My Favourite Things: Evan Chow

Evan Chow is a collector and patron of contemporary art, based in Hong Kong.

“My acquisitions go beyond visual attraction. I tend to be drawn to emerging or mid-career artists changing the landscapes of contemporary art, who will make art history and inspire others in their respective fields,” says Chow.

Chow is a passionate art collector, serving on the Board of Trustees of the New Museum, New York; the Asia-Pacific Committee for the Centre Pompidou Paris; and the founding patrons’ group at M+ Museum in Hong Kong.

He shares the stories behind his art collection.

Calvin Marcus, Blue Devil (2018)

While Marcus’s works can be very humorous, the unique in-between of two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality here alludes to concepts of fear and dream. He has always had a strong surrealist flavour and I enjoy his quirky creativity.

Sanya Kantarovsky, Milker (Grant Wood) (2018)

I am a big follower of emerging figurative painters who appropriate and associate art history. Russian-born painter Sanya Kantarovsky references iconic images of impoverished farmers and working-class people by US regionalist masters during the Great Depression.

Huang Rui, Space Structure 84-15 (1984)

I have a soft spot for art history relating to geometric abstractions. It’s very interesting to see how this was put into the Chinese context during the 1980s by Huang Rui. The geometries and the colours reflect the architecture of Beijing, symbolising the power and governance of the country.

Peter Halley, Wonder Park (2019)

The vibrant colours of Peter Halley’s painting are a real source of energy for me. I have this one hung in my summer home where I escape to relax. But it’s also a real conversation piece. Referred to as the founder of 1980s Neo-geo conceptualism, Halley’s visual language of cells, circuits and squares expresses the industrialism of modern society. Physical and psychological structures of social space have been a heated topic in Hong Kong and carry extra relevance for me.