The boom in the art scene continues unabated. But who are the most collectible artists and prospects of the moment? Our Gallerist reveals all...

Artists are flourishing like never before. Thanks to galleries, auction houses and dealers, as well as innovative ways of communication that enable artists to promote themselves via websites or public places like restaurants and bars, today’s art scene is unprecedented.

Consumers have never had so much choice. But, with this raft of artists, how to bet on a good one? Who are the hottest emerging artists?

Asia and especially China are the key. Chinese contemporary art is at fever pitch and still booming with artists such as Yue Minjun or Li Tianbing. In less than five years, works by these artists have increased in price tenfold.

Chinese artists are recognisable by their style: caustic and disordering humour, political and social references, use of large scale and expressive colours. Interesting bets to make remain on the painters Guo Wei and Zhang Dali or the photographer Wang Qingsong. All born in the 1960s, they succeeded in creating unique and evocative series. Mosquitoes is the most important one by Guo Wei. He paints half-nude teenagers in different postures and surrounded by white scratches, which represent insects. Sold for £4,000 (€5,200) in 2002, these artworks now reach around £20,000 (€25,800) at auction. And I think this upsurge will continue to grow.

The same goes for Zhang Dali. His AK-47 series depicts individual portraits of Chinese migrant workers, portrayed in black and white hues. So why should one collect such work as Dali’s series? Because the contrast between the violent content and the ‘graffiti’ decorative style is increasingly popular.

Another Chinese artist to invest is photographer Wang Qingsong. Part of the ‘Gaudy Art’ Chinese kitsch movement, he is both the author and actor of his humorous pictures, in which he discusses cultural, political and historic subjects with a touch of pop imagery.

While Asian emerging art is full of promise, we must not forget Europe. The Scotsman David Mach is highly promising. Contrary to his contemporary Damien Hirst, Mach’s pieces are not speculative or hugely interesting in terms of technique. Following the great British tradition of sculptors like Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, Mach is famous for his monumental sculptures and ephemeral constructions created from huge quantities of industrial material. Assembling matches in human or animal masks, tyres in submarines or containers in a Greek acropolis, his sculptures are impressive. In 1997 he created the biggest outdoor sculpture ever made in England: a life-size train made from 185,000 bricks.

The work of Spanish-Dutch artist Lita Cabellut is also sought after. Her speciality is painting blur portraits, depicting neither man nor woman but an undefined human form. The technique itself is also blurred, similar to the fresco style, using blood red or charcoal black colours. Why choose her? Simply because more than being represented in various different galleries abroad, her works have just appeared at Sotheby’s auction house – a sure sign of an artist on the up.

Those are my tips. The key for any investor remains as always: buy what you like. Hopefully the market agrees with you.

PRUNE VIDAL works for the international Opera Gallery group; www.operagallery.com