Ms Catherine Kwai – For her, it is Worthwhile to Persevere in the

Ms Catherine Kwai – For her, it is Worthwhile to Persevere in the Ms Catherine Kwai – For her, it is Worthwhile to Persevere in the Art Industry for 15 Years by Carrie Leung 11 July 2006 Hong Kong Economic Times The road to becoming an „Art Gallery Director?was not an easy one. Catherine Kwai established Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery in 1991. This was a pioneering challenge to her In the beginning, g Kwai gave up an annual salary of HK$2 million, and went through a challenging time for 5 years. Not until five years into the business, did things start to improve. However, the business dealt with a big setback with the sudden financial crisis in 1997. No longer were the days when customers bought high-priced artworks from the gallery within just a few hours time. People became cautious with spending their money carefully during the crisis. To sustain the revenue of the art gallery, Kwai took the initiative to start an art consulting business, providing consultancy work to large hotels and corporations. Having abundant experiences from the banking field for many years, Kwai had very systematic working skills. With her innate sense in art and business, Kwai has been able to achieve success in her art business. This year, after completing the project on „Le French May?, bringing the exhibition “Faceted Symphonies” by Ma Desheng to Hong Kong, Kwai prepared for next year?s Chinese contemporary art exhibition organized by The University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery. During the month of August, Kwai was commissioned to install artworks, comprised of paintings, sculptures, reliefs, in a new 11-storey casino in Macau. Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery has been established for 15 years and has been representing artworks of many different artists from around the world. Surviving through both the peak and recessional periods of the Asian economy, Kwai has evolved into “an encyclopedia” of „contemporary Chinese art? with a long history of extensive knowledge. When asked about her previous working experience in a banking field, Kwai joked by saying, „I?ve almost forgotten about that time period!? Being in the banking industry; True Talents fail to excel While growing up, Kwai has won many awards for Chinese calligraphy, speeches and writing, her parents were concerned if she should go into the illusive field of art. When it was time for University, Kwai went to America to study for a degree in business administration. After finishing university, she came back to Hong Kong and was hired by a multinational financial institution. 1 The first thing during the training period at the bank in which Ms Kwai had to learn to handle was being a salesperson, and dealing with the public. Next, she was promoted to be a marketing executive, providing backup support. With a backdrop of sculptures by artists Marie Madeleine Gautier and Ju Ming, Kwai started to share about her life in the corporate world. She admitted that when someone was promoted to a higher position, he or she would have to spend much more time dealing with people and office politics. The time for developing one?s own initiatives and ambition would become much less. „In a large company, it takes so much time to write proposals and selling ideas for each project. Once it?s approved by the boss, it will in turn be passed to his boss. During the process, it?s possible that the same senior management team is no longer in charge of the project, or loses interest. And sometimes, if this is the case, we have to start the project proposal again from the very beginning,? Kwai said. Giving up the high salary; Determined to establish the Gallery Working in a bank or an insurance company is similar. Kwai, who is a creative person didn?t want to be lost in the day to day life of the business world. Despite the warnings of others, she gave up the position of Managing Director at the bank, and follow her passion in the art