Exclusive Interview With David Zwirner, Founder Of Zhuo Gallery: Rushing Ahead, Cloud Art'S "Waves"

At the beginning of summer, the wind is warm and the days are long, and everything is beautiful. It symbolizes the farewell to spring and the beginning of summer. In May 5th, the exhibition of "summer" and the reopening of the Hongkong space of the gallery in the Sino British Bilingual exhibition of the Zhuo gallery opened simultaneously with the works of Josef Albers, Harold Ancart, Kusama Yayoi, Josh Smith and others.

The world-famous gallery was established in New York in 1993 and has been established in London, Hongkong and Paris. The founder, David Zwirner, ranked first in the 100 global art power list of the British art magazine "ArtReview" in 2018, and has been in the top five since 2012.

Due to the outbreak of the epidemic, Zhuo Gallery has closed the Hongkong space since January of this year, and other venues of the gallery in New York, London and Paris are also suspended. Even so, David said in an interview with the twenty-first Century economic news reporter: "in the short term, the epidemic will be very bad for the art industry, because no trade, no exposition, and not every Gallery, every art fair will survive." But I think that when we get out of the haze of the epidemic, we will reassess our business and perhaps consider developing business in a more sustainable way.

The Hongkong space at the H Queen 's 5-6 building, 80 queen's road, central, Hongkong. Data map

      Zhuo Na gallery is the first commercial gallery in the world to create online exhibition hall. Now, when the exhibition space is temporarily closed, the auction houses are relatively inactive and the art fairs have been cancelled, it has opened the new layout of the art market with a number of digital services, bringing the "studio" and "masterpiece" online projects focusing on the primary market and the two tier market respectively. The "platform" series shares a free network platform with 12 small and medium galleries in New York and London. In response, David Zwirner accepted an interview with the economic report in twenty-first Century to explore the art world that accelerated the Internet by the impact of the epidemic.

Twenty-first Century: how do you see the role of art in our daily life? In the current special period, has the function of art changed?

David: now we can no longer go to art galleries or galleries to appreciate works of art. I think it is time to reflect on the significance of art to human beings. I miss the physical view of a room with art works, and I also cherish the double challenge of aesthetics and intelligence brought by great works of art. Art is an important part of modern society. The current environment makes our real life less accessible to art and makes us poor and boring.

David Zwirner, founder of the Zhuo gallery. Data map

Twenty-first Century: what will this epidemic affect the gallery and collectors? Do you think this will affect collectors' preference for artworks? Which artwork is probably the most popular?

David: as far as I know, people's preferences for art really change when there is a major social crisis. In the 2008 financial crisis, the attractiveness of the trend oriented artists declined, and the profound artists who could convey real information and creative intentions became more popular. In 2009, the most popular works were artists like Marlene Dumas and Kerry James Marshall. Almost overnight, such works became more and more popular and prices rose. So I judged that in this epidemic, we will see that some of the glitzy stars in the past have become dim, and those artists with profound meaning and rich expression will rise.

Twenty-first Century: in 2019, the annual sales of the exhibition hall of Zhuo Na grew by 400% over the same period of the year, and it was sold at the selling price of six figures per day. Will online sales become the main force and mainstream of the market this year?

David: the answer is yes. This year's online transactions will obviously increase significantly, because our business is mainly dependent on online. And in May 5th, we re opened the gallery in Hongkong, which is the beginning of our return to the physical gallery. It is estimated that at least until June, New York space is expected to really re open the physical space, so we can communicate with customers on the line. Asian sales are particularly strong for online sales. In my view, Asian buyers are ahead of Western buyers in Europe and the United States in terms of the online buying form of the art market.

Twenty-first Century: online exhibition hall is a virtual platform. How can we build trust with real customers through virtual platform?

David: This is a key issue, because trust is the most important element in all our online activities, and our customers must trust the brand in essence. Buyers need not only trust galleries but also artists. I think this is the key to any success of online platforms.

Twenty-first Century: is it possible for users who browse online platforms to be less eager to purchase works than to go to exhibitions or galleries in person?

David: the operation of the online platform needs to capture the imagination of visitors, and you need to show interesting and attractive products. This is the key. Once you have done that, your customers will grow very fast. More importantly, the online exhibition hall that customers browse is very much like an art fair, which can be regarded as a place with the same urgency. Customers know that they have to sell quickly, and many people are browsing at the same time. Last month, two artists from the online exhibition hall were sold out in about 24 hours.

Twenty-first Century: for the new platform series, Zhuo will directly transfer relevant advice to specific galleries and avoid commissions. Why free online platform for small and medium galleries?

David: we have experienced many crises, such as the 9 / 11 incident and the hurricane Sandy incident. I always feel that the crisis has created a spirit of colleague like friendship and mutual help among different galleries. Although the gallery is an art dealer, we are engaged in this industry because of its love for art. We can say that we love art more than money. 27 years ago, Zhuo was a very small gallery. At that time, we got help from other senior colleagues. So I think it would be a great thing to provide free online platform. For us, it is only a matter of effort, because the online platform is mature. We sincerely invite young galleries to join our network platform to establish contacts with our customers and their own customers.

Twenty-first Century: if future online sales continue to rise, will Zhuo Gallery consider reducing its participation in art fairs?

David: Yes. The mode of Art Fair needs to be reconsidered. At present, there are too many small fairs. I think large and important exhibitions, such as Hongkong's Basel, Miami Basel, and London, New York, Losangeles's Freese art fair, etc., can make people feel the urgent buying atmosphere. This is the art fair we need. Conversely, for the art fair that lacks this attraction, buyers do not feel very urgent. They are just browsing through works. For that kind of art fair, I think they can hardly compete with the powerful online platform in a few years.

Twenty-first Century: Zhuo gallery will reopen the art space in Hongkong to the public in May 5th and release a positive signal to the market. What do you anticipate for the future market?

David: over the past 20 years, the art market has grown exponentially. Now that other markets are shrinking, the art market is also shrinking, but I can't imagine that it will not continue to grow in the future. Especially in the Asian market, where it is an education oriented society, many people are learning art knowledge, and art is able to satisfy people who love to think about the best intellectual and aesthetic pursuit. Therefore, although the market may be very difficult next year, I think the outlook is still quite positive and broad. Moreover, as far as 2009's experience is concerned, when the market is in a predicament, it is considered to be the best year to purchase artworks, because the availability of art is higher and the price is more reasonable. Therefore, many collectors regard 2020 as the year of collection.