Hong Kong is gearing up for the 2013 Art Basel, which launches at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 23-26 May. It may only be a four-day event, but with 245 galleries from all across the globe taking part, Art Basel promised it would provide ‘the strongest combination of galleries from East and West that the art world has ever seen.’
Over 30 New York galleries have been chosen this year, including Marian Goodman, Acquavella, Gladstone, Galerie Lelong, Gagosian, David Zwirner, Peter Blum and 303. The strong US presence at the upcoming art celebration is akin to the demographics of its cousin event, the Miami Beach edition of Basel.
‘It was important to keep the same rootedness in the region,’ Marc Spiegler, head of the Basel executive committee, told Gallerist.
But the strongest of all presences at the Hong Kong Basel is Asia and the Asia-Pacific, with approximately 50% of the galleries selected to take part in the show hailing from these regions.
‘We’ve been very struck by the quality of the galleries coming from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region,’ Magnus Renfrew, Director Asia of Art Basel, said.
Spiegler also pointed to the tremendous growth the Asian art market has experienced in recent years.
‘To be taken seriously as an international gallery or museum, you can’t just focus on the West,’ he said. ‘You feel that culture is growing more important here. We want to be part of a culture surge in this really dynamic city. We’re riding a wave that has great force and speed.’
Other participating countries this year include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Australian galleries which have been selected to take part in the event include the Murray White Room, the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sullivan+Strumph, Dianne Tanzer gallery and Utopian Slumps.
The four-day event has been divided into four categories – Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters. Galleries highlights 171 modern and contemporary art galleries, Insights will feature 47 galleries from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region including curatorial projects developed especially for the show, Discoveries presents solo and two-person exhibitions by emerging contemporary artists and Encounters will include large-scale sculptural and installation pieces.
Over 3,000 artists are exhibiting their work at the event, with 48 galleries making their debut in Hong Kong. Selected emerging contemporary artists will also have the opportunity to compete for a US$25,000 prize.
Art Basel Hong Kong kicks off on 23 May. A full list of participating galleries can be found at the official website.
