Art Basel Hong Kong will have the participation of 245 of the world’s leading galleries for its first edition in Hong Kong, lead partner Deutsche Bank, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). With an emphasis on the highest quality of work and presentation, art by more than 3,000 artists will be showcased – ranging from young stars to the Modern masters of the early 20th century, hailing from both Asia and the West.
The prestigious line-up encompasses a diverse selection of galleries from 35 countries and territories across the globe: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Over 50 percent of the participating galleries are from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region - spanning from Turkey, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, across Asia and encompassing Australia and New Zealand. The first edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong will feature 26 galleries with exhibition spaces in Hong Kong and marks the first appearance at a fair in Hong Kong for 48 galleries.
The show will be presented across four sectors: Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters. Galleries, the main sector of Art Basel’s Hong Kong edition , will present 171 Modern and contemporary art galleries, selected on the strength of their overall gallery program. The sector presents the highestquality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works from both the 20th and 21st centuries. The Galleries sector will feature a strong presence by Modern art galleries from Asia and the West. Significant work from the past 100 years will be featured, providing an opportunity for visitors to discover and explore contemporary and historical art from different regions, cultures and aesthetic backgrounds. For a full list of exhibitors, please visit artbasel.com.
Within this sector, galleries from across Asia are joined by leading galleries from Europe and the United States to present their rich and diverse exhibition programs. Exhibitors coming for the first time to Hong Kong from the West include 303 Gallery, New York; Ameringer McEnery Yohe, New York; AndréhnSchiptjenko, Stockholm; Cecilia de Torres, Ltd., New York; Dirimart, Istanbul; Dominique Levy Gallery, New York; Galerie OMR, Mexico City; Galeria Pedro Cera, Lisbon; Johnen Galerie, Berlin; Mayoral Galeria D’Art , Barcelona; Peter Blum Gallery, New York; and Wentrup, Berlin.
The Insights sector, sited at the heart of both floor levels, will present 47 galleries from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region with curatorial projects developed specifically for the show. This sector is conceived to promote a curatorial mindset and encourage precise contextual and thematic presentations of many important artists from the art scene in Asia over the last 100 years. Presenting a mix of solo shows, exceptional historical material, and strong thematic group exhibitions, Insights will be a destination for visitors eager to learn more about art from across the Asia and Asia-Pacific regions, diverse histories, ideas and aesthetics.
The sector will feature strong representation from Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan, alongside galleries from India, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). Highlights include presentations by Galeri Canna, Jakarta (Entang Wiharso); Magician Space, Beijing (Guan Yong, Jiang Zhi, Liu Zhuoquan, Zhuang Hui and Dan'er); Neon Parc, Melbourne (Katherine Huang); Tolarno, Melbourne (Martin Bell and Brendan Huntley); and Xin Dong Cheng Gallery, Beijing (Wang Gongxin and Li Yongbin). Hong Kong will be represented by Blindspot Gallery (Stanley Wong), Feast projects (T'ang Haywen), Galerie Ora-Ora (Halley Cheng) and Schoeni Art Gallery (Hung Keung). The sector introduces 10 galleries new to Hong Kong, including two each from Indonesia, China and Japan.
The Discoveries sector will present a particularly strong showcase of solo and two-person exhibitions by emerging contemporary artists from across the world with an accompanying 25,000 USD Discoveries prize, which will be awarded to one artist presented within this sector. The 27 participating galleries include Karma International, Zurich (Thomas Sauter); Mendes Wood, São Paulo (Lucas Arruda); mother’s tankstation, Dublin (Brendan Earley); Paradise Row,London (Shezad Dawood) ;Take Ninagawa, Tokyo (Ryoko Aoki); Weingrull, Karlsruhe (Benjamin Appel); Galerie du Monde, Hong Kong (Lam Tung Pang); and 2P Contemporary Art Gallery, Hong Kong (Tang Kwok Hin). Discoveries will feature 14 galleries exhibiting for the first time in Hong Kong: BolteLang, Zurich (Benjamin Senior); Balice Hertling, Paris (Alexander May); Galleria S.A.L.E.S, Rome (Avish Khebrehzadeh); Lisa Cooley, New York (Erin Shireff); Monitor, Rome (Adam Avikainen); Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London (Francesca DiMattio); Juliette Jongma, Amsterdam (Nina Yuen); Kalfayan, Athens (Hrair Sarkissian); Galeria Plan B, Cluj (Navid Nuur); RaebervonStenglin, Zurich (David Keating); Galleryske, Bangalore (Mariam Suhail); Utopian Slumps, Melbourne (Sanne Mestrom); Workplace Gallery, Tyne & Wear (Marcus Coates); and Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai (Wei Chen).
The Encounters sector will provide visitors with the opportunity to see artworks on an institutional scale, presenting large-scale sculptural and installation pieces by leading artists from around the world, sited in prominent locations throughout the two exhibition halls. Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo and curator of Sharjah Biennial 11, will curate the sector in 2013.
