10 Ultra-Contemporary Artists of Asia and the Diaspora with Market Momentum
Recent years have seen increasing art market attention toward artists from Asia and its diaspora. As the art world has increasingly globalized in scope and accessibility, several emerging artists from this diaspora have become bona fide market successes thanks to a number of high-profile commissions and showcases on the international stage. Collectors—themselves more diverse and global in outlook than ever before—are also taking an active role in seeking out new and young artists from across the diaspora, making several of them some of the most sought-after names in the market today.
In this feature, we highlight two strands of ultra-contemporary artists (those born after 1974) that illustrate this market momentum. First, we look at five artists that may be described as “newly blue-chip.” These are names that have developed an established six-figure presence at auction for their works. The second section features more “emerging” names when it comes to auctions. This latter group of artists is achieving five-figure sums at auction and have buzzy practices that are being met by high collector demand.
Newly Blue-Chip
Chris Huen Sin Kan
B. 1991, Hong Kong. Lives and works in London.
Auction record: Shek O (2016) sold for HK$1,890,000 (US$240,900) at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2022, 2% over its mid-estimate.
Since making his estimate-smashing HK$900,000 (US$116,109) major auction debut at Christie’s in the summer of 2020, Hong Kong–born artist Chris Huen Sin Kan’s works have been met with high demand from collectors worldwide. According to the Artsy Price Database, Huen’s works have achieved an average overperformance of 215% against their mid-estimate at auction and have sold for an average of $117,000.
The artist—who is represented by Simon Lee Gallery, Ota Fine Arts, and Gallery Exit—has also appeared in a number of standout shows, including as an artist in residence at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2022. His record at auction was set last year at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, which hammered Shek O (2016) for HK$1,890,000 (US$240,900).
Raghav Babbar
B. 1997, Rohtak, India. Lives and works in London.
Auction record: The Coal Seller (2020) sold for £609,600 ($733,528) at Sotheby’s London in March 2023, 2,338% over its mid-estimate.
Raghav Babbar, The Coal Seller, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
Raghav Babbar, Memory is a Permanent Luxury, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
The youngest name on this list, Raghav Babbar has had a noticeable impact at auctions since his work’s debut in August 2022. The Indian artist’s work catapulted straight into the six figures last summer at Sotheby’s in Singapore, when his painting Memory is a permanent luxury (2020) sold for SG$441,000 (US$316,560)—an astounding 1,236% over its mid-estimate.
That debut was a comparatively mild overperformance for Babbar’s works at auction: The proceeding three works by the artist under the hammer each achieved mid-six-figure sums, beating their estimates by 2,204%, 2,420%, and 2,338%, respectively. This trajectory culminated in March 2023, when The Coal Seller (2020) sold at Sotheby’s for $733,528.
It’s an astounding—and somewhat alarming—flight path for the Gen-Z artist, who attained an MFA at the Royal College of Art in London. This June, Babbar will have a solo show at Nahmad Projects in London.
Yukimasa Ida
B. 1990, Totori, Japan. Lives and works in Tokyo.
Auction record: Picasso (2019) sold for ¥55,200,000 ($408,904) at SBI Auction House in March 2023, 225% over its mid-estimate.
Since graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1990, Japanese artist Yukimasa Ida has consolidated a steady and strong six-figure presence at auction. The artist set a new auction record when Picasso (2019) sold for ¥55,200,000 ($408,904) at SBI Auction House in March, capping off a string of estimate-beating works within the five- and six-figure ranges, with an average sale price of $92,000.
In 2021, the artist joined the roster of Mariane Ibrahim, which represents him globally. A string of solo and group shows last year with the gallery, and other names such as the Picasso Museum Malaga and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, have maintained his consistent presence on the radar of collectors.
Roby Dwi Antono
B. 1990, Semarang, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Auction record: Asih (2019) sold for HK$2,520,000 (US$321,040) at Phillips Hong Kong in May 2022, 32% over its mid-estimate.
Self-taught Indonesian artist Roby Dwi Antono’s works have sold for six-figure sums seven times since the artist first crossed the mark in November 2021, when Muram Temaram (2013) sold for HK$2,394,000 (US$306,925) at Phillips Hong Kong.
Dwi Antono’s auction record was set last May at Christie’s in Hong Kong for Asih (2019), which sold for HK$2,520,000 (US$321,040), and he has continued to establish himself as a prolific and consonant presence across the global art market. Collectors have encountered Antono’s works at exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and Melbourne, and the artist gained representation with Almine Rech last month.
Anna Park
B. 1996, Daegu, South Korea. Lives and works in New York.
Auction record: Is it Worth It? (2020) sold for HK$3,780,000 (US$483,943) at Christie’s Hong Kong in November 2022, 845% over its mid-estimate.
Famed for her energetic charcoal works, South Korean artist Anna Park experienced a breakout year in 2022. The market momentum for her work has only continued into 2023.
