Everything you need to know about Art Basel Hong Kong 2023: the cultural extravaganza returns to HKCEC with its biggest event in 4 years, with panel talks, public installations and film screenings
“While the experience of seeing art in person cannot be replaced, we did witness a number of digital elements [which] have proven to be beneficial and complementary to our physical show,” says Angelle Siyang-Le, the new director of Art Basel Hong Kong. Siyang-Le – who previously oversaw the development of Greater China for Art Basel – took the reins in November 2022 from Adeline Ooi, who now oversees other initiatives as the regional director for Art Basel Asia. Today, digital initiatives are not a necessity owing to restrictions; they are a means “to connect to the broadest possible audiences,” says Siyang-Le.
As such, despite the drop of restrictions this year’s edition will still be complemented by online viewing rooms, explains Siyang-Le, “which will give art enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to explore and inquire about works from the show floor, as well as online exclusives”. Online observers will also benefit from glimpses of the show floor, with social media channels sharing behind-the-scenes access, glimpses of art work being unboxed and even a series of artist interviews.
The Conversations programme – which features over 85 speakers – also retains its hybrid format, offering panel discussions before the in-person, on-site discussions. This, says Siyang-Le, “engages overseas audiences in our dynamic dialogue among international artists, gallerists, curators, critics, collectors and more”.
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The 2023 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong also sees the return of the Encounters section of the fair – home to large-scale installations and sculptures. Curated for the sixth time by Australian artist Alexie Glass-Kantor, who served as curator for the Australian pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, Encounters feature 13 on-site installations centred around the theme “This present, moment”.
“Every project in this year’s sector considers in some way how we can hold space – how we might be present – individually and collectively in the singularity and precarity of this moment,” says Siyang-Le. “Experiencing vulnerability, precarity and uncertainty are conditions that are persistent in history and woven throughout our lifetimes. Being present in the moment is a gift, with the future always an unknown. In this moment, we look to artists for insight, speculation and possibility.”
The Encounters section features a piece that features 13 uprooted money trees, suspended by a metallic grid. Titled Mr Cuddles Under the Eave and brought to the fair by Hong Kong’s Blindspot Gallery, Trevor Yeung’s piece references the damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018. “Yeung examines the way we manoeuvre through our social habitat, delving into the complexities and unspoken rules defining the way we interact,” explains Siyang-Le.
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“Publicly accessible artwork on view at a trendy shopping mall and a hotspot in the city hopefully expand the influence of modern and contemporary art beyond the show floor, engaging and inspiring more young talents to devote themselves to a career in the arts and cultural industry.”
Across the harbour, another site-specific installation takes pride of place on the M+ Facade. Hand Me Your Trust is a moving image piece by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, designed to respond to the city’s fast-moving and ever-changing environment.
“It is impressive to see such a dynamic cluster of proposed presentations, significant both in terms of breadth and depth,” adds Siyang-Le.
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To champion the breadth of home-grown talent Art Basel offers booths to several non-profit local institutions including the Asia Art Archive, 1a Space and Para Site. This year, several universities will also participate. In addition, four local artists – Lau Siu-chung, Mak2 (Mak Yin-tung), Chihoi and Yeung Hok-tak – have created works for the fair’s extensive marketing campaigns.
After a strong debut last year, the Kabinett sector returns with 30 thematic projects from solo and paired artists. Siyang-Le cites the retrospective of ink artist Wesley Tongson by Galerie du Monde as a particular highlight. “The proposed project will showcase Tongson’s important works from his mature years, the last decade of his life. Featuring Tongson’s splash ink and monumental landscape paintings created with his hands, fingers and nails, where he reached liberation by pouring his bold and raw emotions directly on the paper.”
The 2023 iteration of the fair features an extensive film programme curated by film producer and multimedia artist Li Zhenhua, while non-profit organisations Videotage and Ghost 2565 each guest curate a screening.
- From March 23 to March 25, Art Basel will open its doors to the public with its biggest instalment since 2019, set across 2 floors of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
- The event will feature 177 galleries from 32 countries and territories, plus off-site public art at Pacific Place and film screenings including Memoria with Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton