What to know about Art Basel Hong Kong 2024: back to full strength, the prestigious fair returns for its ‘first truly reopened year’ with a bumper list of galleries from 40 countries

Mar 26 , 2024

Art Basel Hong Kong is triumphally returning to pre-pandemic scale with its 2024 edition. Photos: Handout

Art Basel returns to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 27 to 30, welcoming a total of 242 galleries for its 11th edition – a 37 per cent increase on last year

Fair director Angelle Siyang-Le says that the flagship art fair’s second decade is about ‘fostering cultural exchange to elevate Asia’s contemporary art scene on the global stage’

Art Basel returns to Hong Kong bigger than ever for its 2024 edition, featuring 242 galleries from 40 countries, a marked 37 per cent increase compared with 2023.

This includes 69 galleries that are returning from a hiatus alongside 23 entirely new exhibitors, marking a return to pre-pandemic scale for the fair, according to Art Basel Hong Kong director Angelle Siyang-Le. The fair’s opening vernissage on March 27, and its public days from March 28 to 30.

Angelle Siyang-Le, director, Art Basel Hong Kong

“It’s only my second show with the directorship,” Siyang-Le said, “but I feel like I’ve been serving the same art community for 11 years because I’ve been with the brand since the beginning of Art Basel Hong Kong and every year there are new elements, new people coming. I’m always learning.”

Siyang-Le describes this year’s show not as the 11th edition, but rather the first edition of the second decade.

“The first decade was about building a foundation for Hong Kong to be the cultural hub of Asia,” she said. “For the second decade, as a platform, I see our role as fostering cultural exchange to elevate Asia’s contemporary art scene on the global stage.”

It’s Complicated (2023) by Sameer Kulavoor, at Tarq

Connectivity is a key focus going forward. “I feel the urge for every part of Asia’s art world to reconnect with the world, but I also feel that the rest of the world wants to reconnect with Asia once again. It is very important for us to play the role well, of being the connector and building mutual understanding in the art world.”