Culture vultures set to enjoy feast of art

WE'LL all be mainlining on culture for the next few days when Art Asia, the premier art show in the region, gets going this evening with a gala preview at the Convention Centre.

All week the artists and the dealers have been trooping in. Although when Keeping Posted called in at the venue yesterday evening many of the exhibitors were sitting around forlornly waiting for the shippers to deliver their precious cargo - a task that was supposed to have been completed by the morning.

Leaving the hapless dealers to their woes, we went over to the Drawing Room at the Grand Hyatt, where Tokyo gallery owner Chieko Hasegawa was hosting a cocktail to introduce three of her artists and display some of their abstracts.

Elegant Chieko, of the Gallery Nichido, was here with her daughter Akiko, who, she told us, was hoping to take up a career as an art dealer.

''She is even learning Chinese to help her,'' said proud Mama.

Obviously Akiko knows where the serious money is in the art world these days.

Incidentally, tonight's gala preview is a charity event to raise funds for the Hong Kong Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care.

Some tickets are still available, and details can be obtained by calling 868 1211 or 810 8108.