In the 21st century, a new genre of art has developed and its recent rapid growth of international interest has been unprecedented. Although the mediums that artists in this field employ are many, it has been coined as "Urban Art" and it seems to be a phrase that will remain for the foreseeable future. Urban art can be defined as a style of art that relates to cities and city life often done by artists who live in or have a passion for city life  and is often associated with “Street Art” or “Graffiti”. 

This style of art is not a new phenomenon - street graffiti first appeared in the US in the late 1960s and was commonly used as a form of political activism. Only recently, however, has urban art become recognized as a proper art form by galleries, curators, private collectors and auction houses.

The way people view this 21st Century contemporary art nowadays has created a new and formidable player in the Art market and even national museums have had to sit up and pay attention to this burgeoning phenomenon. In May 2008, the Tate Modern commissioned six internationally acclaimed urban artists to use the building's river façade, and the first major public museum display of street art in London was presented. The line between fine-art and street-art/graffiti is now blurred, and with its acceptance and recognition by the art establishment also bringing with it criticism and dismissal.

Adapta is a satellite project in collaboration with Schoeni Art Gallery in Hong Kong and Adapta UK, based in London.  Adapta  will bridge the gap between the understanding of this Urban Art movement in the European and Asian art markets, creating a dialogue which, until now, has been relatively unobserved. We believe that the talent-pool that Urban Art offers is extraordinary and hand-picking each artist specifically for each show will demonstrate, educate and provide a wealth of inspiration for the youth of today.

With two shows planned per year at Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong, Adapta will continue to be a cross-cultural pioneer and strive to bring the most sought-after and progressive artists to Hong Kong's doorstep.

Adapta was launched in November 2008 with an opening exhibition called Attention Spam, featuring 5 UK based artists, including Cyclops, DFace, David Bray, Vesna Parchet and Word to Mother. For more information about Adapta and it's launch exhibition Attention Spam, please click here.