“It’s remarkable to be curating large-scale installations in Hong Kong through such an exciting time of transformation and growth in the city and a significant expansion of the market,” said Glass-Kantor. “It’s also been amazing to be able to foreground and work with artists to really look at what artworks are being created, and the shifts and currents in contemporary visual arts and culture through the lens of this particular platform.”

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Over the nine years she has been curating Encounters, Glass-Kantor has developed the sector into one with unique personality. This year, 11 of the 16 large-scale projects have been created especially for the fair, the highest ratio since the sector was introduced at the event in 2013.

“It’s less about existing artworks dropped in and more about working with galleries to commission new works,” explained Glass-Kantor. “Audiences can come here and see something unexpected.”

The sector will showcase a range of artists from a broad spectrum of geographies under this year’s theme of “I am a part of all that I have met”, a line from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses”.

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“Everyone’s lived life so differently from one another over the past four years,” she continued. “It was beautiful to think about how each of us brings distinctive experiences.”

The theme asks questions about how we deal with these encounters, she added: “How do we remain open to possibility and potential, and how can we take everything we encounter – even that which we didn’t wish to encounter – and still bring an openness and willingness to have moments of connection or engagement with community, individually or collectively?”

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Highlights of Encounters this year include Contingent Spheres – a pair of rattan sculptures, plus a woven installation – blending the interlocking geometric codes of binakael, a motif used in traditional textiles in north Luzon in the Philippines, and 1960s op art, by South Korean artist Haegue Yang.

Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy by Hong Kong artist Mak2 comprises two connected fair booths, and explores duplication, evolution and simulation, while Wind Study (Hilbert Curve) by Indian artist Jitish Kallat is a suite of intricate drawings created with fire, wind, smoke and ink.

A project by Sydney-based indigenous artist Daniel Boyd expands the Encounters sector outside the fair space – it is on show at Pacific Place. Boyd uses dots as visual and conceptual elements to ask questions about identity, memory, perception and history.

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Also stretching beyond the physical boundaries of the fair space, Art Basel’s film programme is free and open to the public. Under the guidance of curator Li Zhenhua for the last decade, the fair’s film sector has gained a reputation for showcasing groundbreaking works by established and emerging filmmakers.

“The programme has reflected the evolving landscape of moving image art, from the rise of video essays to the exploration of virtual reality as a storytelling medium,” said Li. “This year’s programme promises to be even more thought-provoking, challenging audiences to reconsider the boundaries of cinema in the digital age, touching on topics that include internet aesthetics, the metaverse trend, and issues of gender and identity in contemporary art.”

This year’s theme, “What is film?”, was created by Li to spark discussion about filmmaking in the digital age and the post-cinema era.

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“We will explore how new technologies and evolving notions of what constitutes ‘film’ are shaping contemporary moving-image practices,” he said. “There is always a high level of artist interest; the selection process ensures that each piece contributes to both the art scene and history,” said Li. “The film sector aims to serve a public role for Hong Kong and cater to the needs of galleries and artists.”

The programme features a variety of Asian artists, reflecting the local cultural landscape.

“To curate a programme of this magnitude needs lots of time and creative thinking to serve the needs of artists and galleries but at the same time elaborate those needs into a common ground and bridge it to people,” said Li.