Premier selection of galleries to participate in Art Basel’s second edition in Hong Kong

[Press Release]

Art Basel announced today details of its second edition in Hong Kong, taking place Thursday, May 15, to Sunday, May 18, 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The Hong Kong show of Art Basel, whose Lead Partner is UBS, will feature 245 premier galleries, from 39 countries and territories. With over half of its galleries having exhibition spaces in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region – including 24 galleries with exhibition spaces in Hong Kong – Art Basel underlines its commitment to showcasing the best art from the region. The show will include for the first time a Film sector, curated by Li Zhenhua, and hosted in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

Galleries, the main sector of the show, will present 171 Modern and contemporary art galleries. Returning galleries will be joined by 20 exhibitors who will be new to the Art Basel show including: Anna Schwartz Gallery, Applicat-Prazan, Brame & Lorenceau, Galleria Franco Noero, Galerie Hubert Winter, Galerie Nikolaus Ruzicska, Galerie Peter Kilchmann, gdm, Gerhardsen Gerner, Grieder Contemporary, Hammer Galleries, Mazzoleni Galleria D’Arte, Meessen De Clercq, Meyer Riegger, Michael Hoppen Gallery, Michael Lett, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, and Zach Feuer Gallery. For the full gallery list, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/galleries.

Markus Oehlen, “Positive painting – Dark version #6,” 2014. (Courtesy the artist and Gerharderson Gerner)

The Insights sector will be dedicated to curatorial projects by 47 galleries with spaces in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region and will feature solo shows, exceptional historical material, and strong thematic group exhibitions. Sited at the heart of both floor levels, Insights will provide an in-depth overview on art from across the region with featured artists from Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Japan, Mainland China, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Highlights from the Insights sector will include: a presentation of Saudi Arabian artist Ahmed Mater by first-time participant Athr Gallery from Jeddah; a focus by Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, Kobe, on Tatsuo Kawaguchi, one of the most influential Japanese post-war conceptual artists; Koru Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, showing a selection of vintage photographs of Hong Kong by Brian Brake; Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, presenting a gigantic canvas and participatory work by Choy Chun Wei; TKG+, Taipei, presenting Chia-En Jao; Jan Murphy Gallery, Queensland, showing Danie Mellor; and iPreciation, Singapore presenting Lee Wen. For the full gallery list, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/insights.

The Discoveries sector will present a particularly strong showcase of emerging stars from across the world with solo- and two-person exhibitions presented by 27 galleries. The USD 25,000 Discoveries prize will be awarded to one artist presented within this sector. Highlights will include: 55, Shanghai, who will give over their booth to Qingtai Hu, as a working studio; Hannah Barry Gallery, London, presenting mobile sculptures by James Capper, including a four-legged walking machine; and Take Ninagawa, Tokyo, presenting sculptural video installations by Taro Izumi. 11 of the participating galleries are new to the show. For the full gallery list, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/discoveries.

James Capper, “Mountaineer Teeth,” 2013. (Courtesy the artist and Hannah Barry Gallery)

The Encounters sector will show artworks on an institutional scale, presenting large-scale sculptural and installation pieces, sited in prominent locations throughout the two exhibition halls. Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, will return to curate the sector in 2014. Further details on the works in the Encounters sector will be released in the coming months.

The first edition of Art Basel’s Film sector in Hong Kong will comprise a 3-day program. The screenings will take place in the agnès b. CINEMA at the nearby Hong Kong Arts Centre. The program will be presented by Beijing- and Zurich- based curator, multi-media artist and producer Li Zhenhua. Li is the founder and director of Beijing Art Lab, and a member of the international advisory board for the exhibition ‘Digital Revolution’ to be held at the Barbican Centre, London this year.

Anna Gaskell, “& Juliet,” 2013. (Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain)

Art Basel’s extensive talks program will return to the show. Conversations, the long-established morning program of talks and panel discussions, supported by Absolut, offers audiences first-hand access to renowned cultural speakers and opinion-formers from across the international artworld. Complementing the Conversations program, the afternoon Salon series serves as a platform for shorter, more freestyle presentations, including artist talks, panel discussions, lectures and book launches. Further details on all the talks program will be released in the coming months.

In addition to the new partnership, Art Basel will be working closely with key cultural organizations across the city, including Asia Art Archive (AAA); the Asia Society; Para/Site Art Space; Spring Workshop; and M+; Hong Kong’s future museum for visual culture, offering an associated program of events onsite and throughout the city that will take place during the week of the show.