Hong Kong-based British collector Shane Akeroyd is not your usual patron. His passion for art has led to an extensive collection that today boasts over 1,500 works of various art forms, reflecting the changing discourse of contemporary art and issues such as race, gender identity and politics. He also serves on boards and committees of institutions such as the Chisenhale Gallery and Tate in London, as well as M+ and the non-profit art space Para Site in Hong Kong.
Additionally, the 58-year-old fintech entrepreneur has backed a number of art initiatives around the world to nurture global talent. These include Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s VR performance presentation A conversation with the sun at the Aichi Triennale in Japan last year and the upcoming Sarah Lucas retrospective at London’s Tate Britain in September, as well as Associate Curator Shane Akeroyd of the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which runs from 2022 (when he won the Golden Lion) until 2030.
And now Akeroyd is taking its commitment to art further with the launch of the Akeroyd Collection, an online platform that highlights his collection of nearly 200 moving image works that he began assembling over 20 years ago. The platform acts as an archive of the collection, with an international roster of artists including Angela Su, Nikita Gale, Sin Wai Kin and Sonia Boyce. The platform also comes with an evolving online screening program, in addition to new commissioned works and texts made available to the public free of charge.
“The original idea was to make the platform accessible not only to others but also to me,” Akeroyd told Artnet News. “The project is an attempt to transform the less tangible into something more tangible. Once the collection began to take shape, the possibility of curatorial activation and discourse became more evident.
The collector noted that “community versus vanity” had been the guiding principle of the project from the start, and he hoped to share the collection with those who would not normally have access to it. “Activating this is an important next step in sharing the works that I have been able to put together,” he said.
We caught up with Shane Akeroyd to find out which moving image works inspired him to buy and how they play into his overall collection.
Derek Jarman, Silence (1986). Oil and mixed media on canvas. Courtesy of Keith Collins Will Trust and Amanda Wilkinson, London.
What was your first purchase?
The first moving image work I bought was Turn signal (1996) by Adam Chodzko. I don’t remember how much it cost, but it wasn’t much. I already had a few pieces by Adam and thought he was a great artist working in different mediums and not just moving image.
My first stills purchase was a painting by Ray Richardson in 1989. My collection includes works in all mediums.
What was your last purchase?
Today I bought that of Alex Da Corte Hotel Chelsea No. 2. Just visited Alex’s full exhibit at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa.
Alex Da Corte, ROY G BIV (2022) [still]. Video, color, sound, wooden box with rear projection screen, painting, performance and powder-coated chairs. 60 minutes. © Alex Da Corte. Courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles Head Office, London.
Tell us about a favorite work from your collection.
It’s hard to say. I have some works by Alex and he is awesome. I’ve been thinking a lot about Martine Syms, Diego Marcon and Aki Sasamoto right now, and Joan Jonas and Mark Leckey, who paved the way for so many. Away from the moving pictures, Sarah Lucas is my all-time favorite.
What works or artists do you hope to add to your collection this year?
I recently purchased a Mike Kelley work and would love more. I have still image works by Derek Jarman in the collection, but no films. These are essential supplements.
Aki Sasamoto, Diagram of the nut (2018). Single channel video, sound. Duration: 20 minutes and 1 second. Always courtesy of the artist and Take Ninagawa.
What is the most valuable work of art you own?
I don’t really think of art in those terms.
Where do you most often buy art?
Galleries I’m close to. Sadie Coles’ HQ is the closest in a long time.
Is there a work you regret buying?
I never regret anything, even if I bought works that I grew up on or got the second best pieces when I should have bought the best ones.
Denzil Forrester Jah Shaka (1983). Oil on canvas. © Denzil Forrester. Courtesy of the artist.
What work have you hung above your couch? And in your bathroom?
Denzil Forrester [painting Jah Shaka] and Thornton dial [a mixed-media painting] above the couch. [Wall-based sculptures by] Trevor Yeung in my bathroom.
What’s the least practical piece of art you own?
Lots of big jobs that I can’t even fit into my house. This is my next project!
What work would you have liked to buy when you had the opportunity?
There are a few, but that’s the trait of an obsessive collector. I remember playing street hockey with Peter Doig in the early 90’s and not being polite or smart enough to ask about his paintings.
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