A glittering occasion: a property investment and art appreciation event

On 11 June 2022, the “A Glittering Occasion: Property Investment and Art Appreciation” event, jointly organised by the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association (NZCBIA) and Ai International Art Gallery, with support from YIJU New Zealand, was successfully held at Auckland’s international art centre (Ai International Art Gallery).

The distinctive opening performance featured musician Bernny singing to his own guitar accompaniment. Several light, cheerful songs gradually drew everyone into the occasion.

Zhao Ling, CEO of Ai International Art Gallery, welcomed the guests and introduced the works the artists had specially provided for the event, along with the stories behind them, successfully building a bridge between property investment and art collecting.

Representing NZCBIA, a joint organiser, president Frank Xu explained the original inspiration for the event: making time to appreciate art amid busy working lives, bringing property investment and art collecting closer together, and keeping capital flowing.

Special guests MP Naisi Chen and former MP Raymond Huo, a partner at law firm Shieff Angland, also warmly praised this exchange between property investment and art. They hoped leading figures from different fields could create a professional example of collaboration across sectors for New Zealand’s Chinese community, enriching their quality of life and participation in mainstream society.

The artists’ works on display were ingeniously crafted, vividly rendered, full of charm and exquisitely beautiful. They evoked the poetic scene of “a ridge viewed from the front, a peak from the side, changing with distance and height”. Alongside the pleasure of appreciating such varied artworks came the lingering sense that “words may end, but meaning is inexhaustible”:

Renowned New Zealand artist Nicky Foreman recombines everyday objects in her work, transforming them into precious, sumptuous pieces. She skilfully creates an internal balance so that viewers’ eyes are not drawn in a single direction, but can wander freely across the picture, discovering its different elements.

Chinese artist Wang Qiuwang shared his experience of creating art as an overseas Chinese artist: “I hope to set aside my own thoughts and beliefs and create as an observer, experiencing the unity and changes within and around me. I hope to break through some of my own constraints and follow my feelings to create works that connect with our times and the voices of overseas Chinese.”

Zong Yuan, an experienced art investor from Ai International Art Gallery, described his extensive career in art investment and introduced the new concept of “art finance”. He hoped to combine art and property investment and turn this into a new way of life.

Guests enthusiastically engaged in in-depth discussions with the artists throughout the event. These exchanges rested on a broad consensus: art had brought everyone together, while investment remained an enduring topic.

An artist at the event observed: “Placing major works by renowned painters in a development can attract art collectors and bring greater sophistication to the property business. As the property appreciates, the artwork also quietly increases its potential to rise in value, and vice versa.” This revealed a deeper source of value in the event: “Bringing art and investment together creates a powerful combined effect.”