Art Basel 2017 showcases over 200 international galleries in carnival of high culture
Event is a celebration of high culture and continues to develop in terms of quality
This is the fifth anniversary of Art Basel Hong Kong and the art fair’s 10th edition counts back to its origins as Art HK in 2008. Over a decade, it exploded from a niche-buyers event to a carnival of high culture visited by those from all walks of life. According to its Asia director, Adeline Ooi, bigger is no longer better. Substance is the priority.
“Size wise, we’re more or less the same as last year. It’s still two floors at the Hong Kong Convention Centre and it can only hold so many booths, but the thing is the depth of quality of the show is improving greatly,” Ooi says. “As someone who has seen it from day one, it has been an amazing journey in 10 years and a testament to the Asian pace of things. The talent now is super impressive and inspiring.”
Over 242 international galleries are presenting installations, paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos and digital art. In addition, they are divided among specialised programmes.
Projects from Asian artists and galleries are collected under the sector, Insights. The Discoveries platform showcases emerging artists. Curated concepts in an architecturally delineated space within booths fall under the new Kabinett sector, while Sydney curator Alexie Glass-Kantor directs the Encounter’s large-scale sculpture and installations.
On the sideline, Beijing multimedia artist Li Zhenhua has programmed screenings of short and feature-length films by and about artists. There are Conversation and Salon Talk sessions, with presentations, panels, lectures and performances.
“Year in and year out, the quality of the art is improving, especially the Asian content. Galleries and buyers have always been drawn to contemporary art from China but now we’re seeing historical works too, plus art from the rest of the neighbouring countries in Asia,” Ooi adds.
Major exhibitions during Art Basel include “Ambiguously Yours: Gender in Hong Kong Popular Culture” at M+ Pavilion in West Kowloon.
Examining film, music, fashion, photography and print, the works delving into gender and androgyny in local pop culture from the 1980s to today.