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Art affairs Inside, out
The joy of seeing and buying works by famous artists â from Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst to Jeff Koons â has turned Art Basel Hong Kong event into a major stop on the global art fair circuit
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he joy of seeing and buying works by famous artists ' from Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst to Jeff Koons ' has turned Art Basel Hong Kong event into a major stop on the global art fair circuit.
The fair, Asia's biggest, has brought in the mega-wealthy searching for trophy works to bring back home, while providing a rare chance for collectors and art lovers to enjoy the best works from around the world up close and in one space. Below are some of the fair's highlights.
THE FAIR
Art Basel, dubbed the mother of art fairs, stages premier art shows for modern and contemporary works. It started out in Basel before branching out to Miami and later Hong Kong. Apart from featuring leading galleries, each show's singular exhibition spotlights the latest development in the visual arts.
This year, the Hong Kong fair was being moved to March from the original May dates, when many important art events like the Venice Biennale take place. 'We believe this fair can only reach its full potential by taking place at a date that is optimal for the entire art world,' said Art Basel director Marc Spiegler. New dates for upcoming fairs can be found at artbasel.com.
JP/Stevie Emilia
THE MONEY
Spiegler said the fair's success was not determined by sales but rather by returning galleries. Nonetheless, sales reports were overwhelming. The fair, which started out as Art HK in 2008 before being rebranded as Art Basel Hong Kong two years ago, was reportedly selling as much as US$3 billion worth of art, according to insurer AXA Art.
David Zwirner, owner of the powerhouse Zwirner Gallery in New York and London, said sales at the fair had exceeded his expectations. 'I was invigorated by seeing so many new young collectors from this region interested in our program, and most especially, our figurative painters,' he said.
Just within the fair's first hour, his gallery had sold Chris Ofili's Dead Monkey ' Sex, Money and Drugs (2000) for $2 million to a new client and in the last minutes of the fair's opening day, another piece, Neo Rauch's Die Fremde (2015) was bought by a new client from mainland China for $1 million.
Emilie Streiff, senior director of Europe for Dominique Levy Gallery in New York and London, said his gallery had sold and received inquiries into its works. 'We have met many new collectors from Hong Kong and its vicinity, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.'
THE SHOWS
The Art Basel Hong Kong may have closed its doors but exhibitions are still on in some galleries, such as those found at the Pedder Building.
Lehmann Maupin Gallery (lehmannmaupin.com) is hosting the first solo exhibition in Asia by Los Angeles-based artist Alex Prager until May 16. Celebrated for her meticulously constructed, theatrical and rich cinematic images, Prager is inspired by a wide range of influences, from pop culture and street photography to the cinematic history of Hollywood. Gagosian Gallery (gagosian.com) is hosting Rudolf Stingel's first major exhibition in Asia until May 9.
THE ASIA DIRECTOR
Curator and art advisor Adeline Ooi is the new director Asia for Art Basel. Starting the job in January this year, she is leading the development of Art Basel's Hong Kong show ensuring a strong Asian presence in the fair's international activities. Born in Malaysia in 1976, she was previously the fair's VIP Relations Manager for Southeast Asia.
Specializing in Asian art, she has a strong background in curating, with recent projects including lead curator for 'Media/Art Kitchen' in Malaysia, a touring new-media art exhibition featuring artists from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, supported by the Japan Foundation. She also co-curated Turning Targets #5 ' Dobrak!, a group show featuring interdisciplinary projects by Indonesian artists at Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta.
