XU ZHEN®, The Glorious (Installation View), via Perrotin Hong Kong
Art Basel Hong Kong is squarely in the center of Asia’s international art scene, a major recurring event that has left its mark as an important touchpoint for artists, collectors and galleries in Asia and the broader Pacific Rim, connecting this already thriving scene with the galleries and artists of the Americas, Europe and Africa. Tying together a broad range of locales outside the U.S./Europe market orbit, ABHK is an annual look to the East for much of the art world, tracing the region’s influence and contributions to the contemporary art landscape today. The Hong Kong show, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as an outcropping of the Art Basel fair franchise, features premier galleries from Asia and beyond, with half of the participating galleries based in Asia and Asia-Pacific. The show provides an in-depth overview of the region’s diversity through both historical material and cutting-edge works by established and emerging artists.
Simon Starling, Project for a Floating Garden (After Little Sparta) (2015), via neugerriemschneider
The fair will bring an impressive arrangement of artists to bear. Peres Projects will focus on a selection of works including Melike Kara’s challenging figurative works, while Esther Schipper will focus on 1980’s conceptualism, showcasing works by General Idea and Julia Scher. At Xavier Hufkens, one will be able to browse new works by Katherine Bernhardt, while at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, one can peruse new works by Rob Pruitt.
Shi Jinsong, A Quick Change No.9 (2015), via Mind Set Art Center
Shen Xin, Commerce des Esprits (2018), via Made In Gallery
The fair’s popular Encounters section also returns, presenting large-scale sculpture and installation works by leading artists from around the world, Encounters provides visitors with the opportunity to see works that transcend the traditional art fair stands, presented in prominent locations throughout the exhibition halls. Curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor, the fair will see a range of imaginative pieces, like Latifa Echakhch’s immense curtained works, brought by kamel mennour, or kaleidoscopic arrangements by José Davila on view at Sean Kelly NY. Also of note is the Insights, section, presenting precisely-curated projects highlighting artists from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, spanning Turkey to New Zealand, including Asia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The sector allows insights into artists’ careers, particular themes, and art periods from 1900 through to the present day. At Don Gallery, one can view a series of subdued oil paintings by artist Li Shan, while the Mind Set Art Center will bring a selection of copper and gold assemblages by Shi Jinsong.
Robert Mapplethorpe, Derrick Cross (1985) Mai 36 Galerie
Rob Pruitt, Alone Time (2019) Gavin Brown’s enterprise
Michael Lin, Unlimited (2012), via Bank
The week will also see a string of openings in and around the city, as galleries welcome international collectors onto their home turf. Perrotin is on major highlight, opening impressive shows by both Julio Le Parc and Zu Xhen® this week, while Gagosian will open an impressive set of works by Cézanne and Morandi.
All told, the week holds ample promise for collectors, dealers and artists, with the fairs opening doors for previews in just a few hours.
Melike Kara, for anything and everything (2019), via Peres Projects
Louise Sartor, Year of the pig (2019), via Galerie Crèvecoeur
Latifa Echakhch, La dépossession (2014), via kamel mennour
Katherine Bernhardt, Green Suit One (2019) Xavier Hufkens
Julia Scher, Grace (1996 – 1997), via Esther Schipper
Jingfang Hao & Lingjie Wang, about:black #101 (2018) White Space Beijing
Art Basel Hong Kong [Fair Site]
