Why I Collect: Patrick Sun

‘What sets the Sunpride Foundation apart from other private initiatives is why and how we collect. Our mission is to foster a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for the LGBTQI+ community in Asia through the display of art. This affects how we look at art and how we acquire it. We collect to exhibit.

‘I started collecting Chinese painting in the 1980s. My first property project was on Hollywood Road, and I would visit my neighbors there, who were then mostly dealers in curios, art, and antiques. I wanted to build good relationships, so that no one would complain about the building site, but I was also secretly hoping that I would convince the gallerists to sell me their properties. It turned out that they were more successful in selling me their paintings! Later, my interest shifted to contemporary art, but I did not start collecting it systematically until 2014.

‘Hong Kong is a very conservative city, so when I was growing up I didn’t really have access to queer art in public institutions. However, I remember a life-changing experience while watching an episode of Celebrity Talk Show [今夜不設防, 1989–1990] on ATV. [The Hong Kong singer and actor] Leslie Cheung was the guest that night, and he talked about his career, casually mentioning his boyfriend. This interview did wonders. To me, it was just as powerful as the activist movements on the streets, because it was so unexpected and nonchalant. It showed to all the uncles and aunties that gay people – probably people they know – live a normal life.

‘This hugely influenced how I view the arts in relation to the gay rights movement in Asia. Visual art can open a dialogue with people, often in a less-confrontational way. At Sunpride, we always collaborate with public institutions – for “Spectrosynthesis”, we programmed with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei, while “Spectrosynthesis II – Exposure of Tolerance” was shown at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Public museums make a difference, because they give us a platform to communicate with those who are not in LGBT-friendly circles.

‘One of the earliest works we collected is an Eikoh Hosoe photograph – Ordeal by Roses [1961]. The subject matter is Yukio Mishima, a gay icon. This image helped define our collection. Another important artist for us is Shiy De Jinn [1923–1981]. He is particularly significant because – while we often show younger artists who are open about their sexuality – it was almost impossible to find an older Asian artist who came out and yet was very successful. I probably bought the most expensive Shiy De Jinn on the market at the time, Young Girl [1960].

‘Xiyadie will always have a special place in my heart and in our collection. His work is in an unusual medium – traditional Chinese paper cutting – and we commissioned him to make a large-format piece for one of our exhibitions. The different kinds of media in our collection really reflect the multiplicity of sexual expressions and gender identifications we want to champion.

‘Our focus changes with each exhibition. When we did our show in Taiwan, we presented a number of ethnically Chinese artists, who ranged from artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and the diaspora, like Martin Wong and Tseng Kwong Chi from the US. Other diaspora artists we added to the collection later include Jes Fan and Sin Wai Kin [fka Victoria Sin]. Likewise, when we went to Thailand, it was essential for us to be involved with the art scene on the ground. It’s about respecting the local culture and supporting younger talents.

‘In Bangkok, we worked with Arin Rungjang. We commissioned a new work, which resulted in a five-screen projection portraying a transgender person in the nude, lying in a classical pose, like Manet’s Olympia. I asked the artist, “Do we need such big screens?” He answered, “We are not just talking about gender issues here, we are talking about confrontation. When you walk into the room and see these giant screens, do you walk away from it or do you walk closer to look?” This was illuminating.

‘One of the many rewards I have got from collecting is the many friends I’ve made along the way. One of them is Balbir Krishan, who has a moving backstory. Growing up gay in a village in India, he was so miserable that he attempted suicide by lying on train tracks. The train did not kill him but his legs were severed. This incident made him realize that he wanted to live, and he worked ever harder to present his work as a gay artist. When he showed in India, a conservative crowd went to destroy his works and beat him up. It was a life-threatening situation, and the artist subsequently moved to America.

‘Balbir and I started a wonderful friendship, and when we had the show in Thailand [in 2019], we asked him to make something for us. It so happened that, the year before the commission, section 377 of the Indian Penal Code [which made sexual activities “against the order of nature” illegal] was [amended]. The artist decided to make two paintings, showing the before and after of the [amendment] and its effect on Indian society.

‘Sunpride’s collection focuses on Asian artists, but eventually we expanded our collection to include non-Asian LGBTQI+ artists. Recent acquisitions include Catherine Opie, Zanele Muholi, Oliver Beer, Ad Minoliti, and Mark Bradford. As the collection evolved, we started seeing the possibility of creating dialogues between Asian and non-Asian artists. For example, we have a video work by Yan Xing paying tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe, and we also collected the original Mapplethorpe photos that Yan references. These dialogues have opened up our horizons.’

Nick Yu is a writer based in Hong Kong.

Top image: Collector Patrick Sun in front of a work by Wolfgang Tilmans. Photo by Amanda Koh for Art Basel.