For a sector that traditionally revolves so much around in-person attendance at viewings, sales and high-profile events, the last couple of years necessitated a major rethink of how business could be conducted.

Increasingly the industry has allowed itself to be led by technology, with stakeholders stepping however reluctantly into the “digital space” alongside their clients and international contacts and finding, in many cases, that it really could offer a viable alternative.

Overall revenues for the period may have been down, and the anticipatory buzz of a big auction week or a new gallery opening may have been missing. But, importantly, the business kept moving and now, all kinds of new possibilities have come into focus.

“We fast tracked new initiatives and made a quantum leap in our digital presence and engagement,” said Lihsin Tsai, senior director at Hauser & Wirth, a leading international gallery which specialises in contemporary and modern art.

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“We realised that people were still eager for connections and content during the lockdowns and travel restrictions, so we did our best to keep art accessible to all.”

Tsai uses two portmanteau words – glocal and phygital – to summarise the firm’s approach and how it sought to adapt. The goal was to stay in touch with both global and local audiences. And, whenever possible, to organise offline, or physical, events for the local community in parallel with online, or digital, presentations and “visits” for everyone further afield.

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“We adapted and so did the audience,” Tsai said. “Powered by strong video content and 360-degree photography, we were able to stay connected and they were kept up to date.”

These efforts extended to working with artists, who were unable to travel to Hong Kong, to set up virtual exhibitions and installations, as well as online talks, masterclasses, artist studio visits by Zoom, and live-streamed guided tours.

And among the ongoing public and private events there were children’s workshops, museum gatherings, screenings, and music and dance performances responding to specific artworks on view.

“Of course, we have continued to bring the best art from our global programme to the region,” said Tsai, noting that “Red Forest”, a first solo exhibition in Hong Kong by New York-based Swiss artist Nicolas Party is set to open on June 30.

While regretting the lack of face-to-face interaction over the last two years, Wendy Xu, general manager for Asia at White Cube gallery, confirmed that many clients quickly took to online salesrooms, video tours of exhibitions, and digital fairs.

“We still saw some great successes,” Xu said. “Also, Hong Kong’s art community rallied together to stage exhibitions, auctions and events, which have been well supported by local audiences.

“That said, we are very much looking forward to reconnecting with visitors and the wider art community during Art Basel, for which we have selected some works by artists who are also currently on show at the M+ Museum, such as Antony Gormley, Isamu Noguchi and Liu Wei.”