Art Basel Exhibition in HK
242 Premier Exhibitors from 34 CountriesHaving no history of contemporary art museums, gallerists at @artbasel Hong Kong had “Please Do Not Touch” signs inside their booths for a lack of local museum culture. Over the last five years, however, the fair’s visitors and collector base has steadily grown to infiltrate foreign contemporary art. It was open to the public from 23-25 March 2017, with 242 premier exhibitors from 34 countries, 29 of which showcased for the first time.
Many dealers cited the increasing sophistication of Asian buyers, which was significantly higher than last year’s fair. With strong representation from galleries all across Asia, ten new galleries include: @apluscontemporary, Bank, #CSpace, #HiveCenterForContemporaryArt, #imuraartgallery, @jhavericontemporary, #KwaiFungHinArtGallery, @mindsetartcenter, @thethirdgalleryaya, and @thethirdlinedxb. New this year was also the “Kabinett” section that’s familiar to visitors of Art Basel in Miami Beach, where galleries developed mini-exhibitions within their booths for solo or group shows.
- As the British conceptual artist @RyanJGander mentioned at a panel discussion hosted by London’s Lisson Gallery, “Art is something more than entertainment.” He continued to talk about the necessity of taking risks, whilst reminding us that imagination is everything. So, whether you went looking for that perfect acquisition, or was just keen to explore the booths, it truly promised something compelling. Catch @artbasel ‘s next one in Basel, June 15-18, 2017!
The main “Galleries” section returns as per usual, as does “Encounters” that present large-scale works, and “Discoveries” section that’s been reserved for emerging artists and gallerists. According to Art Basel’s Asia Director, Adeline Ooi, the latter has been particularly alluring this year, as some of the art pieces showcased have been created specifically for the fair!
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