Alex Logsdail, Global Executive Director Of Leeson Gallery

After more than ten years in the Asian market, Alex logsdail has always insisted on providing artists with opportunities to communicate with global audiences in an all-round way, and to break through regional and realistic barriers to spread the beauty of art.

On March 13, the Shanghai space of ritsen gallery will launch the first solo exhibition "two peaks and partners" held by famous French artist Bernard piffaretti in Shanghai. Pifaretti is known as one of the greatest painters of his time. This year's March also coincides with the second anniversary of the establishment of the space in Shanghai. It is one of the few top European established galleries to officially enter the Chinese market. Alex logsdail, the son of Nicolas logsdail, founder of ritsen gallery and now the global executive director of ritsen Gallery, recently gave an exclusive interview with 21st century economic reporter to explain his way of survival that led him to take root in China's local market.

"Integration" rather than "airborne"

For the increasingly mature Chinese art market, different from other blue chip galleries actively layout the physical space of Asia, lisson Gallery has always maintained a cautious and progressive attitude.

Lison gallery was founded in London in 1967. Nicolas logsdail, the founder of the gallery, has established its unique development direction in the next 50 years from abstract expressionism, pop art, to minimalism and conceptual art. As early as that time, "Asia" had been included in Nicolas's development plan. In its first year, the ritsen Gallery invited artists from Japan and other places to hold exhibitions to win support from Asian artists. In 2009, riesson Gallery took part in art HK, the predecessor of Art Hong Kong, Basel Art Fair. It established a connection with the Asian market and continued to expand its business in Asia in the following years. In 2016, Leeson Gallery officially entered the Chinese market, and invited David dung, who has been the executive director of the long march space for more than 10 years and deputy curator of Yu Yaode Art Museum, to serve as the Asia director of ritsen Gallery, and to develop business in depth with local art institutions in the form of "exhibition project". Until 2019, the real space of the ritsen Gallery in the amber building on the Bund was officially announced.

Alex logsdail, global executive director, Leeson Gallery

Alex told reporters: "in March 2019, it has been two years since the lison Gallery Shanghai space was established. This is the fifth permanent exhibition space of the ritzon Gallery, providing a unique scale, design and environment for artists' projects and a platform for interaction with clients, institutions and artists from all over Asia. " Looking back on the situation before the preparation of Shanghai space, Alex believes that it was the early stage of the gallery's preparation for the Chinese market that made the whole process very smooth. "When we decided to open up space in Shanghai, we were already very familiar with the local situation in China, so entering the local market was also" seamless ". I think the most important thing is to establish good relations with other art institutions in the vicinity, such as art galleries, museums and foundations, so as to strengthen the cooperation between them. We found that the people of every organization here welcomed and supported us very much. "

Break the barriers of region and reality

After more than ten years in the Asian market, Alex logsdail has always insisted on providing artists with opportunities to communicate with global audiences in an all-round way, and to break through regional and realistic barriers to spread the beauty of art.

Whether it's Nathalie djurberg & Hans Berg solo exhibition held in Shanghai 21st century Minsheng Art Museum in 2016, Ryan Gander's solo exhibition in cooperation with Shanghai CC foundation in 2017, or Julian in Shanghai space of lison Gallery in 2020 Opie's first solo exhibition. For a long time, ritsen Gallery has provided a landing platform for western artists unfamiliar with Asian audiences by holding exhibitions and participating in different art fairs. The warm response of the market has also proved that the artists launched by riesson Gallery have a huge potential market in Asia. In the same way, Leeson has been able to present his works in London and New York for many years, increasing the exposure of Asian artists in the West. "These two things are equally important to us," Alex stressed

In summing up the 2020 epidemic, Alex said frankly: "it is almost certain that the new outbreak is very challenging for both individuals and the industry. But it is worth noting that we are still thriving in such an unpredictable and tested year. " "The experience of the past year has taught us that flexibility and flexibility are the foundation of our business strategy: we need to be bold when necessary and not afraid to take risks," he said. Therefore, we focus on finding a more direct and personalized way to keep our customers and friends informed of the latest art information. " It is understood that before the outbreak of the epidemic, ritsen gallery and the technology company August reached a cooperation to design and launch an ar software for collectors who can't visit the gallery in person, which is suitable for viewing artworks on mobile phones or tablets. The two teams have been working together for nearly 18 months, but most of the galleries were forced to close due to the outbreak of the epidemic, so they accelerated the research and development, and finally provided the technology to everyone in the form of subscription in April 2020.

In addition, Alex has led the ritsen gallery to launch a series of digital projects, ranging from online exhibitions to spotlight projects promoting video works to studio projects for visiting artists' studios. "In fact, we are the first gallery to take the lead in organizing Online Art Fair exercises in collaboration with other galleries in Asia." Alex says, "if there's anything we've gained, it's that we've managed to attract more people to our art activities than we do in real life. For example, last year, we jointly organized an online conversation with artists John akomfrah, Tina campt, Saidiya Hartman and ekow Eshun, which attracted more than one zoom conference to participate! I am very happy to see China recover rapidly after the epidemic, so that art activities such as exhibitions and art fairs can be held in Shanghai as promised. "

21st century: what have you done to promote artists to audiences at home and abroad?

Alex logsdail: as I mentioned above, it's important that the dialogue goes both ways. We have been trying to introduce artists from China, Asia or living in this region to audiences in the western world. It is very important to ensure that their works are properly positioned, have the opportunity to speak up on their own creative practices, and let local audiences see and feel the works of artists with their own eyes. I think that the scenes of each platform - whether it's a gallery, an Expo, a museum, a public speech, a performance or an outdoor project - will attract different audiences. Therefore, we will also strive to provide a series of different exposure opportunities for artists' works, so that more and more different audiences can experience and appreciate the beauty of the works in person.

21st century: are the eastern and Western collectors' attitudes towards aesthetics different?

Alex logsdail: collectors all over the world have a wide range of aesthetic tastes, so you will find that the forms and media of works on our list of artists are also diverse, including paintings, sculptures, installations, videos, photography, ceramics and sound works. We do see that art collectors from the East and the West have different purchasing preferences, but from my point of view, the differences may be more due to differences in personal tastes, interests and backgrounds, rather than entirely determined by geographical location.

21st century: what are the possible trends in the art market after the epidemic?

Alex logsdail: I hope everyone will be able to go to galleries and museums and enjoy the wonderful works brought about by the global art and creative industry. I think more and more people will pay more attention to one-to-one communication, and pay more attention to quality than quantity. Because even virtual communication helps. However, it is a pity that government funded institutions such as museums may be under increasing financial pressure. We should all find ways to support and work together so that these long-standing art institutions can continue to operate.