field. Kwai?s father is a collector of calligraphy and paintings; her mother is a collector of Chinese antiques. Whenever Kwai is on business trip, she loves browsing at art galleries and museums, like a fish set free in the ocean. She was not satisfied with being just the “nut and bolt” in the business field. Regardless of becoming an artist, or establishing the Art Gallery, she has thought through carefully about this career changing decision. She has done a lot of research by going to different exhibitions, taking short-term courses, and visiting different art galleries. Kwai has also consulted from Mary Boone, the legendary art expert and gallery director from the United States, thus building a solid foundation, and was finally brave enough to establish Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery. One’s own ideas and persistence are non-negotiable Mary Boone of Mary Boone Gallery is called the woman with the “golden touch”. It is believed that whomever Mary Boone identifies with potential will undoubtedly become famous. The New York Times has once talked about the “secrets of her success”. The success came from her emphasis on artists? concepts and artistic development rather than following the popular market trend. This kind of perseverance has won the appreciation from art aficionados. Along these lines, Catherine Kwai from Hong Kong is quite similar to Mary Boone. During her childhood, Kwai had strong perseverance in doing the things she enjoyed. Her father is fond of fine art and so is she. 2 She learned about traditional Chinese art and ink painting since she was 10 years of age. But she knew exactly that she had fallen in love with Qi Bai Shi?s “yi bi” drawing concepts. To Kwai, perseverance is the most valuable quality for working in the art field. Like Yang Din, one of the established artists, Kwai first visited him in Paris in 1992 and later saw him another 12 times. Not until 1996, did Kwai decided to exhibit his paintings. „I was lucky that he did not tell me to go away as I kept “disturbing” him on my trips to Paris,? Ms Kwai joked. „The first time I saw his paintings, I didn?t like them at all. But then I found something interesting. Some of his concepts behind the works are actually very interesting and creative. They are very special and meaningful but unclear. At that time, whomever is able to step “out of the box”, he or she will become a successful artist. What the artist has to do is to establish his/her ultimate goal and then put all their efforts into working towards that goal,? Kwai explained. Without a Vision, Success will not Come There are different types of people in the art world. Some artists are smart but too business-oriented or commercial in their focus. Their artworks usually follow the current trend. Some artists have talent but lack perseverance. Wherever there?s an opportunity to earn money, they will just drop everything and go for the money. Other artists overly enjoy the idea of becoming famous. They only enjoy socializing with other famous counterparts. And then there are some like Yang Din, who are determined to become excellent artists.. They ignore all other aspects like business and focus on art only. „Yang Din?s studio does not even have a heater. It?s freezing cold! He owns eight old cars and is never worried about not able to sell his artworks. In four years time, he has only sold 10 of his artworks. He just barely made enough to manage his daily expenses. He is never worried about his own livelihood at all,? said Kwai. From Yang Din, Kwai has learnt about the priceless value of „perseverance?. Though she was trained in the business field, she clearly understood the three ways of art investment. „Art is a very special field. One earns money from the stock, not from sales.? In 1995, Ms Kwai bought a painting which was worth HK$50,000. After 9 years, the painting was sold for HK$3.6 million in an auction, with the value increasing 72 times. If we consider this information from an investment point of view, this figure is quite