The first-ever Art Basel Hong Kong opened this week, attracting thousands of collectors and dealers from all over the world, hoping to benefit from Asia’s growing market. The fair features 245 galleries – 50% Western, 50% Asian – most of whom are exhibiting established artists already commanding high prices for their works. If you are more interested in the emerging end of the market, then look out for the fair’s Insights section where you can find a selection of regional galleries and perhaps make some new discoveries.

If you aren’t able to get to the fair or would like to view a curated selection of some of the most exciting emerging artists from Asia, we’ve put together a few collections of works for you, featuring Saatchi Online artists from Japan, China and South Korea.

Browse the collections:

Art from Japan

Art from China

Art from South Korea

We are happy to announce the winner of our Bright Lights, Big City competition: 

Georg Redzek‘s “Casino” has earned judge Eddie Martinez’s highest rank and will be shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London, along with runner-up “Cityscape #147” by Kaloust Guedel.

Internationally-renowned artist Eddie Martinez selected these two works from the pool of 30 talented finalists, with the following comments:

“The heavy use of red is very powerful. I like the red frame as well. I really like this piece because it reminds me somewhat of a Richard Hoblock painting, whose work I have recently started looking at. There is a shape in the painting that feels like an “EYE” that brings me back and simultaneously lets me move around the painting..

In Kaloust Guedel’s painting “Cityscape #147″, I like the impasto application and the collage techniques. Actually maybe it’s more of the build up of collage that is making it look like impasto. The teal, red and black combination at the top of the work is the anchor of it all and that works well.

- Eddie Martinez

American artist & Final Round Judge

The best part? All works in the Top 10 are for sale!

Showdown Winner: “Casino” ($1,500)

Runner-Up: “Cityscape#147″ ($8,000)

Eddie Martinez’s Top 10 picks:

1st Place Winner: “Casino” ($1,500) by Georg Redzek, Serbia

2nd Place Runner-Up: “Cityscape#147″ ($8,000) by Kaloust Guedel, United States

3rd: “MY HANOI CITY” ($1,500) by Tran Tuan, Vietnam

4th: “20 Rockefeller Plaza NY NY 10020” ($2,400) by Peter Vahlefeld, Germany

5th: “Hotel centrum“ ($4.250) by Stephane Villafane, France

6th: “Mattresses and road-signs” ($950) by CK Aderem, United States

7th: “A Corner of the World” ($6,700) by Baltazar Castillo, United States

8th: “Passerby, Arrest, March” ($2,000) by Jaeyeol Han, South Korea

9th: “The Balcony” ($1,000) by Ahmet Murat Karayilan, Turkey

10th: “Fourth of July“ ($1,200) by Maurice Sapiro, United States

Thank you

Many thanks to all those who submitted entries. We were thrilled with the high quality of the more than 2,500 submissions. We also thank those who participated in the community vote during the First Round. Please continue to support your fellow artists; we are so happy to have each one of you part of the Saatchi Online community!

Stay tuned for our next Showdown!

Each week we visit a Saatchi Online artist to share a glimpse into their studio, a peek inside their sketchbooks, and best of all, insight into their inspirations. Read on to discover more about South Korean artist Heeju Lee.

Browse Heeju Lee’s Portfolio

Favorite material to work with?
I always work with oil paints on canvas. Have no interests in other materials.

What themes do you pursue?
The themes of my paintings started from my home. I have worked with the themes of spatiality which space has and of memory which I have lived in such space and today. Early works contained a bit actual forms but I think more about abstract themes of memory and today rather than spatial elements.

How many years as an artist?
I have painted since I was so young. I have worked on current works since 2009.

Where is your studio?
Kyeongbuk-do, Gimcheon.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
“You have to keep trying something whether success or failure.”

Art school or self-taught?
I majored in art at university.

Prefer to work with music or in silence?
I like music. But when working, I hardly listen to music. It depends on my mood at that time.

What’s around the corner from your place?
Ironworks, fish shop, a bank, pubs…

Where can we find you outside the studio?
Supermarket, the bank.

If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
Farmer.

Check out Heeju Lee’s artwork

Day job?
I don’t do anything other than painting.

Favorite contemporary artist?
Nam June Paik and Francis Bacon.

Who are your favorite writers?
Colin Wilson, Park Kyeong Ri.

Favorite brush?
Flat brush.

Palette knifes?
I don’t use other than for mixing paints.

Monet or Manet?
Monet.

Discover more work by Heeju Lee

Each week, we showcase an emerging artist from around the world who is already garnering attention for their work. Taking inspiration from the Saatchi Gallery’s 25-year history of discovering new talent, ‘One To Watch’ presents some of the most exciting artists on Saatchi Online helping collectors to identify strong emerging talent.

