How The Art Industry is Benefiting From The Pop-Up Trend: A Success Story You Can Learn From

When talking about pop-ups, we usually associate the terms ‘store’ or ‘shop’, explicitly drawing the link between short-term space rental and retail brands. However, the art industry has been benefiting from this trend and showing that the pop-up format can address their current challenges very well. Designers, photographers, painters, artists, gallery owners, corporations, charities and all other art lovers: whether they want to expose their work or hold temporary exhibitions, short-term space rentals are a way to achieve it.

L’épicerie fine: the love of street art

L’Epicerie fine HK is the story of two cultures meeting around art: Hong Kong and France. Baptiste, Louis and Bézy, have spent years painting the streets of Paris. Passionate about street art and new artists, they held various exhibitions while they were still students. When Baptiste came back to Hong Kong, his beloved city, he observed the growing art scene and decided to mix both art cultures. L’épicerie fine HK was born. It aims to promote the street art movement in Hong Kong by presenting artist works.

In Hong Kong, they hold pop-up exhibitions, pop-up stores and showcases to expose the work of their artists: “As street art is a kind of ephemeral art, pop-up events are a great way to exhibit it” says Baptiste Droniou, founder. On another side, Baptiste also notices that it brings dynamism to temporary exhibition: “When galleries showcase temporary exhibitions, it’s usually for 2 to 3 months. The first days of opening are very busy and a lot of people are coming by. But then follow 2 months often very calm”. Pop-up exhibitions are a way to counter this challenge.

In September 2016, they held a 5 days pop-up exhibition with Storefront. The exhibition took place in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong and featured Julien Raynaud, a french artist presenting his journey between Marseille, Paris and Hong Kong. “A short-term event allows us to create a buzz around the exhibition and get a lot of communication out of it. We got several press releases and blog articles, many people attended as they knew the event was for 5 days only” explains Baptiste.

Baptiste and his team had a tricky schedule but handled it successfully: an opening party, private preview, exhibition and live performances were part of the project.

Another exciting part of this event was the format; an exhibition where art meets technology. People present were asked to download the dedicated application where information about the artist and its exhibition were displayed directly on their phone. This process was realized through ibeacon: the application recognizes the artwork or performance you are passing through and displays all information about it.

Benefits of the pop-up format:

• Get your work exposed: by finding a space to expose your work, you can bring life to your art projects.
• Increase your visibility: by exposing your work in the right gallery during a determined length of time, the effects on your visibility can be optimized.
• Meet art lovers: connect with and grow your audience in a more personal way.
• Take part of the hottest art events around the world: get a unique chance to take part of Art Basel in Hong Kong.
• New source of revenues: customers in the art industry have similar behavior to those in the retail industry when it comes to buying. Seeing an art piece is a key deciding moment to buy.

Launch a pop-up gallery in Hong Kong

Nestled in the lively and stylish corner of Sai Ying Pun, this modern 540 sq ft Pop-Up Space is ideal to host a pop-up exhibition. Learn more…

This elegant 700 sq ft gallery space is ideally located just a 10 minute walk from Central MTR station. Located on the ground floor with easy accessibility to passersby, your exhibition will attract any anyone who walks past it. Learn more…

Located on the first floor of a modern-looking building, this 1,500 sq ft pop-up space is available for Art Openings and Exhibitions. It is just a few minutes walk from the vibrant SoHo area and energetic hangout spot, Lan Kwai Fong. Learn more…

This huge 2,300 sq ft space is well-located in the elegant and trendy area of Sai Ying Pun. With its white walls and neutral floor, it will perfect to make your pieces of art stand out. Learn more…

Ready to exhibit your work and find the perfect space to pop-up? Take a look at gallery spaces around the world on Storefront and make your ideas happen.