Art Basel Hong Kong has high expectations for a triumphant return

Arts & Design

Published: 08 Feb. 2023, 15:14 Updated: 08 Feb. 2023, 16:13

Art Basel Hong Kong has high expectations for a triumphant return

Angelle Siyang-Le, who was appointed director of Art Basel Hong Kong last November. [ART BASEL HONG KONG]

Art Basel Hong Kong — Asia’s biggest art fair — is set for a grand return next month.

Beginning with a VIP preview on March 21, the event will run until March 25 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Art Basel Hong Kong, for the past three years, was held online or held at a scaled-down level. Now that Hong Kong has eased its strict quarantine measures, Art Basel Hong Kong 2023 is expected to be bigger and better.

Angelle Siyang-Le, the director for this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong who was appointed last November, recently visited Seoul.

“The number of participating galleries increased from last year’s 130 to this year’s 177 among 32 countries,” Siyang-Le said. “The ‘Encounters’ section, which features large-scale projects, is also set to make a return. I’m thrilled that Art Basel Hong Kong is coming back as a place of interaction for international art.”

Art Basel Hong Kong from last year, which was held from May 27 to 29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre [ART BASEL]

Siyang-Le stressed the dramatic changes in the local art scene, like how M+, a museum which opened in 2021, has established itself as one of Hong Kong’s representative landmarks.

“M+, which opened in the West Kowloon Cultural District, encompasses design, architecture and visual art, as Asia’s first contemporary visual culture museum,” Siyang-Le explained. “The Hong Kong Palace Museum, which exhibits artifacts from [Beijing’s] Palace Museum, also opened to the public last July.”

The biggest difference in the upcoming fair is that it aims to show its strong identity as an international event that will lead the Asian art market, Siyang-Le said. “Not only does it show the global art trend, but if until now it was usually the Western galleries that led the art fair scene, this year will show the presence of Asian-Pacific galleries.”

Normally the ratio of participation by Western and Asian galleries was around 50-50, but this year Asian-Pacific galleries make up more than 50 percent of the total.

Art Basel Hong Kong from last year, which was held from May 27 to 29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Here shows a painting by artist Joung Young-ju. [ART BASEL]

Seoul has been on a similar trajectory, transforming itself into an international art hub in recent years. Last September, Seoul successfully hosted Frieze, one of the world's most influential contemporary art fairs, for the first time.

“The two cities have different qualities,” Siyang-Le said, when asked how she views Seoul and Hong Kong. “I anticipate that they will each contribute to expanding the art market in unique ways.

“I personally love Seoul,” she continued. “Seoul has its own charm and is filled with exciting attractions; it’s a wonderful city. Hong Kong [on the other hand] is dubbed ‘the New York of Asia’ and is packed with diversity.”

BY LEE EUN-JU [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]