ABOUT: From A to Z

A Decade with A2Z Art Gallery

Although A2Z Art Gallery opened its doors a decade ago in 2009, its story began when Anthony Phuong and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong crossed paths. Hailing from Vietnam and China respectively, both united in France after traversing numerous borders and challenges. While some paths seem predetermined, life's serendipities often carve unexpected trajectories, affirming that success resides in every circumstance—it's just a matter of extracting it.

A Cultural and Human Union

As a political refugee arriving in France in 1983, Anthony Phuong grew up in modest surroundings. After receiving professional training in construction, he lent his skills to his brothers' framing workshop. Specializing in custom framing for artworks, Anthony Phuong engaged with artists, collectors, and other figures in the art world, acquiring substantial technical knowledge of painting techniques and a discerning aesthetic taste for Chinese art. Fifteen years of hands-on experience provided him with a robust network, expertise, and analytical acumen, along with a newfound ambition: to represent Asian artists of his generation. This aspiration materialized through his encounter with Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong, who arrived in France after leaving China and learning French in Congo, where her father, a military engineer, was stationed. Following her studies in cultural management in Rouen, she moved to Paris to work as an assistant in art galleries. Her interpersonal skills, art market savvy, and human qualities quickly earned her respect in the field, leading her to contemplate opening her own space—a dream she shared with her future husband, driven by similar aspirations.

A Living Space

After visiting numerous artists' studios from Beijing to Chengdu, the duo opened a spacious 500-square-meter venue in Les Lilas, a suburb of Paris, with the intention of showcasing the vitality and diversity of the then relatively unknown contemporary Chinese art scene to French audiences. Conceived as an open and experimental window, the space hosted cutting-edge exhibitions—museum-scale endeavors—featuring video projections, installations, and graphic arts, attracting both the curious and the connoisseurs alike. After a year of activity, A2Z Art Gallery relocated to Ivry-sur-Seine, where Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong designed the space as a medium that transformed with each new presentation, daring to challenge conventions as long as the outcome reflected the universe of their artists. They immersed visitors in darkness, equipped with flashlights to explore the phosphorescent works of Gao Jié; commissioned Yuhsin U Chang to immortalize a monumental cloud of dust emerging from the wall on-site; and provided shoe covers for those wandering through Li Wei's immaculate world.

Eager to elevate their ambitions further, Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong began participating in art fairs in 2011 and opened the current A2Z Art Gallery space in 2014 in the historic district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Located at 24 rue de l'Echaudé, this Parisian mansion spans 300 square meters over five floors, inviting both novices and enthusiasts, young and old, to moments of contemplation, exploration, and exchange.

An Altruistic Vision of Art

"A gallery owner is an engaged individual with responsibilities in society, sharing their social, political, cultural, and personal vision," recognizes Anthony Phuong. His commitment to artists encompasses a message of universal significance—supporting art as a means to promote societal well-being. By championing contemporary artists, especially Chinese ones, Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong believe in transmitting the present to future generations and fostering dialogue between European and Asian cultures for mutual enrichment. Whether it's Ma Desheng and Emeric Chantier, Shiori Eda, Vladimir Velickovic, Rachid Koraïchi, Nicolas Panayotou, DanHôo, or Takashi Hara, all gallery artists offer autobiographical fragments, articulating discourse rooted in the present to probe the existential. From the world of appearances to the intelligible, their reflections study, challenge, and question human beings and the essence of things. In this same altruistic vein, the gallery duo seeks to promote a simple pedagogical mediation, prioritizing a sensory approach over an intellectual one. Contemplation shouldn't necessitate knowledge; rather, it's the ability to look. Only then can understanding blossom, leading to a desire for ownership. From contemplation to ownership, Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong advocate for an unencumbered approach to art, regardless of one's cultural background or social status. Sharing with others must always be done with consideration and humility.

The A2Z Art Gallery Family

This altruistic spirit, inherent to A2Z Art Gallery, is evident in the relationships Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong cultivate with their collaborators on a daily basis. When Antoine Le Clézio joined the team in December 2015, it was through the recommendation of his wife Nathalie, who is of Chinese origin and indirectly acquainted with the duo. Completing his studies in medieval art history and contemporary art, Antoine Le Clézio naturally found his place in the gallery, identifying with this fusion of cultures. With the trust bestowed upon him, he oversees numerous projects, schedules, market analyses, and demonstrates business acumen. His innovative ideas allow him to play a significant role in the gallery's direction, proposing projects for participation in fairs or the institutionalization of artists in privileged locations.

In early 2016, Sophie Yingxin Huang also joined the team. Of Chinese origin, she came to France through the exchange program for her master's in International Arts Management. After several successful experiences in art galleries, Yingxin Huang joined A2Z Art Gallery, attracted by both the selection of artists and the philosophy upheld by Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong. Responsible for marketing tools, relations with the Chinese press, and administrative tasks, she is involved in managing a second space for the gallery opened on January 12, 2019, in Hong Kong.

Located on the thirty-third floor of a dynamic city tower, the A2Z Art Gallery in Hong Kong is managed by Luke Chapman and Kathy Yu under the supervision of Anthony and Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong. Continuing their desire to blend cultures, the gallery duo aims to develop a local network of artists whose work reflects their own stories, beyond prevailing aesthetic considerations. For a decade now, A2Z Art Gallery has fostered encounters, exchanges, and connections between cultures and generations. While the gallery's artists enjoy significant recognition, it is important to honor the kind-hearted hands that support them. A heartfelt thank you to Anthony Phuong, Léa Ziwei Li-Phuong and their team - Eugénie Duchemin, Jonathan Schurdevin, Cédric Luangamath and Thy Nguyen - for their dedication to art, for sensitizing humanity to its world, and most importantly, for fostering self-awareness, so individuals may realize the infinite greatness within themselves.

Text by Anne-Laure Peressin (2019), Art Critic