Gao Feng, "Mixed Media", 2008

The fourth Affordable Art Beijing (AAB) will be held in The Orange in The Village at Sanlitun, Beijing from May 30 to 31 2009.

The AAB was founded in 2006 by Tom Pattinson and Tamsin Roberts to give art lovers the chance to buy their own unique work of contemporary art and to give young artists a platform to display their talents.

"It has been amazing to see this event grow from strength to strength over the last four years," says Tom Pattinson. "Each year we are surprised and impressed by the number of people that join in this wonderful event whether to buy art or simply to enjoy the atmosphere." This year the continued expansion of the event has led it to move to the Sanlitun Village. "It is very exciting that we can move this event to the heart of the city, and reach a greater audience in an incredible location," says Pattinson.

The event was created to allow everyone the chance to buy their own piece of contemporary art – something to hang on their wall or start their collection with. Affordable Art was a new concept in China in 2006 as the art market was closed off to many art lovers and limi ted only to wealthy investors and collectors. As the Chinese art market got hotter and prices rapidly increased this only made it harder for the majority of people to be able to afford works.

Li Yongzhi, "Oil on Canvas", 2008

"All art works are sold for under 10,000RMB," explains Tamsin Roberts, director of Red T Art and curator of AAB. "Some items are sold for just a few hundred yuan, meaning there is really something for everyone, no matter what your budget," she says. Whilst AAB is an opportunity to allow people to buy some beautiful works of art, the skills of Red T have also meant that many of the featured artists in previous years' AABs have gone on to become very successful artists whose works rapidly increases in value. "AAB is an opportunity to show the public what is currently up coming in the market, every year there are new artists show-cased and new works to see, it is a unique event and attractive to a wide variety of people for the low risk investment and enjoyment that it can provide," she explains.

The show is also an excellent platform for young emerging artists to show their work and gauge feedback on their works. "We spend a lot of time visiting hundreds of young artists to find the best up and coming talent and Affordable Art Beijing is an incredibly opportunity for these artists to show and sell their works," says Roberts.

Today, the demand for affordable art is stronger than ever as buyers want to ensure their money goes as far as possible. In these more challenging times AAB continues to support the art community, promoting new artists and encouraging the Beijing art scene to continue to thrive.

(China.org.cn April 13, 2009)