Malaysian curator and art advisor Adeline Ooi has been made the new director Asia to head the development of Art Basel in Hong Kong.
The appointment was announced this afternoon – six months after previous Asia director Magnus Renfrew announced his departure from Art Basel to rejoin Bonhams as its Asia deputy chairman and director of fine arts, Asia.
A fine arts graduate from Central Saint Martins, London, Ooi has been a VIP relations manager for Art Basel focusing on Southeast Asia for two years.
She also runs a Malaysian-based cultural agency called RogueArt advising on artists and galleries as well as corporate and private collections.
Ooi was previously a curator and programme director of Valentine Willie Fine Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
“With her wide background in curating and advising, Adeline brings experience and contacts across the diverse art scenes within Asia and the Asia-Pacific region,” Marc Spiegler, director of Art Basel, said in a statement.
“My focus for the initial months as Director Asia will be on supporting the team in delivering the upcoming show in Hong Kong,” Ooi said in a statement. She will take up the new job in January.