Encounters at Artwork Basel Hong Kong 2024: A House For Dialog

This year, Encounters is featuring 16 ambitious large-scale projects at Art Basel Hong Kong.

The benefit of housing an art fair in the gargantuan Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is having the space for conversations, dialogues and curated sections that go far beyond individual galleries. As well as its programme of films and talks, this year’s Art Basel showcases 16 large-scale works and sculptural installations as part of the Encounters section, 11 of which have been made specifically for the fair. The section represents a chance to view some of the region’s most exciting talents – last year’s shone a spotlight on current artist of the moment Trevor Yeung.

This year’s section, which is curated by Alexis Glass-Kantor, executive director of Artspace in Sydney, features buzzy Hong Konger Mak2, interdisciplinary artist Ming Wong from Singapore and South Korean’s Haegue Yang, who’s known for her beguiling installations and sculptures. The works explore themes such as diplomacy, ancient traditions and politics, contributing to thought-provoking engagements that fairs sometimes lack.

A highlight of Encounters is the installation Once Upon a Time by Chinese artist Lí Wei (pictured), featuring six hyper-real mannequins of world leaders as seven-year-olds and a stirring commentary on the relationship between child’s play and global politics.

Meanwhile, there is an off-site installation by Australian artist Daniel Boyd at Pacific Place – and if last year’s mind-blowing work of King Tutankhamun by Awol Erizkumind in the same location is anything to go by, it’s not to be missed. 

(Header: Lí Wei, Once upon a time, 2020-2024. Image courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art)

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