Art Central, contemporary art fair alongside Art Basel Hong Kong, switches focus to local artists and boundary-pushing pieces
- Art Central’s ‘Made in Hong Kong’ exhibition showcases 65 works by 40 local professional and amateur artists, chosen from more than 650 applications
- Stand-out works include experimental Chinese ink pieces at Create Drive, and Anthony James’ piece at Opera Gallery that is sure to be an Instagram hit
Given continuing pandemic restrictions, Art Central – the long-running satellite fair accompanying Art Basel Hong Kong that shows contemporary art and progressive works – has had to adapt and attune its focus to local artists and galleries this year.
“[We knew] that we would need to develop a fair and an angle that would make sense as a platform for art of our time, which is naturally going to be a bit more local in nature,” says Corey Barr, fair director of Art Central.
Citing the number of local professional and amateur artists producing such high-quality work, the Art Central team came up with “Made in Hong Kong”, an exhibition that showcases 65 works by 40 local artists, chosen from more than 650 applications.
Qu Chang, curatorial director of Art Central, says her goal with the exhibition was to highlight the diversity of artistic practice in Hong Kong. The open call gave artists and visual practitioners who weren’t represented by commercial galleries a chance to shine, she adds.
One such artist is Bowie Lee, who didn’t even have an established website when she first submitted her artwork. Her video installation The Grid and The Skin (2020-2021) features her walking through Sham Shui Po and navigating a tong lau (tenement building) with a woven map of Hong Kong over her back.