unbelievable! But if you just focus on earning money at the beginning when choosing the artwork, you can never pick a good piece of work and keep your clients. However, we all know that the market can hardly survive if there?s no profit generation. But the trick within is something related to art, and Kwai understands this perfectly well. With 15 years of business experience in the art field, the most valuable thing Kwai has gained is her reputation. Life is like creating art. We should first set our goal and then persevere towards it. Eventually, you will reap success. If the order is reversed, setting the success first, then you will not find the path leading to your goals. 3 ---------------------------------- A Lesson Learned In 1980s, the job market was thriving. Kwai said that her success was all by “luck”. She owned three properties when she was just 30. From 1993 to 1996, her business was at its peak. Kwai had no worries about getting business and only worked half the day. However, during the recession period, it became difficult to keep clients. Most of the time, the gallery had few clients. But after serious consideration, Kwai was determined to stick to her goal and decided to stay in the art field. She became an art consultant for corporations, banks and luxury residential projects as another business to support the gallery. Kwai?s first consultant job was selecting and installing art works for the Sheraton Hotel. „I blamed myself everyday at that time. Holding a large pile of floor plans, and didn?t even know how long 10 metres was and I was so shy to ask about this. So I ended up going down to the construction site on my own to check things out,? Kwai admitted. „Our female CEO was used to handling office paper work. Being an art consultant, holding meetings and presentations for clients were not a problem to her. However, the package comes with meeting contractors, and inevitably putting up with foul languages and rude behaviour, which was challenging to her.? „Meeting clients is one thing but experiencing the unexpected is another... I received a phone call from Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. Co. one day, and was told that Mr. Fok would come to the site and have a look at the artworks. I then immediately rented two big trucks to deliver the artworks, but it turned out that no one was there to receive the stock. The hotel said that they didn?t receive any orders and the clients said that they were not responsible for arranging delivery. . As a result we had to return all the artworks and pay the trucks for hauling the stock back to the storage paying an extra sum of twenty eight thousand dollars. And, to add insult to injury, a good laugh from the workers.? Fortunately, the whole experience was all worthwhile after all. Later on, Kwai?s art consulting project for the Shenzhen Venice Hotel won prestigious awards for the Hotel. This was a great reward to her. ---------------------------------- Recent important exhibitions 2006: „Le French May?, the “Faceted Symphonies” Exhibition by Ma Desheng (University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong) 2005: The Exhibition of the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy Collection, showcased over 105 pieces of Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings (City Hall, Hong Kong) 2004: „The Women of All Seasons”, displayed the work of 8 female sculptors (The Harbour Side) 2003: „Linear Grace? - Drawings and Sculptures by Amedeo Modigliani (University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong) 2000: 40 Years Retrospective Exhibition of French master Bernard Cathelin, (The Shanghai Art Museum) 4 ?????????????????? Mottos for Success „Working for a bank, the most valuable thing I have learnt is about hiring people. For handling big events, having a strong supportive working team is the most important thing.? „One cannot just talk about art – and forget about the planning, management and organization - neglecting these elements, the business will hardly