Galleries will go online for Art Basel’s Hong Kong edition from March 20 to 25. The physical exhibition in Hong Kong was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak all around the world.

The viewing rooms will be available via the Art Basel website under artbasel.com/viewing-rooms and the Art Basel app. The VIP preview is scheduled from March 18 to 20.

The new digital initiative will offer exhibitors an additional platform to showcase artworks to Art Basel’s global network of patrons, as well as new collectors and buyers. Each artwork will be listed with a price range. The online viewing rooms will allow collectors to browse thousands of works, searching by galleries, artists and medium and directly contact the gallery with sales inquiries.

The virtual space of a publicly accessible online exhibition is new territory for many of the 231 participating galleries. They have all risen to the challenge: Each has chosen a curatorial concept for their virtual room as individual as a fingerprint, with the added bonus of being unconstrained by the dimensions of a traditional white cube. From blue-chip paintings to outdoor sculptures, the artworks offered are of the highest caliber.

Art Basel’s embrace of the digital follows in the footsteps of many galleries, including David Zwirner and Gagosian, which launched online viewing rooms in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and have set sales records for works by Albert Oehlen and Yayoi Kusama through those avenues.

Marc Spiegler, global director of Art Basel, said: “As the art market continues to evolve, Art Basel has continually investigated how new technologies can give us new opportunities to support our galleries. The online viewing rooms will provide galleries with a further possibility for engaging with our global audiences, complementing the essential personal interactions that continue to underlie the art market.”

Adeline Ooi, Art Basel’s Asia director, promised that the fair would return to Hong Kong in March 2021.

(SD News)