Art Basel Hong Kong returns to full scale

Art Basel today announced the list of 242 leading international galleries selected for its 2024 Hong Kong show. This represents a return to pre-pandemic numbers, with an additional 65 exhibitors joining the fair compared to 2023. Galleries from 40 countries and territories across Asia, Europe, North and Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa will present artworks of the highest quality spanning all market segments, from 20th-century masters to established contemporary artists and today’s most exciting emerging voices.

25 international galleries known for their engaging program will join the fair for the first time: Station (Melbourne, Sydney), Tim Van Laere Gallery (Antwerp, Rome), Almeida e Dale Galeria de Arte (São Paulo), Mangrove Gallery (Shenzhen), Hua International (Berlin, Beijing), Fitzpatrick Gallery (Paris), Galerie Zink (Seubersdorf in der Oberpfalz), Gallery 1957 (Accra, London), Galleria Massimo Minini (Brescia), Waitingroom (Tokyo), Morán Morán (Los Angeles, Mexico City), Hafez Gallery (Jeddah), PTT Space (Taipei), Each Modern (Taipei), Public Gallery (London), Alison Jacques (London), YveYang (New York), Bortolami (New York), Nonaka-Hill (Los Angeles), Rodeo (London, Piraeus), Dvir Gallery (Brussels, Paris, Tel Aviv), Chini Gallery (Taipei), √K Contemporary (Tokyo), Linseed (Shanghai), and Chapter NY (New York).

68 galleries will return to Art Basel’s fair in Asia after a brief hiatus, including established international names such as: Galerie Lelong & Co. (Paris, New York), Lisson Gallery (Beijing, Shanghai, London, Los Angeles, New York), Matthew Marks Gallery (Los Angeles, New York), Miguel Abreu Gallery (New York), Regen Projects (Los Angeles), Sprüth Magers (Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York), Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (Los Angeles, New York), Galleria Franco Noero (Turin), Acquavella Galleries (New York, Palm Beach), Galleria d'Arte Maggiore G.A.M. (Bologna, Rome, Venice), Annely Juda Fine Art (London), Modern Art (London), kurimanzutto (Mexico City, New York), and Galerie Eva Presenhuber (Zurich, Seoul, Vienna).

Major galleries from Brazil will also make a comeback: Gomide & Co (São Paulo) and first-time participant Almeida e Dale Galeria de Arte (São Paulo) for a joint presentation, and Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo, Brussels, New York, Paris).

Once again, the show will provide an unparalleled and dynamic overview of artistic production across the Asia-Pacific region, from historical rediscoveries to work by contemporary practitioners. More than half of all exhibitors operate spaces on the continent. In addition to a strong presence of galleries from Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, notable galleries from Australia, New Zealand and India will showcase their program, including: Sullivan+Strumpf (Melbourne, Sydney), Fine Arts, Sydney (Sydney), Station (Melbourne, Sydney), Fox/Jensen (Auckland), Experimenter (Kolkata, Mumbai), Vadehra Art Gallery (New Delhi), Tarq (Mumbai), and Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai).

Angelle Siyang-Le, Director, Art Basel Hong Kong, said: “Art Basel Hong Kong is excited to announce our 2024 edition, returning in full scale with a warm welcome to exhibitors from around the world, including the 68 galleries that had taken a hiatus and 25 newcomers. Our goal is to connect guests from all around the world in our home, Hong Kong, by offering possibilities of collaboration and innovation inspired by art and artists. As the key strategic cultural hub in Asia and Asia Pacific, the city plays an important role, more than ever, in bridging the evolving art landscape across regions.”

Galleries 

Galleries, Art Basel Hong Kong’s main sector, will feature 200 of the world’s leading galleries presenting artworks of the highest quality from their expansive programs. Among the wide breadth of works on view, textile art and its compelling diversity will be one of the key highlights. Among others, Alison Jacques (London) will dedicate its booth to Sheila Hicks’ pioneering use of fabrics and thread, while Bank (Shanghai) will showcase the works of Maryn Varbanov, a noteworthy figure in the European fiber-arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s who spent significant time in China and greatly influenced the development of the post-economic reform Chinese avant-garde.  

