藝術世界在過去十年間發生了巨大的改變，最顯著的莫過於當今藝術世界已然是全球性的。其中，亞洲開始扮演著更加重要的角色，歐美畫廊也逐漸了解到與亞洲藏家交流的重要性。同樣地，經驗豐富的藏家們正跨越地理與文化界線，進而探索與尋找具有新觀點的藝術作品，亞洲地區的畫廊也較以往更加活躍於全球巡迴展與權威性展覽的趨勢。畫廊界認知到它們會被予以較負面的評價，若要能從競爭中脫穎而出，必須在所有的展覽活動中取得更傑出的表現。而眾所周知，畫廊所扮演的重要角色是透過給予市場的心理距離來保護藝術家，這和藝術品交易一樣重要。
在香港成為藝壇的節點時，周遭國家在各自的國內市場都尚未發揮潛力。同時，各國也有屬於自身文化脈絡的差異，像是部分國家還沒有全然採取如透明公開、品質控管的機制等普世價值，因而，開放且具競爭力的申請程序之規畫，不僅能提供亞洲與其他地區的畫廊一個舒適的平台，也透過這樣的擘劃，畫廊與其藝術家得以在「台北當代藝博」中，強化其所重視的策展理念與思辨精神。對於有經驗且具抱負的藏家而言，這也是再次證明參展此次藝博會的作品都具備高水準。申請程序的優化所帶來的展會品質保證，亦提供當代藝術的新手藏家邁開他們收藏旅程的第一步。
台北，在成為國際藝壇的重要據點具有其特殊優勢。台灣，擁有亞洲的成熟畫廊，設立有諸多重要的文化機構與美術館，也定期舉辦具國際公信力的雙年展。
「台北當代藝博」的目標不僅是實驗，還需與其他的藝博會競爭，同時我們嘗試呈現台北豐富且多元的獨特視野。我試著說服畫廊和藏家與其他國際藝術社群的成員到台北參加1月的第一屆「台北當代藝博」。我收到的多數回覆都十分正向積極。「我喜歡台北，喜歡這裡的人與食物。」而我們也誠摯地希望，「台北當代藝博」可以成為亞洲或其他地區藝術社群造訪這個城市的理由之一，來參觀藝博會的同時能發掘台北豐富的藝文活動。這個關鍵就是，藏家在安排他們的年度行程時，不是只有藝博會能夠吸引他們的目光，他們亦能參與這座城市不同面向的活動， 讓訪客從眾多城市中選擇此地。再者，藝博會應當是這個豐富文化場景中的一部分，期盼能夠藉此刺激當地藝術社群，並在這座城市裡創造出國際藝壇的焦點。
台北市一隅。（台北當代藝術博覽會提供）
過去的十年來，我幾乎在每場與不論亞洲、歐洲、美洲與其他地區畫廊的對話中，談論到台灣藏家的實力、豐富的經驗，與他們在畫廊和拍賣市場上活躍的身影。我們相信台灣還有更多尚待發掘的潛力，能帶領新的藏家進入市場，雖然有時藝術世界可能是有一點自我指涉與令人緊張的，但我們深信實際情況並非如此，因而我們邀請來自各地的訪客共襄盛舉。藝術關乎於人的狀態：我們一同面對挑戰，談論共同的議題，像是愛、逝去、性、死亡與殘酷。藝術家亦是，努力地理解世界與他們身處的地方。在加速進步的時代中，我們擁有越來越少的時間回看過去並進行反思。不過藝術家得以為世界搭建一座破裂的鏡子，提供我們看待世界的不同觀點，這正是能協助我們改變觀看世界的方法。藝術不僅是關於美好的影像——它更是關於思考，同樣地，除了藝博會能夠帶來的商業交易，積極參與藝博會也提供了思想交流的機會，我們希望藝博會可能夠成為加速連結與提供相關者開展新計畫的機會。
藝術與文化是形塑城市形象非常重要的一環，常用來彰顯多元、宜居性與連結能力；藝術與文化加速了跨領域的思考語境，對於創新思考非常重要。台北——一個經歷製造業經濟轉向服務業經濟陣痛期的社會，豐富的文化場景是其做好商業準備的象徵。
舉辦藝博會是一件令人興奮但艱鉅的任務，它最終帶來的成功與影響力不單取決於藝博會的主辦單位，還在於畫廊帶來優異展品的承諾，與主辦城市的文化社群藉著這個特別的機會，展現出優質的活動以讓國際訪客參與。「台北當代藝博」希望能向世人宣告：台北已經準備好了！我們希望能持續學習，也誠摯地感謝相關人士耐心回應我們的疑問，以及在地社群對我們所欲實踐目標的溫暖擁抱，也十分感謝台北與其他地區的畫廊和我們一同創造未來幾年極具意義且未知的長期願景。第一屆的「台北當代藝博」是漫長藝術旅程的第一步，這條路上沒有捷徑，也仍有許多辛苦的事情等待完成。不過，我們非常榮幸能有這個機會和台北分享我們的熱情，這次將會有許多不同的觀眾從各國來到台北，並帶來許多優秀的畫廊與藝術家。
我們期待一月在「台北當代藝博」與你相見。
Taiwan in My Eyes
By Magnus Renfrew
The art world has changed out of all recognition over the last decade. Most notably the art world is now global, with Asia taking an ever more important role. Galleries from the US and Europe are now understanding the importance of engaging with collectors from Asia. Likewise, the most sophisticated collectors are now collecting across geographical and cultural bounds searching for discoveries and fresh perspectives. Galleries from Asia are more active on the global circuit and standards across the board have increased. Galleries understand that they are judged on their weakest artists and their weakest exhibitions, and so are now striving for excellence in all their activities that can set them apart from the competition. The greater role of the gallery also, of protecting an artist through giving them psychological distance from their market is more widely recognized, as is the importance of promoting the practice of artists beyond merely selling objects.
