For someone holding her first exhibition, woodblock-print artist Karden Chan Ka-yuen has done pretty well - half her works were sold within a fortnight of the opening. But that's not the only thing buoying Chan's spirits.
'It feels wonderful to have people look at what I do and give me their opinions. It's a defining moment for any artist, but I never thought it would come this early,' says Chan, a freelance graphic designer.
Most emerging artists take a while to gain enough recognition for conventional galleries to show their work, or must finance their own exhibitions if they can't wait. But Chan has found a hassle-free route by exhibiting at ACO Books, an upstairs bookstore at the Foo Tak Building in Wan Chai. There was no waiting and it didn't cost her a cent.
Chan was the first artist to join a scheme launched last month by arts promotion group Art and Cultural Outreach (ACO) to showcase artists at its bookshop. Viewing it as a form of patronage, ACO manager Kobe Ho Ting-ting says the scheme is a partnership with the artists 'because we share the belief that we have to get the good works out'.
'We get a small take from the sales to cover the basic costs, and the rest goes to the artist.'
ACO is the latest among a number of private venues, from bars to boutiques and bookstores, committed to providing a free platform for emerging artists. Art supplies company Artland has long provided free access for student artists at the 400 sq ft exhibition space attached to its Wan Chai store, but the trend among other venues began about four years ago with gallery cafes such as Les Artistes Cafe and Cafe Corridor and has spread across the city from Mong Kok to Causeway Bay.