Digital art will also have an important presence. Highlights include a presentation by Taro Nasu (Tokyo) of works by Ryoji Ikeda, an artist renowned for his exploration of raw sound in various forms; and Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder’s (Vienna) presentation of a film conceived by the artist Miao Ying, recently shortlisted for the Sigg Prize 2023, and created using AI technologies. 

Several galleries will spotlight 20th-century masters and exceptional historical works, such as Liang Gallery (Taipei), who will pay tribute to the late abstract painter Hsiao Chin, and Tornabuoni Art (Paris, Florence, Forte dei Marmi, Milan, Rome, Crans-Montana), presenting a curated selection of Postwar masters including Giorgio de Chirico, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alighiero Boetti, Lucio Fontana, Carla Accardi, Enrico Castellani, Dadamaino, Alberto Burri, Paolo Scheggi, and Piero Dorazio.  

Participating in the show’s main sector for the first time, Axel Vervoordt Gallery (Antwerp, Hong Kong) will present works by multi-disciplinary conceptual artist Kimsooja, whose practice combines performance, film, photo, and site-specific installation using textile, light, and sound. 

For the full gallery list for Galleries, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/galleries. 

Discoveries 

Discoveries, dedicated to solo presentations by emerging artists, will feature 22 galleries. Several presentations will tackle the complex topics of urban development and the shifting nature of public space in the modern age. Tarq (Mumbai) will showcase the work of Mumbai-born Sameer Kulavoor, an artist inspired by his hometown’s fast-paced development whose work explores the effects of the Indian megalopolis’ urban growth on its inhabitants. Furthermore, Fine Arts, Sydney (Sydney) will present a sculptural project by Yona Lee that invites viewers to confront the way man-made structures impact public space.  

Further highlights of the sector include Fiza Khatri's installation, comprised of paintings, drawings, and sculptural garlands functioning as decorative devices, presented by Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai); Anh Tran's new body of work, an immersive triptych painting in Western abstraction,      presented in Asia for the first time by Fitzpatrick Gallery (Paris); Lee Kai Chung’s multi-channel video and photographic installation delving into Hong Kong's role as a center for information exchange and intelligence operations during the Cold War era, presented by Tabula Rasa Gallery (Beijing, London).

For the full gallery list for Discoveries, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/discoveries.

Insights 

Dedicated to artists hailing from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, the Insights sector will feature 20 galleries, with a strong focus on historical presentations. First-time exhibitor √K Contemporary (Tokyo) will showcase Nankoku Hidai, one of the earliest and most influential figures in avant-garde calligraphy of the 20th century. Another first-time participant, PTT Space (Taipei), will present works by the late master De-Jinn Shiy, who openly explored desire in his emotional portraiture from the 1950s to the 1970s, testifying to his status as a queer pioneer in East Asia. HdM Gallery (Beijing) will present works on paper by Haywen T'ang, who lived and worked in Paris and stands at the crossroads of several major artistic currents of the 20th century, including minimalism, Gutai, and lyrical abstraction. 

The sector will also feature Western galleries whose programs are dedicated to artistic production from Asia and the Middle East, as well as Middle Eastern galleries shedding light on their region’s art scenes. They include Galerie Vazieux (Paris) presenting Fong Chung-Ray, Nonaka-Hill (Los Angeles) presenting Kiyomizu Rokubey VIII, and Tadaaki Kuwayama, Dastan Gallery (Toronto) presenting Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam, Hafez Gallery (Jeddah) presenting Filwa Nazer, and Lawrie Shabibi (Dubai) presenting Shaikha Al Mazrou.  

For the full gallery list for Insights, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/insights. 

Further details on the project-based sectors such as Kabinett and Encounters, as well as the Film and Conversations programs will be available in the coming months.

Source: Art Basel