Politics and power set to challenge conventional perspectives at Art Basel

Sensing the interest and excitement created by the arrival of Art Basel in Hong Kong, local galleries and performance venues have been quick to organise a whole series of complementary events riding on the wave of enthusiasm for all things cultural.

As a result, during the next few days, patrons will be spoilt for choice with the chance to take in an eclectic mix of shows, experiences and "happenings" designed to entertain, enlighten and challenge conventional perspectives.

Leading the way is an exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Mark Bradford at White Cube Hong Kong, which runs until August 30. Best known for his multilayered collaged paintings which incorporate materials found in the urban environment, Bradford has created a series of new works about Hong Kong which explore the structures of power and politics.

This is done primarily through from the lens of urban planning in one of the world's most densely populated cities. The artist's starting point is his use of architectural floor plans for public housing units to which he adds layers of papers comprising everything from old billboard posters found in the neighbourhood to digitally printed colour sheets and newsprint.

The overall aim of works such as No More Pencils and Plan View 74 is to highlight the critical lack of affordable housing space in Hong Kong by dividing his original design with squares and rectangles into even smaller cage-like units.

At the Fringe Club, the month of May sees several exhibitions coinciding with the Art Basel Hong Kong period plus other mixed-media attractions. In "Joyful Ink" by Song Yonghong and Li Jin, the former presents true pictures of the realities of modern China, while the latter is among the most unorthodox of the ink painters known collectively as the New Literati group.