The Wonder Years

Gallerist, curator and collector Johnson Chang founded Hanart TZ Gallery in 1983. He reflects on decades in the art industry and his hopes for the future of Chinese contemporary art

By Tara Sobti. Portrait by Affa Chan

How did you begin your career in the industry? I started a gallery with my friend Harold Wong to sell traditional art in the late 1970s. The aftermath of the Cultural Revolution meant a large amount of old cultural artefacts were being disposed of, and Hong Kong was a major channel for this outflow. I started to curate exhibitions for contemporary Hong Kong artists around 1980, including for artists such as Antonio Mak and Luis Chan. I then founded Hanart TZ Gallery for contemporary art in December 1983. It was successful and I never looked back. What was Hong Kong’s art scene like when you started? In the early 1980s, Hong Kong had a few galleries, including Alisan Fine Arts and [historian and art critic] Nigel Cameron’s annual shows, but…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2022

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