succeed.” ?????????????????? Ms Catherine Kwai’s profile Graduated in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 1983 – 1988: Branch Manager of Chase Manhattan Bank 1989 –1991: Asia Pacific General Manager, IFESCO – UBS Subsidiary Company (joint venture of Swiss Winterthur Insurance Company & UBS) 1991: Established Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 1996: Created Kwai Fung Art Consultants 2000: Established the Kwai Po Collection Present: Founder and Managing Director of the three companies (Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery; Kwai Fung Art Consultants and the Kwai Po Collection); Vice President of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Cultural Exchange Fund; Sponsor Evaluation Committee Member of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Arts Development Council; Researcher for the China International Economic Development Research Centre (2006 to 2011), also known as, “The 2006 Annual Hundred Remarkable Pioneering People?s Award” 5 行政人员 15; 梁颖勤 2218 words 11 July 2006 香港经济日报 (简体) A33 Chinese - Simplified Copyright 2006. Hong Kong Economic Times. All Rights Reserved. 香港经济日报版权所有， 不 得转载 。 画廊主人的高贵身份，得来不易。季玉年91年创立季丰轩画廊，在主流眼光看来，简直是个创举， 放弃了 200 万年薪，捱过 5 年艰苦的投资期，才看到曙光。97年一个唔觉意来了个金融风暴，又将生意打沉，办公半日就自动有人捧着钱来买画的好日子不再，大家使钱就住就住。为了稳住收入来源，大小 姐放下身段，亲访地盘，替大企、酒店、豪宅当起艺术顾问来。多得当年在银行界的培训，令她做事有条 不紊，艺术眼光与生意头脑 fusion，打造出今日的艺术丰年。 刚刚忙完「法国五月」，将旅法华裔画家马德升的「浮石世绘」带到香港人的眼前，季玉年又要为一 年一度的中国当代艺术大型展览而张罗，8月底之前还要为楼高11层、每层摆放百多件艺术品的澳门新赌场完成装置工作。 画廊开了15年，策展过多个画家艺术家的作品，尝过经济环境的顺逆流，季玉年已俨如一部中国当 代艺术人肉字典，谁不知记者一开口，却问起她任职银行的远古年代的事，「我都差点儿忘了呢」。 银行高层 真功夫无处使 季玉年出身艺术世家，虽然她自幼习画，就连书法、朗诵、作文也常常得奖，不过，父母始终忧心做 艺术换不到饭吃，于是季玉年赴美念工商管理，回港后顺理成章考进跨国银行。 受训第一件事，是学做前线，当 sales；然后升做后勤支援，学做市务推广……。在 Marie- Madeleine Gautier 与朱铭的雕塑作品注视下，季玉年细说当年，当你愈升愈高，花在人事与办公室政 治的时间愈来愈多，真正发挥小宇宙的时间却愈来愈少，「在大公司，每做一件事，都得花好长时间写计 划书、sell ideas，到老板 okay，又要向他的老板请示，等候过程中，有可能老板的老板已不在位，一 切又要由零开始。」 放弃高薪 立志开画廊 由银行转战保险界，景况依然，满脑子创意的季玉年怕有朝在层级围困中迷失了自己，于是不管众人 的惊讶目光，放弃了亚太区总经理的头衔，回归艺术圈。 的确是个事业历奇，但那不是个陌生的领域，季爸爸就是个字画收藏家，季妈妈又是个古董迷，季玉年 每逢出差的日子，都会到处钻画廊和博物馆，像一尾小鱼儿回归大海般快活。虽然她不甘心在大企文化遏 抑下当一颗小螺丝帽，要么转行当画家，要么开画廊，可她并无一时冲动，她很清楚自己跟职业水准距离 尚远，但她的心性和热情都在跃动，好在商界久经训练，她做足调查，周围飞去看展览，念短期课程，走 6 访多家画廊，胆粗粗地写信向纵横美国视觉艺术界逾四分之一个世纪的 Mary Bonne 求教，根基扎稳，才敢挂起季丰轩的招牌。 买不到的 是主见与坚持 有「金手指」之称的 Mary Bonne，据说一点中谁，谁就走红，《纽约时报》一语道破，她屹立不 倒的原因，是其收藏倾向以艺术家为主轴，不会过分市场主导，这一点坚持，倒替她赢来买家的赞誉。说 起来，香港的季玉年跟她有点儿相像，从小，季玉年就有自己的坚持。季爸爸酷爱工笔仕女，季玉年奉命 学艺，可自10几岁起，她就满清楚，自己锺情的是齐白石的意笔。 坚持，是艺术圈最难能可贵的品质。像杨登雄，今日是个大画家了，季玉年92年初次往巴黎登门拜访，前后见了12次面，直到96年才下决定引入他的画。「好在没有被他踢出门口。」季小姐打趣说。 「第一次看他的画，并不喜欢，但看得出蛛丝马迹，有些意念在萌芽，好特别，好有味道，但好乱。 那阶段，走得出来，便是交口称誉的大画家，走不出来，便会被困住。画家要做的，是立定志向，投入全 副心机去发展自己。」季玉年认真的说。 短视吃不来 丰美果实 画圈也有百样人，有些画家好叻，但是太商业化，画风永远跟着潮流转。有些画家有才气，没韧力， 哪里有赚头的 project 便搁下画笔往哪走。有些画家太享受出名，只爱跟人打交道。也有些，像杨登雄， 立志要做画家，其他事都随便搁在一旁。「他的studio 没暖气，冻到晕，自己８架烂车，却从不紧张 sales。那4年间，他卖出了 10张画，凑合著够生活费，便心无旁骛地执笔。」 从他身上，季玉年引证了坚持的可贵。她自己虽是商界出身，但深明艺术投资的个中三昧，「这一行 好特别，不是赚 sales，而是赚 stock。」她试过 95年以 5万买入一幅画，9年后在佳士得以 360 万卖出，升值 72倍，若以投资计，这价码简直教人疯狂，但入画时若只着眼于金钱，便买不到佳作，亦留 不住客，但反过来说，无利又带动不了市场，当中的微妙处宛如艺术，季玉年领悟极佳，打拼15年，她赚得最丰厚的，便是一份名声。 做人，与画画一样，先要立志，然后坚持。最后，你才能看见成功。如果次序倒转，先盯着成功，便 无论如何都画不出一条直线走过去了。 ---------------------------------- 艺术化粧师 倒贴车费 80年代工求人，季玉年自嘲符符碌碌，30岁已稳袋 3层楼；93- 96好景丰年，季玉年自嘲半日安，只办公半天亦不愁买画客；大?市后，画廊积下的名声虽留得住客，可门庭冷落，思前想后，舍不得 转行，惟有自食其力当起艺术顾问（即豪宅、商厦化粧师），努力赚钱来养画廊。 第一个 job，是喜来登酒店。「当时我日日闹自己，拿住一大叠图纸，连 10米即是几多都未搞清楚，又不好意思问人，惟有静鸡鸡落地盘考察。 「大小姐打惯斯文工，当艺术顾问，要开会见老板做 present，无问，但落地盘见判头也是你，粗 口连篇要顶得住。 「见老板是一回事，处理 admin 又是另一回事。有次和黄一个电话，说下周霍生要来看看?，我连忙急 call 两架大货车，谁知艺术品过门无人肯收货！酒店一方说，无接过 order ?，投资一方说，这些事你要自己安排噃，结果惟有原车撤回，两车来回倒贴了 2万 8，还要给人取笑！」 好在 学费没有白花， 05深圳威尼斯酒店艺术顾问项目夺奖，回报丰硕。 7 ---------------------------------- 近年重要展览 06：「法国五月」展出马德升浮石世绘（港大美术博物馆） 05：「春华秋实」展出 105 件上海中国画院珍藏精品（大会堂） 04：「四季风雅」展出 8 位女雕塑家作品（君临天下会所） 03：「线韵悠扬」- 莫蒂利阿尼的绘画和雕塑（港大美术博物馆） 00：卡特林 40 年回顾展（上海艺术博物馆） ?????????????????? 成功格言 「在银行界做事，最大的得益是学会了请人。要做大型项目，有支强大的团队好重要。」 「空谈艺术理想，忽略研究与管理，并不会成功。」 ?????????????????? 季玉年小档 美国加州大学经济系毕业 83－88年：美国大通银行分行经理 89－91年：IFESCO亚太区总经理 91年：创立季丰轩画廊 96年：成立季丰艺术顾问 00年：创立季普园 Now：现为以上 3 家公司董事总经理、沪港文化交流金会副主席、香港艺术发展局视觉艺术资 助评审、中国国际经济发展研究中心行业特邀研究员(2006-2011)、并获「2006年度中国百名改革 创新风云人物」称号。 8