Whilst Hong Kong has become the global touchpoint for the art world, other domestic markets around Asia are yet to reach their full potential. Whilst each cultural context is different and holds its own unique possibilities, some universal values of transparency, and systems of quality control, are yet to be widely employed. An open and competitive application process not only gives the best galleries from Asia and beyond the comfort level that the context in which their gallery and their artists will be displayed adheres to the same sense of curatorial and critical rigour that they hold dear, it also provides re-assurance to both experienced and aspiring collectors that the work on view is of the highest standards. The imprimatur of quality that such a selection process brings can provide the comfort for the new collectors of contemporary art to begin the first step on their collecting journey.
Taipei is exceptionally well placed to become a key fixture on the international art calendar. Taiwan has one of the most established gallery scenes in Asia, an array of strong cultural institutions and museums as well as one of the most credible Biennials in the world today.
Our aspiration is not to try and compete with other fairs elsewhere, but to try and present a vision that is unique to Taipei and that presents to the best advantage its rich and diverse attributes. When traveling constantly to try and persuade galleries, collectors and other members of the international art community to attend the inaugural edition of Taipei Dangdai in January, the first instinctive response from them is positive – 'I love Taipei – I love the people and I love the food'. Taipei is not a hard sell. People are looking for an excuse to come to the city, and our sincere hope is that Taipei Dangdai can be the focal point and excuse for the art community from around Asia and beyond to visit the city to see the art fair and to discover the breadth of cultural activity that Taipei has to offer. And this is a key point, perhaps the key point: for visitors planning their schedule for the year it is not only the quality of an art fair that can attract them it is also their enjoyment of the wider offerings of a city that can persuade them to choose one city over an array of other options. Whilst an art fair should only be one part of a rich cultural scene, one of the things that an art fair can do at its best is to galvanise the local community and to create a moment that puts the spotlight of the international art world on a city.
Over the past decade in almost every conversation that I have had with galleries from across Asia, and with those from the US and Europe, the strength and sophistication of the Taiwanese collector base and their activity on both the gallery and auction markets are commented upon. Yet we believe there is still further potential to bring new entrants into the market. Sometimes the art world can be a little self-referential and intimidating. We believe that this should not be the case and want to encourage the full spectrum of visitors to engage with art. Art is about the human condition, the shared challenges we face addressing common issues of love, loss, sex, death and man's inhumanity to man. Artists are trying their best to make sense of the world and their place within it, as to a degree we all are. In an ever-faster-paced world, where we have less and less time to step back and reflect, artists can put up a fractured mirror to our world and help us to look at the world in a different way. That is something that can add value to all of us. Art is not just about pretty pictures – it is about ideas. Likewise, in addition to the commercial exchange that an art fair can bring, the best and most critically engaged art fairs can also provide a context for the exchange of ideas, and it is our hope that the art fair can be an opportunity to foster connections and for stakeholders to hatch plans for new projects with each other.
Art and culture form a hugely important part in city branding and are often used to assert sophistication, livability, and connectivity. Art and culture provide a context which fosters cross-disciplinary thinking, which is crucial to innovation. In a society after being in the throes of shifting from a manufacturing based economy to services based economy the projection of a vibrant cultural scene can demonstrate that Taipei is ready for business.
Building an art fair is at once a hugely exciting and very daunting task. Ultimately, the level of success and impact that an art fair can bring is determined not only by the fair organisers but by the degree of commitment of the best galleries to bring their best material, and by the cultural community within the host city doing everything that they can to take advantage of this unique opportunity to present the very best of their activities to the international audience attending. Taipei Dangdai's aspiration is to lift the lid off the possibilities that Taipei so clearly already has. It is a constant learning experience for us and we are so grateful for the patience of stakeholders with our questions, and the warmth with which the local community has embraced us and our aspirations, and to the galleries from Taipei and beyond who share our long-term vision that it will be possible to create something meaningful and resilient for the years to come. This first edition of Taipei Dangdai is very much the first step on a longer journey. There are no shortcuts, and there are a lot of hard works to do, but we are honoured and thrilled to have the opportunity to share our passion for this great city with a wider audience and to bring the best galleries and artists from around the world to Taipei.
We look forward to welcoming you to Taipei Dangdai in January.
任天晉（Magnus Renfrew）( 1篇 )