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With the opening of Art Scene China, a young Canadian besotted with Chinese contemporary art is realizing his dream of bringing that art to the public. And he's doing it in a stylishly Shanghai way.
The 1930s Shanghai, an almost illusory period rich with icons like dazzling neon lights, sexy female curves sheathed in elegant qipao and the sweet melodies of period Hollywood movies, is a favorite topic of nostalgic movie directors and writers.
And although that fabled era lives only in memory, Sami Wafa, a 32-year-old Canadian, enjoys a slice of those splendid bygone days at his new gallery, Art Scene China.
Located in a three-story Concession-era villa on Fuxing Road W., Shanghai, the newly refurbished gallery reflects the tastes of its owner -- an advocate of Chinese culture fused with Western charisma. The Ming-style furniture and traditional brocade cushions create a nice foil for the post-modern interior and the contemporary Chinese art on the walls.
"When I'm sipping a cup of tea on the terrace and watching the quiet street outside, I often have the eerie feeling that I'm back in the 1930s," says the baby-faced Wafa, casually chic in a dark sweater.
He continues, in fluent mandarin, "I've read about that period in Shanghai's history -- it was a booming era in the city's history, just like the present."
Wafa's hunt for the past to display the treasures of the present took a solid two months. "I saw 30 old villas, but when I found this one, I knew. I just had an emotional connection," he says.
Wafa has that same emotional connection with Chinese contemporary art. The earnest young man comes across as a dreamer, a perfectionist who simply wants to fulfill his dream of promoting Chinese contemporary art because he loves it.
Such is his passion that he quit a well-paid banking position in Hong Kong to create his gallery -- first in Hong Kong, then, Shanghai -- "because I love Shanghai, who wouldn't want to live here?" he asks.
Dreams require sacrifice, and Wafa has willingly made his. He has used his personal savings to establish the gallery (which, considering the rental and renovation costs of villas, must be a considerable sum) and he admits that a return on his investment is a long way off.
"I'm still learning about Shanghai and its art market," he says. "Time will be the best teacher."
Wafa is being modest: He had already done his homework before starting the gallery, surveying both local and foreign galleries to gauge the price of paintings.
"The prices of Chinese contemporary art are a slightly lower in Shanghai than they are in the West," he notes. "My price is based on a combination of each artist's input as well as what the market will bear."
Wafa says that the gallery's target market is mainly foreigners, who in his experience are more likely to collect avant-garde works.
"Different galleries have different criteria in selecting artists," he explains. "At Art Scene, we specialize in cutting-edge artwork by well established and creative emerging Chinese artists."
When asked what his advice to a first-time local art buyer might be, Wafa shrugs: "Art is quite a personal thing. As long as the work touches the deepest part of one's heart, then it's worthwhile buying. I hate to sell paintings to buyers as an investment."
Ever since Swiss native Lorenz Helbling opened ShanghART, the first foreign-run Shanghai gallery, in 1996, local artists have been following internationally recognized gallery practices, including participating in biennales, art fairs and working on commission (with the gallery usually takes 50 percent).
And while Wafa is pleased to reveal that his gallery has been invited to showcase their artists at North America's top art fair in Chicago -- a badge of prestige -- he is less forthcoming when it comes to questions of commissions.
"I can't tell you anything related to my financial figures," he says with a mischievous smile. He grows serious as he adds, "My business principle is one of fairness. Fairness to the artist, the buyer and the gallery."
His diplomatic tone belies his international relations major, and it is perhaps the rigors of this education that has bestowed on Wafa the ability to think a step further than other local gallery owners. Wafa is shrewd enough to realize that this beautiful villa itself is a potential source of revenue.
"The gallery is a lovely place for events, and we've already rented it out for several," he says, adding that there is a garden outdoors as well. "Quite a few of the guests were just amazed to find such a place for cocktails and gatherings."
Perhaps the true measure of Wafa -- and his gallery -- comes from gallery manager Zhao Yonggang.
"He seems easy going enough outside of the gallery," says Zhao. "But when it comes to the gallery itself, he is a stickler for every little detail. I understand that. Through this gallery, he is realizing a dream. It has to be perfect."
"The works here are cutting-edge contemporary, while the aura is 1930s Shanghai," says Wafa. "I think this makes my gallery the most unique gallery in town."
(eastday.com March 15, 2003)
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