Thinking outside the circle

And this is the reason why two out of the six sections at the fair have been designed to appeal to people curious about art rather than to established collectors with a knowledge of the industry.

The "energy" area of the exhibition will host a pop-up store organized by the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing to display its creative products based on the works by Xu Bing, an established artist who is known for his print making and installation works. It will also hold workshops where celebrities from the music and film industries will create their own works.

Shi Yan, who is in charge of this segment of the expo, says that she regards fashion as a link between art and life. Shi has worked in the fashion industry for decades.

"Contemporary art may appear to be far removed from the lives of ordinary people. But in fact, many contemporary fashion designs draw inspiration from art," adds Shi.

To promote discussion about the art fair on social media, the "wonder" hall will invite installation artists and public art specialists to produce large pieces, with the aim of attracting visitors to take photos with the art pieces.

As well as generating public interest, the key aspect in creating a successful art fair is attracting the right participants - namely the galleries and artists themselves.

Altogether, 32 galleries from across the globe including the United States, Japan and Europe will take part in the event. As well as stands that display the artists' works represented by each gallery, the art fair will devote the majority of its exhibition space to putting on a group show.