{"id":3085,"date":"2025-03-27T04:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/angelle-siyang-les-journey-to-art-basel-hong-kong-an-international-edition\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T04:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T04:00:08","slug":"angelle-siyang-les-journey-to-art-basel-hong-kong-an-international-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/angelle-siyang-les-journey-to-art-basel-hong-kong-an-international-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Angelle Siyang-Le&#8217;s Journey to Art Basel Hong Kong: An International Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The director of Asia&#8217;s largest contemporary art fair on finding her voice through art and immersing herself in the artistic community<\/p>\n<p>\n During my early years, I lived in Mainland China. My mother traveled with me across various regions of China due to her work, which spanned journalism, trading, and publishing. The precise sequence of her career changes eludes me, but I recall moving from one place to another frequently.<br \/>\n Shanghai, Shenzhen<br \/>\n And Nanning, close to the Vietnamese border. When I was about 12 years old, I was dispatched to England. Similar to numerous youngsters during that period, I was among the tide of children who were sent overseas for education.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Luck of the draw<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"image-inline-container\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n In primary school, we were encouraged to maintain a journal. I recall my teacher mentioning, &#8220;There&#8217;s no need to begin your diary with &#8216;<br \/>\n jintian<br \/>\n &#8216;Today, you could begin by illustrating your day; perhaps opt for a more artistic approach.&#8217; When I was around eight or nine years old, I clearly preferred coloring my days rather than merely documenting events.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Finding a forte<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>\n Back when I was in mainland China, fields like art were not seen as legitimate subjects; they weren\u2019t taken seriously compared to literature and sciences. Therefore, it wasn&#8217;t until I relocated to England that I discovered my passion for art and design. It took getting an A-Level art scholarship for me to realize, \u201cMaybe this could actually be a viable career option.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n Are you looking for insights into the most significant issues and global developments? Find your answers here.<br \/>\n SCMP Knowledge<br \/>\n Our latest platform features handpicked content including explainers, FAQs, analyses, and infographics, all provided by our acclaimed team.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Express permission<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"image-inline-container\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-document-id=\"cms\/api\/amp\/image\/AA1BK5eU\" data-reference=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AA1BK5eU.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n When I was around 15 or 16 years old, my teacher first showed me<br \/>\n Alberto Giacometti&#8217;s work<br \/>\n His creations aren\u2019t particularly simple to appreciate\u2014they\u2019re not the most visually appealing or vibrant. However, I found myself intrigued by the story behind them and the reasons driving this artist to produce such somber works. The paintings and sculptures exuded a profound sense of weightiness. For me, this represented the duality of art\u2014it\u2019s not merely about beautiful aspects of life. This realization led me to view art as more than decoration; instead, it became for me a form of expression and a historical record.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Master plan<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>\n My mom was skeptical about my choice of pursuing a fine arts degree. She felt I should opt for something closely related to art, but with better prospects for employment. As a result, I went ahead with that alternative option.<br \/>\n urban design and planning<br \/>\n At University College London, they offered me an unconditional place to pursue my master\u2019s degree. I convinced my mother once more to let me study art history for my master\u2019s since I had taken architectural history as part of my foundational coursework.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Goodbye, Gagosian<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>\n During my master\u2019s degree, I worked in galleries and also had an internship at the Pinta Art Fair. Later, I received an invitation from the Gagosian to join as a registrar. However, I chose to relocate to Dubai with my then boyfriend instead of accepting the position at Gagosian.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Hello, Dubai<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"image-inline-container\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-document-id=\"cms\/api\/amp\/image\/AA1BJTUv\" data-reference=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AA1BJTUv.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n The first time I went to Dubai, sometime between 2008 and 2009, the city was just starting to develop its modern art community. I searched for galleries but could find only one or two. After interning at Art Dubai, I started looking into various possibilities until I connected with an individual collector named Rami Farook. He gave me a position within his collection. At that point, I informed my mom, \u201cI\u2019ve secured a role in Dubai.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Moving on up<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>\n I applied to<br \/>\n Art Basel<br \/>\n Since I learned about the plan for a new fair opening in Hong Kong back in 2012, I decided to apply, not really expecting anything to come of it. However, I received a phone call the very next day offering me the position. Before I could fully process everything, three weeks had passed, and I found myself relocating to Hong Kong.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  Community spirit<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"image-inline-container\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-document-id=\"cms\/api\/amp\/image\/AA1BK7Nb\" data-reference=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AA1BK7Nb.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n Upon arriving in Hong Kong<br \/>\n When I returned to Dubai, the art scene had expanded significantly since my initial arrival. However, the strong sense of community where everyone supported one another remained unchanged, which made the adjustment smooth. From Rami, I understood the significance of having a supportive community, a lesson I\u2019ve carried with me ever since. Over these past 13 years, I have witnessed and been part of the growth of Hong Kong\u2019s artistic circle alongside it.\n<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong><br \/>\n  In the family<br \/>\n <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>\n I am a parent to two kids, and engaging with art has been an integral aspect of their upbringing. In contrast, this wasn\u2019t something present during my own childhood. By the time my eldest child arrived in early February, the nearby Art Basel event took place just weeks later in March. Even at merely a month old, he attended his inaugural Art Basel exhibition. This tradition continued as he joined us for each subsequent show.<br \/>\n My young ones exhibit remarkable creativity through painting; they&#8217;re free to convey themselves without constraints imposed by notions of correctness or error within artistic expression. For them, making art comes naturally\u2014almost like second nature\u2014an inherent trait woven into who they are from birth.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n More Articles from SCMP\n<\/p>\n<p>\n China celebrates US YouTuber IShowSpeed, who attracts 10 million viewers during live streams in Beijing and Shanghai.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n Investors bet on increased AI-fueled gains in stocks from Hong Kong, Singapore, and the U.S., according to an HSBC poll.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n China and Europe share similar concerns regarding unilateralism and have the potential to collaborate effectively on this issue, according to the ESM director.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n China-based food vlogger Li Hangze, with 35 million followers, reveals to her audience that she is actually male.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n The article initially appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), which is the premier source for news coverage of China and Asia.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2025. South ChinaMorning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The director of Asia&#8217;s largest contemporary art fair on finding her voice through art and immersing herself in the artistic community During my early years, I lived in Mainland China. My mother traveled with me across various regions of China due to her work, which spanned journalism, trading, and publishing. The precise sequence of her [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[291,1134,364,265,1133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-art-history","category-asia","category-news","category-visual-arts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AA1BuPmr.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}