This week’s One to Watch featured artist is emerging painter Dong Li-Blackwell who in 2012 won 1st Prize in the Winsor & Newton Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Competition.

Dong Li-Blackwell was born in China in 1984 and now lives in the UK. She has an MA in Fine Art from the University of Brighton, and has won some prestigious awards for her work including winning the Winsor & Newton Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Competition in 2012. She makes stunning watercolour paintings depicting the female form. “Watercolour is my language,” she says, “it is how I express the emotion of my life.”

Discover the works of Dong Li-Blackwell.

Some of Dong Li-Blackwell’s paintings available on Saatchi Online:

“Angle” ($2,100)

“untitled” ($2,100)

“Lady X No. 9″ ($1,300)

Check out all the works in Dong Li-Blackwell’s portfolio.

“Blue has no dimensions; it is beyond dimensions, whereas the other colors are not… All colors arouse specific associative ideas… while blue suggests at most the sea and sky, and they, after all, are in actual, visible nature what is most abstract.” -Yves Klein

Join us in celebrating all things French

by checking out our collection Inspired by Yves Klein Blue

Born in Nice, France in 1928, the artist Yves Klein is best known for his extensive (and eccentric) use of an intensely rich hue of blue, later called “International Klein Blue,” which he used exclusively in several identical minimalist paintings as well as in other works that anticipated the conceptual, performance, body, and environmental art movements to come. In his short life—he lived only 34 years—Klein received critical acclaim for his pioneering art and accomplished several impressive feats, not least of which included becoming a judo master, a rare achievement for a Westerner at the time. One of our favorite stories about Yves Klein involves his April 1958 exhibition at the Iris Clert Gallery in Paris:

Bearing the unwieldy title “La spécialisation de la sensibilité à l’état matière première en sensibilité picturale stabilisée, Le Vide (The Specialization of Sensibility in the Raw Material State into Stabilized Pictorial Sensibility, The Void),” this immaterial exhibition consisted simply of a gallery painted white containing an empty glass cabinet. On the opening night—the date of Klein’s 30th birthday—3000 visitors waited in line outside, only to be allowed in 10 at a time. A blue curtain was hung in the lobby of the gallery, attended by two Republican Guards, who in turn were guarded by two of Klein’s judo friends. Guests were served cocktails of gin and Cointreau that were dyed blue with methylene. Hailed as a wild success, the opening left quite an impression on its attendees; fittingly, all who’d drunk the cocktails urinated blue the following day!

Add a bit of blue to your own life…preview our collection inspired by Yves Klein Blue!

Discover the collection: Inspired by Yves Klein Blue

Each week, we showcase an emerging artist from around the world who is already garnering attention for their work. Taking inspiration from the Saatchi Gallery’s 25-year history of discovering new talent, ‘One To Watch’ presents some of the most exciting artists on Saatchi Online helping collectors to identify strong emerging talent.

This week’s One to Watch featured artist is Grażyna Smalej

Grażyna Smalej is a prize-winning Polish painter and Master of Fine Arts graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In 2011 she won The Curator’s Award for her painting “The Bath XXXVII” (based on an Andrzej Wajda film). In 2010 she was given the Award of Distinction at the 4th Marian Michalik Triennial of Paintings by Young Artists at The City Art Gallery in Częstochowa, Poland. She is also the recipient of the Minister of Culture Grand Prix for Painting. She has had many solo shows in Poland and has also been in group shows in Germany.

Her stunning, jewel-like paintings, many painted in exquisite emerald green, are based on a solid school of realism, which allows her to move with ease between many traditions, from surrealism through photorealism to figuration juxtaposed with abstract forms. Her works range in price from $350 to $4000 so there are paintings for all budgets.

Discover the works of Grażyna Smalej

Grażyna Smalej in her studio

Example of Grażyna Smalej’s artwork on display

Examples of Grażyna Smalej’s Artworks

“The bride” ($400)

“View from the boat” ($2,500)

“The White Lake” ($1,400)

“Towing a Boat” ($800)

Check out all the works in Grażyna Smalej’s portfolio

We’re thrilled to have interior designer and star of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators” Mary McDonald guest curating an exclusive collection of art as part of our ongoing Guest Curator series. Read on to discover the role art plays in her life, first piece of art she bought, the artists she’d most like to meet, and the last great exhibition she attended.

