Art Basel in Hong Kong celebrated its sixth edition which opened Thursday with over 248 major galleries offering up the very best contemporary art from 32 countries and all set in one city. World explorer Jim Dobson shares his guide to the art event on Forbes.

    HONG KONG is the youngest member of the Art Basel family and has become one of the ultimate destinations for art collectors in China, especially now that Hong Kong’s art market is the third-largest in the world. The gallery scene in Hong Kong has seen a tremendous boom with major galleries opening up in the Central business district, and the industrial district of Wong Chuk Hang has also transformed into a new arts center after the new South Island MTR line opened.

    Most events are held at the Convention & Exhibition Center as well as the new H Queen’s building which was built for the primary purpose of supporting arts with new galleries including Hauser & Wirth, Pace, David Zwirner and Pearl Lam Galleries. Hong Kong’s museums, the Asia Art Archive, Para Site, Hong Kong Arts Center and 1a space will also showcase the best exhibitions as will nonprofit spaces like Asia Society, CHAT, Videotage, and the Cattle Depot Artist Village in Kowloon.

    Expect major acquisitions this year including Billionaire Paul Allen’s trophy painting from his private collection, a Willem de Kooning “Untitled XII,” priced at US$35 million and offered by Levy Gorvy Gallery. Also Jeff Koons will display a selection of enormous artwork for the David Zwirner Gallery. His famed stainless steel sculptures, “Bluebird Planter” (2010-2016) and “Swan” (Inflatable, 2011-2015), will be showcased as well as his popular “Gazing Ball” series with mirrored balls embedded on hand-painted Western-European reproductions.

    The Encounters section brings together 12 artists from 11 countries including Australia, Austria, Chile, Cuba, Germany, China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. The enormous exhibits allow visitors to make contact with objects and the artists.

    Among the many choices for attendees, the following galleries will be displaying inspiring works that should definitely not escape your itinerary.

    Pearl Lam Galleries

    The Pearl Lam Galleries will participate in Art Basel in Hong Kong for the sixth time, presenting works by leading contemporary artists from across the globe. The galleries will open two exhibitions during the week of Art Basel at its Hong Kong locations: the flagship gallery at the Pedder Building and the new gallery at H Queen’s. In addition, the Galleries support “In the Mood for Love,” a public art project commissioned by Lee Tung Avenue.

    They will once again participate in the prestigious Galleries section, featuring artworks by international artists including American artist Robert Motherwell; Australian artist Dale Frank; British artist Antony Micallef; Chinese artists Huang Yuanqing, Liu Wentao, Su Xiaobai, Zhou Yangming, and Zhu Jinshi; Italian sculptor Arcangelo Sassolino; and South Korean artists Chun Kwang Young and Kim Tschang-Yeul.

    303 Gallery

    303 Gallery was first established by owner and director Lisa Spellman in 1984 at 303 Park Avenue South in New York. Spellman’s 303 Gallery moved to the East Village in 1986 where she showcased acclaimed artists like Christopher Wool and Robert Gober. In 1989 the gallery moved to 89 Greene Street in Soho where Vito Acconci, Andreas Gursky, Larry Johnson, and Rirkrit Tiravanija had solo exhibitions. That location also exhibited Doug Aitken, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Rodney Graham, Karen Kilimnik, and Collier Schorr. In 2016 the gallery opened its new location at 555 West 21 Street.

    Perrotin

    Emmanuel Perrotin launched his first gallery in 1989 at the age of 21 and established the gallery’s headquarters in the Marais District of Paris in 2005. Two more spaces were opened in Paris in 2007 and 2014. In 2012, Perrotin inaugurated its first gallery in Hong Kong and in Spring 2017, a new gallery opened on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In 2016, a new gallery in Seoul, South Korea was launched dedicated to discover emerging artists.

    Kurimanzutto

    Kurimanzutto was founded in 1999 in Mexico City by José Kuri, Mónica Manzutto and a group of 13 artists. For years, the gallery was a traveling space for each exhibition. In 2008, a former timber yard was restored to create a permanent exhibition space. The gallery will present a solo booth at Art Basel of all new work by the world-renowned artist, Gabriel Orozco. The work on view and for sale has all been made in Asia over the past few years while Gabriel split his time between Bali and Tokyo.

    Dastan’s Basement

    Iran will be represented at Art Basel for the first time ever. Dastan’s Basement currently operates out of four locations, each with a different focus ranging from digital art at V-Gallery to small-scale experimental projects at Electric Room. The gallery will showcase an immersive installation of paintings and sculptures by the Tehran and Amsterdam-based artist Sam Samiee.

    (SD-Agencies)