Asian Contemporary Art Fair

Asian Contemporary Art Fair 2007

ACAF 2007 was the first art fair dedicated to Asian contemporary art to be held in New York City. It included 81 exhibitors from China, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States. The fair was held at New York’s Pier 92 at 52nd Street and 12th Avenue.

The opening night preview reception was on November 8 with a performance by Korean-born dancer Sin Cha Hong.

As well as the exhibiting galleries, the fair’s program included panel discussions, such as Robert Storr in dialogue with Xu Bing, and a special exhibition, “Simulasian: Refiguring ‘Asia’ for the 21st Century,” curated by Eric C. Shiner and Lilly Wei. Performances by artists Frank Fu, Cai Qing, and Qiu Zhijie and the Long March Project were also held throughout the fair’s duration.

Participating Galleries 2007:

Asian Contemporary Art Fair 2008

The second ACAF was held from November 6–10, 2008, at Pier 92. It had 62 exhibitors from Australia, Bangladesh, China, England, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States.

An opening night reception was held on November 6. It included a fashion show by Angel Chang and performance artwork by Yibin Tian.

The fair commissioned two special exhibitions, one from Central Asia and the Middle East, and one from China. “Given Difference,” curated by Charles Merewether, examined art from Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Georgia. “My Bone, Flesh and Skin,” curated by Feng Boyi, brought together the work of five young contemporary Chinese artists who used the body as a subject for exploring contemporary states of existence.

Participating Galleries 2008:

Attendance and Reception

In 2007 approximately 25,000 people attended ACAF. Sales were reported as "steady". The fair received mostly positive reviews from a critical standpoint. Ken Johnson wrote of ACAF 2007 in The New York Times, “Fizzy and entertaining on the surface, it has a disquieting underside.”

In 2008 attendance at ACAF was estimated at 30,000 visitors. The theme of the financial crisis and its effects on the art market dominated the fair’s media coverage.

AsianArtWorks moved its main office to Beijing, China in 2009.