Check out Mary’s collection of art, curated exclusively for Saatchi Online

Award winning Los Angeles-based designer Mary McDonald is one of today’s most sought after tastemakers. She is the international star of Bravo TV’s “Million Dollar Decorators” series and is consistently ranked as one of House Beautiful’s Top 100 Designers. The recipient of the prestigious Stars of Design Award and honored as one of the top 25 designers by Veranda Magazine, Mary and her work have been featured in major national publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Vogue, among others.

Mary is currently working on her second book, due in 2014. She has just launched her first fabric and trim collections for F. Schumacher as well as an extensive rug line for Patterson Flynn and Martin. Mary continues to add new designs each season to her lighting collection for Robert Abbey while working on projects in New York, Utah, Florida, and California. Read on to discover what inspires this creative powerhouse and to explore her handpicked collection of art on Saatchi Online.

Check out Mary McDonald’s Guest Curator collection

Getting to Know…

Mary McDonald

Interior Designer & Star of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators”

How would you describe your personal style?
Whimsical classicist.

How would you describe your taste in art?
It is pretty varied. I hate when people use the word ‘eclectic’ but I would have to say eclectic. I love odalisque paintings, Sargent portraits, Cy Twombly, overscaled photography etc… It depends on what I am looking to feel.

What role does art play in your life?
Since I work in interior design it is pretty significant. I am also a very visual person who would collect any piece of art that moved me no matter what the provenance, so I would say I have an intimate appreciation for all types of art.

What do you collect?
I collect photography from Miguel Flores Vianna , Konstantin Kakanias and I have a large collection of California plein air paintings by the artist Clyde Scott.

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, which would it be?
Probably Sargent’s “Madame X.” Of course someone would have to steal it from the Met for me but I am not dead yet. There is still time.

Which artist would you most like to meet?
Van Gogh.

Mary's book INTERIORS: The Allure of Style

What was the first piece of art you purchased?
A small Saharan desert scene from a NYC dealer supposedly by a student of Sargent’s. The “supposedly” made it affordable. Unless you consider my college Steinberg poster art.

What was the last museum or gallery you visited?
Malmaison outside Paris last month.

Abstract or Figurative? Figurative.

Color or Black + White? Color.

Bacon or Basquiat? Basquiat.

Murakami or Mondrian? Mondrian… Murakami is too Hello Kitty for me personally.

Rothko or Ruscha? Rothko.

Beatles or Rolling Stones? Wow… hard one… OK. Beatles.

Digital or analog? Digital with a spot of analog.

Preview Mary’s art selections:

Discover Mary McDonald’s Guest Curator collection

Ready to go?  Email us at handpicked@saatchionline.com.

All eyes are on France this month, and for the occasion, we’ve got a few French-inspired collections of art to help you indulge your inner Francophile. In fact, we can hardly keep from hopping on a plane to join our Gallic friends for what looks to be a season trés culturelle.

Here’s a quick guide to what’s on:

• On May 15, the Cannes Film Festival unfurls the red carpet in the South of France where highly-anticipated films like Sofia Coppola‘s The Bling Ring and As I Lay Dying starring James France debut amid a glittering international crowd.
• Museums across continental Europe stay open until midnight on May 18th for La Nuit européene des musées, for which hundreds of French institutions—including over 150 in Paris alone—welcome visitors free of charge during the 9th annual soirée.
• On May 26th, Roland Garros—also known as the French Open—officially begins in Paris on its famously orange clay courts just as Cannes is winding down.
• From the start of May through June 5th, lovers of the iconic perfume Chanel No. 5—which Marilyn Monroe once quipped was the only thing she wore to bed—will be flocking to Paris’ Palais de Tokyo for an exhibition of related art, photographs, films, and records all paying tribute to the signature scent of every classic Parisienne.
• Lest anyone forget France’s contributions to la monde gastronomique, Eurostar will be testing a new direct train service from London to Lyon—hailed “the world capital of gastronomy“—through June 29th. Take advantage, Londoners!
• Swiss artist Felice Varini‘s site-specific installation on the façade the Grand Palais in Paris is one view through July 22 as part of the “Dynamo” exhibition. Neo-Classical gone street art – don’t miss it.
• We also foresee a very Frenchy summer ahead, thanks to Daft Punk‘s latest album release.

If you’ll regrettably miss this upcoming spate of culture and art (which luckily is de riguer in France) we’ve put together some of our favorite French-inspired collections to bring this artistically-rich country to you. Feel free to nibble some Camembert or don your chicest scarf as you browse the collections (including this one inspired by Yves Klein Blue) and let the artwork transport you. Afterall, as Proust noted, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” We couldn’t agree more.

Discover the art of France via our latest collections:

Parlez-vous français?

