The Tamesis
Another interesting partnership is with the furniture and design fair Salone del Mobile. In another debut for Art Basel Miami Beach, a just-signed three-year partnership will see the Milan fair curate furniture for Art Basel’s Global Collectors Lounge.
In addition to luxury brands, this year’s show will also feature major events in partnership with sports and lifestyle brands. Running brand Hoka will make its debut at the show, showcasing its multi-sensory Runners High installation designed in collaboration with Hong Kong artist Phoebe Hui, while Ray-Ban will launch a lounge area. In addition, Chinese contemporary fashion brand JNBY will design official uniforms and merchandise for Art Basel, available for purchase in the Art Basel store (where you will also find the limited-edition Art Basel Hong Kong Labubu by Kasing Lung, as well as pieces from the Marc Jacobs Joy collection by artists Derrick Adams, David Shrigley and Hattie Stewart).
It all makes for a more eclectic and diverse landscape of collaborations than most major art fairs, which, as de Bellis points out, is the intention. “Our partnerships are always developed with careful consideration of the cultural context of each city. In Hong Kong we see particularly strong resonances between contemporary art and areas such as design, sport, technology and lifestyle,” he said. “Each Art Basel responds to its local ecosystem, but the guiding principle is always the same: build meaningful collaborations that support the fair’s cultural programming and resonate with the city’s audiences.”
“This year, we are expanding our ecosystem with new partnerships (cultural and commercial) to open the fair to the wider community,” added Siyang-Le, who highlighted a collaboration with Hong Kong Ballet and the expansion of the fair’s encounters component beyond the fair’s Wan Chai headquarters. Pacific Place, a high-end retail and lifestyle center in Admiralty, will host a large-scale installation by sound artist Christine Sun Kim in partnership with Swire Properties, one of Hong Kong’s major property developers and owners. “Her off-site installation at Pacific Place is something I can’t wait for,” Siyang-Le said. “Bringing large-scale, thoughtful works into public spaces creates a moment of engagement for people who might not otherwise plan to visit the show. It is a reminder that Art Basel Hong Kong is not limited to the exhibition halls – it is integrated into the city itself.”
Beyond the stall
As is the case in Paris or Miami, Art Basel’s arrival in Hong Kong triggered a series of parallel events, openings and activations. These include Art Central and Pavilion, two separate fairs that will run concurrently with Art Basel and focus on emerging galleries and artists, while international blue-chip galleries such as Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, Gagosian and White Cube all hold spring exhibitions in spaces in Hong Kong, with audiences in Hong Kong.
Para Site, a respected institutional and project space on the east side of Hong Kong Island, will celebrate 30 years as a dominant force in the Hong Kong arts scene. To celebrate, they will host a three-month exhibition starting on March 14 that will revisit the themes raised in Para Site’s first exhibition. Also celebrating is the Asia Art Archive’s 25th anniversary exhibition, which includes artists such as Ho Tze-yin and Hsieh Tak-hing: “What were you doing when you were 25?” Tai Kwun, a cultural center housed in a former police station and prison building, will host a performing arts program in partnership with Art Basel and extend the opening hours of its current exhibition, an artistic survey of China’s development into a global production and logistics hub. M+, Hong Kong’s massive art and design museum, is opening in 2021 and is hosting a series of blockbuster exhibitions this week, including major solo shows by Li Bing, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Robert Rauschenberg.
