Some 30 stainless-steel sculptures of characters created by martial arts novelist Jin Yong, known as the JRR Tolkien of Chinese literature, will be displayed at the same time as Art Basel in Hong Kong, which is promoting itself as an art-collection hub for wealthy investors.
The objects will be created by Chinese sculptor Ren Zhe, who was among the nearly 8,800 candidates recently granted a Hong Kong visa under the Top Talent Pass Scheme launched in December to attract professionals to the city.
Beijing-born Ren, 40, who graduated from the Tsinghua University's Academy of Fine Arts Sculpture Department with bachelor's and master's degrees, is best known for his stainless-steel warrior sculptures. His work "Infinite Spirit of Allegiance" fetched HK$2.52 million (US$321,000) at Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong in 2021.
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"The sculptures include well-known characters such as Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu from The Return of the Condor Heroes," said Ren, who started creating these pieces in 2020.
Ren Zhe's 'Infinite Spirit of Allegiance' fetched HK$2.52 million at Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong in 2021. Photo: Handout alt=Ren Zhe's 'Infinite Spirit of Allegiance' fetched HK$2.52 million at Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong in 2021. Photo: Handout>
Hong Kong is promoting itself as a family office hub by attracting wealthy families to set up offices in the city to manage their investments ranging from financial products to arts and other assets. The government organised a high-level summit, Wealth for Good on March 24, which was attended by more than 400 participants from more than 100 of the world's leading family decision makers, as well as senior family office executives.
A number of wealthy families plan to set up investment management offices in the city because of its impressive economic recovery and its vitality and charm, a trend that will help it develop into a global art auction and trading centre, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po wrote in his blog on March 26.
More than 30 pieces and Ren's sketches of the characters created by the novelist, whose real name is Louis Cha Leung-young, for his popular novels written between 1955 and 1972, will be displayed during Art Basel week next March. The exhibits will include AI and metaverse elements, Ren said.