Working as a full time laborer in Tsing, Ma Bridge a part time artist showing off his artwork in the underground restaurants and bars, British national Simon Birch’s endeavors helped the art industry of Hong Kong take its first steps. Then came various art fairs, exhibitions, galleries and also global art shows such as Art Basel. After that Birch began solo exhibitions which won several accolades and renowned awards like the Louis Vuitton Art Prize.

But he was compelled to move to New York to further his interest because of too high rent and paucity of support from Hong Kong society. According to Birch, it is very difficult to be an artist in Hong Kong, because the issue of rent discourages artists; and they are forced to carry on their vocation elsewhere.

Artists making art, which is the foundation of the industry, will not continue to exist in Hong Kong if rents continue accelerating.

The prices of real estate in Hong Kong has become outrageous in recent years, mainly because of the demands of a newly rich population of mainland China. According to government data, the rents for grade A office space in Central has almost doubled since 2006. Whereas cities like New York have various organizations like New York Foundation of Arts, which give patronage to the artists by giving them various grants and sponsor-ships; to attract more and more artists like Birch.

Even then Birch and others like him name Hong Kong as their first preference of cities to work. Birch is of the opinion that Hong Kong has a raw and exciting feeling to it and great work will be created in this type of environment. Things, according to him, are looking up – as there have now emerged various venues by which to endorse and display local talent.

This year, the fair sold over $36 million Hong Kong dollars ($4.6 million) of art, attracting 28000 local visitors indicating a healthy buyer’s market. Ramsey thinks people try to justify buying art as an investment and gradually they become more confident of their tastes and learn to appreciate the value of art. This soon replaces their initial reason to collect, and the exquisiteness, craftsmanship and singularity of the art and its accompanying cultural and emotional fulfillment become the more valued motivations.

However, a mere 22% of artists at the fair were from Hong Kong. Eric Guo, a Chinese photographer says that although artists are not very profit driven, a sort of balance to maintain a certain standard is essential. In business oriented Hong Kong, there is no immediate money for artists and the high rent drives artists away from from the city.

But the art industry in Hong Kong is growing. Ramsey is pleasantly surprised by the genius of these artists. Its appreciation is increasing and this recognition and willingness to engage in art is a way for expanding art in this region.