China's Contemporary Art Fairs: The Development And Issues Of An Academic-Relevant Construct

"Art fairs" are new to the world. To-date they have less than 50-year history, while in China their history is less than 20 years old. Art fairs gradually evolved from an early comprehensive pattern of marketing-the so called "fairs"-to a specialized market typology. Art fairs are both a venue for the exchange and commercialization of art goods, and an organized activity for the integration of aesthetics and economy. Due to the size of their market model, they have become the biggest commercial activity dedicated to the display and trade of art in today's world. At the same time, they provide a social stage for the development of contemporary art.Art fairs are the direct outcome of a consumption-driven socio-economical development. In the context of market economy, they are a form of industry and of market, while the spiritual property of art itself adds a new dimension to the products and to the type of production. The emergence of such art market behavior not only displays economic traits, but more importantly it also entails a social character and a spiritual influence of practical significance. Given these very features, art fairs differ from other types of exposition for their relevance to the construction of an academic approach to art. This paper takes as object of research the history and issues connected to the academic construct of China's art fairs. The topic is analyzed and investigated from the following four perspectives:first, by giving an accurate account of the invention and development of China's art fairs, and by investigating and interpreting their role in the context of China's market economy today; second, by offering a systematic review of the development of their academic construct and by highlighting and analyzing aspects and issues emerging from art fairs; third, by appraising the value of contemporary Chinese art fairs in consideration of conflictual relations such as those between academics and market, those within market itself and those of markets propagating art; fourth, by suggesting realistic strategies for an academic construct of contemporary Chinese art fairs on the basis of the review and analysis given above and in connection with international standards and the development patterns of a mature industrialization. It could be said that how art fairs face competition (that is a healthy challenge to their development) in a globalised economy and how they exert positive effects and influences on society are issues related to the field of art studies and important real matters. Today art fairs are already an important ring in the chain of China's contemporary art market. They play an indispensable role in the regularization and improvement of the market mechanism. As a commercially oriented type of industry, while producing evident economic gains, art fairs also bring about huge social benefits in terms of social propagation of art and art education. The comprehensive investigation and study of China's art fairs leads us to the rational awareness of the urgent problems that still remain to be faced in the context of art marketization, problems which should attract the attention of individual and institutions in the field. In today's ever globalised economy, art markets are a fast growing trend that constitutes an important field of investigation and a meaningful perspective for the research of contemporary cultural and art enterprises.