Inspired by Yves Klein Blue

From the Studio of…France-based arist Adrian Caicedo

Each week we visit a Saatchi Online artist to share a glimpse into their studio, a peek inside their sketchbooks, and best of all, insight into their inspirations. Read on to discover more about Colombian-born, France-based artist Adrian Caicedo.

What themes do you pursue?
I don’t have a particular theme I work with yet, but I like that enigmatic and unstable side of human nature. A complete factory of chimeras.

How many years as an artist?
16 years painting, but I really feel that I’ve just started.

Sketchbook?
I rarely use it.

Where is your studio?
I just started in a new place. A retired friend offered me a separated room in his workshop with enough light, and a wall where I can work larger formats; all for free. He’s a taxidermist so, in that room, I have my own private public watching, with disturbing realism.

Favorite eats?
I miss the hamburgers from Cali – Colombia!! Also Italian food.

Check out Adrian’s Portfolio

Tattoos?
Yes, I have two of them. The representation of death in my back, it is a big obsession of mine.

iTunes or records?
Records.

View Adrian Caicedo’s work

Succulents or Cigarettes?
I quit cigarettes a few years ago, so the only thing left are succulents!

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
You have poetry in your painting, which you should conserve, even without knowing where it will take you. However, that is the small secret of painting.

What’s around the corner from your place?
Le chemin vert, a long passage of huge trees that lead you to the lake of the town. I had the pleasure of walking through it in the four seasons, which was really nice.

A piece of art you love?
Girl with a Pearl Earring. With this beautiful and ephemeral gesture, captured in time by Vermeer, I realized the power of painting.

Favorite place to ‘get away’?
Any place where I can immerse my body in water, but my ideal is the sea.

Prefer to work with music or in silence?
Music!!

Where can we find you outside the studio?
At my friend’s place or moving around the streets of the city on my bicycle.

Psychedelics?
Not useful to me.

Favorite contemporary artist?
Adrian Ghenie, Connor Harrington, Jerome Zonder…

Day job?
Occasionally.

Process> Concept or Process < Concept?
Process is more important to me.

Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die?
I want to live as an artist now.

Going deaf or going blind?
I could not live without light and colors…

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
The hallucinogenic Toreador of Dalí. I was lost in front of that painting. It is the most beautiful synthesis of all his iconography.

Favorite sound?
The sound of thunder that rips the sky, and disappears into echoes through space.

Favorite smell?
A woman’s head.

What was the uncomfortable situation you have ever survived?
Every public speech is uncomfortable for me.

Why do you make art?
At some point I realized that it was the only thing I wanted to do. When I paint there’s no time around, and you reside in other space. It’s some kind of real freedom and I like that.

Art School or Self-taught?
Both. I have been painting since I was 16, but I went to art school until I was 21. There was no support for artists interested in other stuff than conceptual, so I was involved in other art processes, and my work as a painter was really slow and marginal. I have been in France since 2010 because I had the opportunity to study here, and this time I decided to just paint. I found a great place to do it, easy access to materials, less expensive, and a good tutor that upsets me a lot, still that helped me learn to never be comfortable with what I knew. I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of painting once again. This has been a long process, however it has allowed me to taste a little bit of everything, so I can definitely say I’m a painter. There are so many talented artists that work without a school involved, and that’s really great because art school always has the risk of killing your spirit.

What do you collect?
I’m not a Collector.

Which living or dead artist would you most like to meet?
Goya, so I could hear him talk vociferously, about his caprices series.

Food or Sleep?
Sleep!

Greatest achievement?
Still coming.

Finish the sentence: I would never be caught dead….
In a frenzied, irrational crowd.

How cleanly do you work?
In front of a canvas, a large percentage of paint ends up on my body and unexpected places.

Mottos or catchphrases?
Too many stars, so few ideas… Dan Perjovschi

Astrology or Astronomy?
Astronomy

Would you ever figure model naked?
I already did for a drawing workshop. Sometimes their approach was the movement, so my partner and I were dancing la salsa for two hours. It was interesting to see how we were digested by the glance of other artists.

Religion or Pop Culture?
Pop culture. At this moment we have introduced all in this category, even history and religion. So I think it is inevitable.

Which artist would you have decorate your home?
I like emptiness in home.

Couch surf or hotel?
Hotel, I like to make my own mess, in an ordered space, that doesn’t belong to me.

Would you rather see your art on a t-shirt or on a billboard?
I really don’t care about that, I just ask for time to see my work.

Traditional or Conceptual?
They work together, but I think I’m more traditional.

Discover more of Adrian’s work