Tang Contemporary closes Hong Kong space amid debt claims
Tang Contemporary has closed its Wong Chuk Hang gallery in Hong Kong amid allegations it owes money to artists, landlords and logistics providers.
The gallery group, first founded in Bangkok in 1997, confirmed on 29 August that the Wong Chuk Hang site had shut indefinitely from 21 July. The statement ended weeks of uncertainty around the space in Hong Kong's southern gallery district. It is a sharp stop for a business that organises exhibitions across several Asian cities.
Ten days before that confirmation, on 19 August, a legal demand was fixed to the door of the Wong Chuk Hang premises. The document was obtained by The Art Newspaper. It came from Sino Real Estate Agency Ltd acting for landlord Grand Apex Ltd and was addressed to Tang Art Foundation Company Ltd.
The demand asked for HK$1.57 million (US$201,000) in unpaid rent accrued from 1 January to 31 August, plus outstanding management fees and interest. That period covers eight months of occupancy this year. A demand of this kind is a formal written request for payment, a step that can precede further legal action.
Artists have put their own claims on record. Lin Fanglu says the gallery owes her 160,000 yuan (US$23,800) and still holds eight of her works in overseas locations. Li Nianxin claims the gallery owes about US$10,000 each to her and fellow artist Deng Shiqing. She says it retains six to eight works per artist.
A court filing in Thailand has widened the dispute. On 14 August a complaint was lodged with the South Bangkok Civil Court in Thailand alleging breach of contract, a failure to meet the terms of an agreement, by Tang Contemporary. It seeks recovery of more than 15 million baht (US$450,000).
Vivian Har is the director of Tang Contemporary in Hong Kong. The group says its other operations remain open. Those are its spaces in Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul and Singapore, plus a second Hong Kong space in Central.
Programme listings point to continued activity outside Hong Kong. The gallery's website advertises 'A Place We Share' in Bangkok, Andrea Galvani's 'The Lost Garden of Heaven' in Seoul, and 'Zhang Hui x He An' at its Beijing 1st Space, all dated to the autumn season.
For visitors in Hong Kong, this means one fewer large commercial venue in Wong Chuk Hang for now. The open question is when artists are paid and works held abroad are returned.
