Growing up in Hong Kong, TF Chan developed an early interest in architecture. As a child, he remembers peering up at IM Pei’s Bank of China Tower, a soaring, sculptural skyscraper, and César Pelli’s elegant International Finance Centre. “We spent quite a bit of time on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, so the skyline is very much part of my childhood,” he says. “I have particularly fond memories of the Foster & Partners’ HSBC Headquarters because my aunt Ophelia worked there, and I would visit from time to time.”
His interest in design came later. After studying at Princeton University, he got a job at Wallpaper* magazine in London, where he started as an intern and worked his way up to editor. During his time there, he had two formative conversations: one with the ceramicist Magdalene Odundo; the other with the artist Theaster Gates. “Through them I gained an appreciation for artworks that require material intelligence and skill of the hand,” he says.
TF was taking some Princeton alumni around last year’s edition of Collect, the international fair for contemporary craft and design held at London’s Somerset House, when he got wind of an exciting new opportunity. After a seven-year tenure, Isobel Dennis was stepping down, and the fair was in need of a new director. TF was familiar with the fair, a non-profit established by the Crafts Council in 2004 with the aim of nurturing a budding collector’s market for contemporary craft. Plus, being an editor and art fair director didn’t seem all that different: “I was used to being given an embarrassment of riches and trying to make sense of them, drawing out themes, and envisioning it as a journey.”
A common thread at this year’s edition, which took place in February, was the use of upcycled materials. There was British-Brazilian designer Tessa Silva, who makes voluptuous chairs from intricately stitched deadstock cotton fabrics, and showstopping chairs and lighting produced by Czech artist Vadim Kibardin. A former industrial designer, Kibardin used to order electronic components from around the world, and was always accumulating cardboard boxes in the studio – so, he decided to piece together furniture from the recycled material. Darcey Fleming presented weaves made from discarded bailing twine typically used by farmers to tie up bundles of hay. She sources the unassuming material from dairy farms and uses it to make dynamic sculptural works in the material’s original colours, often vibrant hues of pink, blue, red and cream."
The fair’s non-profit status sets it apart. As TF says, “It’s about supporting the artists who dedicate their lives to pursuing craft, and the ecosystem around them – the galleries that make it possible for the artists to work, and the various organisations that facilitate their visibility.” Collect also stands out for its emphasis on contemporary work: each year, eighty per cent of the pieces on show are made in the past five years. “Which means you really get to see what’s new in the world of contemporary craft,” says TF. “And that the focus is on the primary market – so, any acquisition has a more direct impact on the careers of the artists.”
TF wants to make the fair truly international: out of the 400 makers involved this year, more than 50 nationalities were represented. He mentions Gallery FUMI’s Kobina Adusah, a young Ghanaian artist who creates monumental clay vessels with gestural patterns and markings that allude to the West African vernacular. “It was wonderful to have that presentation, with those cultural references, and it was also remarkable just in terms of the scale.”
Part of the challenge is to correct the misconception that craft is low art, crafty and domestic. “The term can be a bit loaded because a lot of people practise craft as a hobby, which should be encouraged, but there’s an association of romanticism that means professionally produced crafted arts aren’t always valued as much.” Major institutional shows are helping to correct that: one of the most successful exhibitions in recent years at Tate Modern was dedicated to the colourful, handwoven grids of the Bauhaus-trained artist Anni Albers. TF also points to commercial galleries paving the way, among them Sarah Myerscough Gallery, and of course, collectors.
For its first five years, Collect was held at the V&A – one reason being that they wanted the audience to understand, says TF, “that what we’re showing and selling is of museum quality. And although Somerset House isn’t a collecting museum, it’s a leading cultural hub in the heart of London, with a prestigious history, and I think there’s a halo effect that the architecture has on the work on show.”
By the time he was brought on last year, there were nine months to go until the next iteration. Happily, he now has a full year to prepare for the 2027 edition. It’s about building on existing foundations, he says, and continuing to push for a fair that’s truly international and represents a wide range of disciplines and skills. “It’s also about continuing to transform the way people think about craft. It has to do with understanding material, scale, and the coordination between the hand and the mind.”
TF wears the TOAST Overdyed Micro Houndstooth Cotton Blazer, Rory Overdyed Micro Houndstooth Cotton Trousers and Embroidered Cross Stitch Cotton Shirt.
Words by Chloë Ashby.
Photography by Lesley Lau.
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