Art Basel Kicks off in Hong Kong

Photo: A piece by Kim Myeong Beom, represented at Art Basel by Gallery IHN

Art Basel is one of the world’s leading art festivals. Held on three continents with three different shows annually (Basel, Switzerland in June, Miami Beach in December and Hong Kong in March), the shows draws art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and lovers from around the world to admire and ponder art from both leading and fledgling artists.

There are six exhibition sectors that have been designed to present a range of pieces, ranging from museum-quality pieces by proven masters and artworks by emerging artists.

And Art Basel isn’t just limited to the HKCEC. There are dozens of events happening all over the city in galleries big and small and there is something for every type of art lover. Click here to see the Art Basel Hong Kong 2015 calendar of events.

Unlike the Asia Contemporary Art Show, which is also in town as you read (click here for our thoughts on that show), Art Basel is set in the cavernous confines of the Hong Kong Conventions and Exhibitions Centre.

Photo: Olaf Brzeski, "The Portrait of Krissy Kocktail" 2014

Like the Asian Contemporary Art Show however, Art Basel is committed to exploring and showcasing the best art from Asia and Asia-Pacific. With half of the participating galleries coming from Asia and Asia-Pacific (including 14 from Hong Kong and 25 from China), Art Basel in Hong Kong assumes a significant role in the international artworld, providing a portal to the region's artists. The new show gives galleries from around the world a platform in Asia to demonstrate the way they work with artists, and bring their highest quality work to Hong Kong.

We visited Art Basel Hong Kong yesterday and here is what we saw and thought.

Contemporary art from South Korea always attracts our attention, and perhaps the most striking piece we saw on our soiree around Art Basel last night were pieces by Myeong Beom Kim.

There were also pieces by Korean heavyweight Nam June Paik including the brilliant “TV Rodin” from James Cohan Gallery and “Golden Buddha” from Gagosian Gallery. Late Korean-American Nam is considered the father of video art, and remains a superstar of the contemporary art scene.

Photo: Aneta Grzeszkowska, "Selfie #3" 2014

Other works we really liked include: Thilo Heinzmann’s pair of painting titled O. T. from Galerie Perrotin; Lucas Arruda’s five untitled pieces from Brazil’s Mendes Wood DM gallery; Aneta Grzeszykowska’s selfie series of disembodied body parts from Poland’s Raster Gallery were equally chilling and political; Of the two Chuck Close self portraits from New York’s Pace Prints, we prefered the more... stylized version as opposed to Chuck’s actual face (no offence Chuck); Claudio Parmiggiani’s Senza titolo from Belgium’s Meessen De Clercq gallery; Gun by Gilbert & George from Bernier/Eliades Gallery in Greece; Jiro Yoshihara ceramic plates from Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery; Juan Muñoz’s “Hanging Figure” from New York’s Skarstedt gallery; and Jian-Jun Zhang’s water-inspired Chinese ink, oil paint, acrylic and rice paper on canvas pieces from Shanghai’s Leo Gallery were also among our favourites.

Photo: Izumi Kato "Untitled" 2013, Courtesy of Galerie Perrotin

With over 2,400 pieces there are plenty of pieces by household names too, including Picasso, Miro, Gormley, Haring, Rothko and Warhol among others.

As is the way with art, some pieces leave little to the imagination while some are more challenging and require more considered thought. There are those with overt political messages, some inspire more ephemeral feelings. And of course while size isn't everything, some pieces are enormous and some are tiny.

Art Basel is a treasure trove of contemporary art and is absolutely worth a visit. You are guaranteed to see something that will evoke some kind of emotional response, whether it is shock, surprise, amusement or even disgust.

Art Basel runs from March 15-17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

More information can be found here.

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