Park’s work made a major auction debut at Phillips Hong Kong last June, when I to I (2019) sold for HK$2,268,000 (US$288,930), 467% over its mid-estimate. Her works have been a regular six-figure presence at auctions since then: The artist has already hammered four works priced at more than $100,000 in 2023 and her average sale price of $218,000. This steadiness at the top end of the artist’s market is remarkable for such a nascent career.
An MFA graduate of the New York Academy of Art, Park attained major gallery representation in late 2021 with Blum & Poe, where she had a solo show last December.
Emerging
Yuan Fang
B. 1996, Shenzhen, China. Lives and works in New York.
Auction record: Expanse (mask) (2022) sold for $88,900 at Phillips New York in April 2023, 611% over its estimate.
Yuan Fang sits among a cohort of rising artists working in abstraction who have recently seen a strong uptick in critical and commercial interest.
The New York–based artist has shown at a number of notable Western galleries including Half Gallery, Bill Brady Gallery, ATM Gallery, and LATITUDE Gallery New York, and her work is already in the collections of several venerable institutions such as X Museum in Beijing, and Xiao Museum of Contemporary Art in Shandong.
Fang’s work first appeared at a major auction house this year when Sotheby’s sold Expanse (mask) (2022) for $88,900 in April—611% over its estimate. Last month, Bursting 06 (2022) sold for HK$406,400 (US$51,772) at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong.
Mandy El-Sayegh
B. 1985, Selangor, Malaysia. Lives and works in London.
Auction record: Net-Grid 00 (2016) sold for £63,500 ($76,426) at Phillips London in June 2022, 51% over its mid estimate.
Mandy El-Sayegh, installation view of “The Amateur,” New York, March 31–April 29, 2023. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.
Born in Malaysia and raised in London, Mandy El-Sayegh has an expansive practice that encompasses writing, installations, and drawing in addition to her canvases, all of which have auctioned for five-figure sums since debuting under the hammer last April. According to the Artsy Price Database, four works by the artist have sold at auction thus far. The highest price was realized for Net-Grid 00 (2016), which sold for £63,500 ($76,426) at Phillips in London.
With work in a number of public and private collections and a number of buzzy shows, the artist’s rise in the market is no surprise. She is also represented by two high-profile galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac and Lehmann Maupin. El Sayegh’s show at Lehmann Maupin’s New York space, “The Amateur,” concluded last month to high acclaim. The artist also recently held her first solo exhibition in Germany at Overbeck-Gesellschaft – Kunstverein Lübeck.
Egami Etsu
B.1994, Tokyo. Lives and works in China.
Auction record: Untitled (2021) sold for HK$529,200 (US$67,434) at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in July 2022, 76% over its mid-estimate.
Thanks to a number of exciting commissions and buzzy shows, Egami Etsu has already fashioned a reputation as one of the most exciting emerging artists to emerge from Japan today. This year began for the artist with a sold-out show at Whitestone Gallery in Singapore and numerous fair appearances, continuing the momentum of a strong 2022 where she was featured in solo shows at Tang Contemporary Art and A2Z Art Gallery. A slate of museum projects in Japan and abroad lie ahead.
The rise in Etsu’s profile has been mirrored at auction, where her work debuted at a major house in 2021: Confusing of Brushing Past (2019) sold for HK$403,200 (US$51,705) at Phillips in Hong Kong that November, and prices achieved since have averaged at 76% above their estimates. The artist set a record at auction last July for Untitled (2021), which sold for HK$529,200 (US$67,434) at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong.
Kitti Narod
B. 1976, Thailand. Lives and works in Bangkok.
Auction record: The Pool (2020) sold for HK$609,600 (US$77,657) at Phillips Hong Kong in March 2023, 103% over its mid-estimate.
Kitti Narod’s works at auction have outperformed their estimates by an average of 170% since 2021. The Thai artist’s work debuted under the hammer in June 2021, when Trumpeters (2020) sold for HK$163,800 (US$21,110) at Phillips in Hong Kong.
Represented by Tang Contemporary Art, the artist has appeared in several solo and group shows since 2019 in cities from Singapore to London, and from Montreal to Melbourne. His work set a new record during its most recent auction appearance: The Pool (2020) sold for HK$609,600 (US$77,657) at Phillips in Hong Kong in March.
Suanjaya Kencut
B. 1994, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Lives and works in Yogyakarta.
Auction record: Defence (2021) sold for £47,880 ($58,389) at Sotheby’s London in August 2022, 1,815% above its mid-estimate.
Indonesian street artist Suanjaya Kencut’s work has been a prolific presence at auction since making its debut at Sotheby’s in London last August, where Defence (2021) sold for £47,880 ($58,389)—and remains the highest price achieved for the artist under the hammer. Since then the artist has appeared at a major auction house some 16 times, with a majority of lots selling for five figures.
Known for his works featuring doll figures, the artist has been featured in several solo and group shows at the likes of Lorin Gallery, Gallery Ascend, and Volery Gallery. He recently wrapped up a solo show, “Social Circle,” at New York’s GR Gallery in February.
