Metis Art Is Cultivating A Holistic Approach To Collecting Art
Laying the groundwork and context so as to build a more nuanced art collection.
Regardless of the innumerable "art collecting 101" articles out there, chances are, getting one's start in that arena can be somewhat intimidating. Cue Metis Art, an art advisory started last year that looks to create a more holistic environment with which to gain appreciation of contemporary art, and in turn, its collection.
Established by art dealer Christina J. Chua and entrepreneur Cliff Hartono, Metis Art provides what they term an "approachable yet sophisticated curriculum" for busy professionals who are at various stages of art collection.
Art dealer Christina J. Chua co-founded Metis Art to help budding art collectors better understand the often confounding and complex art ecosystem.
To do so, Metis offers foundational classes called The Tetrad, which takes a multi-pronged approach to guide its patrons. For example, it covers anything from broad strokes of art history (can someone say, "context") and the basics and language of collecting to understanding the complex ecosystem of galleries, art fairs, and museums, so that one walks away with a more nuanced overview, instead of simply advising clients to purchase works that'll gain in financial value.
What's more, half of the course fees are donated to local and international arts non-profits; beneficiaries of this year's program are STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, DECK, Art Outreach and OH! Open House.
"We try as best we can to cultivate a deeper, more sustainable understanding of art collecting, so that it goes beyond simply acquiring pieces for your walls or assets for your portfolio, to philanthropically supporting one’s culture, art and heritage in the long-term," says Chua.
Below, we talk to Chua on the Singapore artists she has her eye on, primary vs secondary art markets and her advice for novice collectors.
"There’s a gap in the market for the resources and tools available to learn about contemporary art. Either it’s about the business and the market, or it’s extremely academic. I wanted to draw connections between these two spheres while rooting art history in world events, prevailing philosophies, technological developments, and other more relatable contexts.
To make it as practical as possible, I consulted my co-founder Cliff on his perspective as a novice collector coming from a finance background. We discussed what him or his friends would ideally like to learn, whether it was how to read the nuances within an artist’s CV to understand pricing; how to respond to seemingly more opaque, conceptual work with frameworks like “institutional critique”; or what “black matter” lay behind the media hype around art auctions when speculating or investing in blue chip art as an 'asset class'.
Since the Tetrad is our version of 'Art 101', we chose to leave out the finer details around particular movements and artists since you could potentially go down a rabbit hole of art history. We provide recommended readings in the notes if attendees would like to discover more."
"To be honest, many art advisories are focused on sales and deals, without truly enhancing the groundwork of galleries, non-profits or art institutions within the primary art ecosystem. Some of them actively pursue secondary sales, which are behind-the-scenes private deals where prices are pegged to auction results (or basically, the resale of artworks through places like auction houses, for various reasons – some of which could be down to the rising value of the works by that particular artist).
This secondary ecosystem has nothing to do with the primary world — which is what really matters to artists everywhere. 95 out of 100 artists do not even have a secondary market. And anyway, artists never benefit from secondary sales themselves.
I’m not against the secondary market, and the Metis consultancy definitely operates in both markets. What I’m saying is that the primary ecosystem is where our true loyalty lies. I’ve had the honour to work directly with some of the best galleries, curators and arts organisations in the world, and I have a deep respect for what these players can do for artists’ careers."
"It’s the same as wine – you have to drink a lot to develop a palette. Look at a lot of art to train your eye, learn, read even more, contemplate, and of course, have fun! Sometimes I can tell instinctively whether an artwork is good or bad – it’s just a visual vocabulary and discernment that you start to develop after seeing a ton of art over many years.
Learning from more seasoned collectors is another good way to begin collecting – they can share their hits and misses that can make your journey much smoother. And of course, since our curriculum is designed specifically to make the art world less intimidating, come attend the Tetrad!"
"Within an emergent generation: Khairullah Rahim, Genevieve Chua, Weixin Quek Chong, Faris Nakamura and Dawn Ng have honed in on very rigorous studio practices – they are all so different and special in their own way.
Within the mid-career artists: Heman Chong, Boedi Widjaja, Erika Tan and Choy Ka Fai have furthered conceptual thought and experimental practice by years and miles. I love and admire what they all do.
2020 to 2021 was undeniably a difficult period for the art scene. We saw major institutions close, like the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, as funding was diverted to more “essential” needs. Things are shifting though, and it seems galleries and institutions are sensing change on the horizon.
Whether that will be for the better or worse remains to be seen."