For more than six decades, UBS has championed contemporary art, amassing one of the world’s most significant corporate collections. The UBS Art Collection, with over 40,000 artworks from around the world, reflects a deep commitment to global cultural dialogue and artistic heritage. In an exclusive interview, Elaine Choi, UBS Art Collection Manager for the Asia-Pacific region, shares insights into the evolving vision of the collection, the role of Japanese art and how UBS bridges cultural landscapes through its collection.
Elaine Choi, UBS Art Collection Manager, APAC
Image Courtesy of UBS.
Elaine Choi, based in Hong Kong, has been part of the UBS Art Collection since 2017. As the UBS Art Collection Manager for Asia-Pacific, she oversees the strategic development and display of UBS’s artworks across regional offices and UBS lounges at the fairs the firm supports. However, Choi emphasizes that the UBS Art Collection remains steadfastly global in its approach. “We don’t limit ourselves to showcasing only local artists in a specific region,” she explains. “While regional nuances exist, the Collection aims to reflect UBS’s commitment to diverse perspectives and the issues of our time. For instance, in Japan, you may find more works by Japanese artists, yet these are presented alongside international voices to foster a broader dialogue.”
The UBS Art Collection has prioritized acquiring pieces that resonate with current social themes, exploring subjects that provoke reflection on contemporary life. “Our mission is to collect works that will allow future generations to look back and understand today’s social fabric,” Choi shares. “For example, we recently acquired works by Mika Tajima, a Japanese-American artist whose Negative Entropy series engages with technology’s pervasive influence on modern identity, and a piece by Kishio Suga, a pioneer of the Mono-ha movement, whose minimalist approach continues to provoke powerful visual and philosophical responses.”
Mika Tajima, Negative Entropy (Inscape, Breathing Exercise, Full Width, Burgundy, Quad), 2020
Cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, wool acoustic baffling felt, and white oak, UBS Art Collection
©︎Mika Tajima, Courtesy of TARO NASU. Photo by Charles Benton
Kishio Suga, Nullification of Equivalence, 2019
Wood, acrylic. UBS Art Collection
©︎Kishio Suga, Courtesy of Tomio Koyama Gallery. Photo by Kenji Takahashi
Japanese artists play a significant role within UBS’s global art discourse. As Choi explains, UBS aims to maintain a balance between regional voices and universal themes that transcend geographic boundaries. “The Collection holds several key works from Japanese masters like Nobuyoshi Araki, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Yasumasa Morimura, and Tsuyoshi Ozawa. We value how these artists capture perspectives that resonate across borders, each bringing a unique contribution to the themes UBS supports: social impact, technological advancement, and environmental concerns.”
Choi sees corporate art collections like UBS’s as essential to fostering cultural exchange, both within corporate spaces and through public engagement. “The Collection’s role goes beyond internal display,” she notes. “We actively participate in major art fairs and loan works to museums worldwide, providing an avenue for cross-cultural dialogue and artistic accessibility.” For example, UBS’s recent participation in Art Basel Hong Kong included a curated show titled City Visions, featuring urban perspectives from across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. Artists like Sarah Morris and Chen Wei were featured, alongside Mika Tajima, creating a vibrant, layered narrative that encourages creative exchangewithin the UBS Lounge space.
Through her work, Choi seeks to reinforce UBS’s commitment to a collection that is both locally engaging and globally aware. “While we recognize the importance of Japan’s influence on contemporary art, our vision extends across all regions, each integral to the global art landscape,” she concludes. “UBS Art Collection remains a living entity, one that reflects the dynamic cultural exchanges of our time and the rich perspectives that define our world.”
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