other artists and curators and students as possible around the world," she said.
Contemporary Chinese artists have been setting records at auctions in Hong Kong and New York. An exhibition of avant-garde Chinese art at the Tate Liverpool features work by 18 artists, including Ai Weiwei and Zhuang Hui.
"It's very exciting for us to be one of the first fully interactive sites on the Chinese internet. The site is creating an international art community and aims to provide as much information as possible about art and artists," Charles Saatchi said in a statement at a launch in Beijing's trendy Danshanzi art district.
Mr Saatchi was an early champion of the YBAs (Young British Artists) such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Jake and Dinos Chapman, artists who have proven influential in China.
Using the new website, Chinese artists will be able to post their profiles and have them translated into English.
Zhang Xiaogang's 1993 work Tiananmen Square sold for €1.75 million at Christie's auction house in Hong Kong in November. Other big Chinese names include Wang Guangyi, Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi, Cai Guoqiang and Liu Xiaodong.