For many ordinary people, owning a quality piece of art is a far-fetched dream. Quite simply, it is normally way too expensive.

But the Affordable Art Festival that kicks off today in Shanghai might just allow some dreams to come true.

Initiated by "Time Out" magazine in London, AAF is a worldwide fair brand, promoting accessible art all over the globe. The main aim is to help discover those Picassos-to-be, as well as to offer some bargains.

China's AAF was launched in Beijing three years ago, and this year's festival in April attracted 15,000 visitors and saw about 300 paintings sold. Now Shanghai is the next stop for AAF China.

The three-day event has attracted some 30 artists and 11 top local galleries, including ShanghART, ARTDIF and Shang Gallery, to provide about 200 art pieces.

Works by big names like Ding Yi, Xue Song and Zhu Zhechi can be found during the festival at 50 Moganshan Road, the city's art hub, and the good news is prices won't be through the roof.

"The price tag on some of the paintings is almost one-fifth of their market price," says Cherry Deng, one of the AAF organizing staff. "You know, if they want, some heavyweight artists could easily sell their work at a costly price in domestic or overseas market." But at AAF, the price of all artworks is set between 3,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan.

"We are very supportive to this concept," says Zhao Danhong, art director of Shang Gallery. "Through it, the city's white-collar workers can get closer to art and approach it more easily. It is nurturing future Chinese collectors, which is very important."

Zhao's words are echoed by Helen Yu, from ShanghART. "We like this idea and we purposely choose some pieces for AAF, like some limited prints and craftworks," she says.

"Some people ask whether we 'throw' in not-so-good pieces for AAF due to the price. The answer is 'definitely not,' otherwise no one would come to AAF next year, which is not healthy for the local market."

But while "affordable art" is a popular concept, it does not necessarily equal "art appreciation."

Harald Szeemann, a famous Swedish curator, once said: "China, as a country, doesn't lack artists but a class that recognizes the artistic practice. If we take a closer look at China's history, we could find that art had been a special enjoyment only for the royal and rich families in the old times ... Many ordinary Chinese people seldom even discuss art to avoid it becoming a joke in front of others."

Changing the deep-rooted "prejudices" toward art in the minds of many Chinese is by no means an easy task.

"To tell the truth, I am not interested in buying any art piece," says Crystal Liu, a 30-something Shanghai white-collar worker. "Even if I can afford, I won't buy it, because I don't think I'm an 'art person.' For me, art is something too high up in the sky."

Art education and art taste are obstacles standing in the way of more people embracing art naturally. Rather, it needs time.

Huang Liaoyuan, in charge of the Beijing Art Now Gallery that is also one of the participating galleries at AAF, says: "Art is real and simple and art creation or appreciation should be natural. It is akin to what is taking place around us. It is happening and growing."

Perhaps the price might be a great lure to draw many potential collectors in the city, but as the organizers point out, AAF represents both quality and value.

"If some people just come here to buy art as an investment, we think they have a good chance (of doing well)," says Deng.

Certainly one needs to be quick and shrewd in his/her selection of pieces at AAF.

"Each artist only has one or two pieces," Deng says. "You have to make sure you don't let someone else jump in ahead of you."