Art Basel Hong Kong reveals plans for sculptural installations
Art Basel in Hong Kong has announced the program for its Encounters sector, which presents large-scale installations and will this year feature 17 projects in all.
Information has been rolling out about the next edition of Art Basel on Hong Kong, which runs from March 23 to 25. As revealed earlier this month, the Kabinett sector, a favorite at Art Basel, will make its debut in Hong Kong this year, presenting 19 carefully curated projects including thematic group presentations and solo shows.
Organizers have now revealed the program for the Encounters sector, with 17 large-scale projects to be showcased by a range of Asian and international artists.
The 2017 installment explores the role of time in an "encounter" and the representation of time in art.
Four site-specific works and 12 new works in all will be presented. Six new sculptures by Katharina Grosse are cast in aluminum and spray-painted in vivid hues, along the lines of sculptures she presented at the 2015 Venice Biennale. By Korean artist Kimsooja is "Deductive Object," a work composed of a spherical structure on a stainless steel base that creates a mirror effect.
The interactive sculpture "Putto" by New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai allows visitors to sit on a bench with a large sculptural cherub, while the photographic installation "The Deep Blue Sea" by Vietnamese artist Dinh Q. Lê explores the global refugee crisis.
Chinese artists Wang Wei and Shen Shaomin are also represented, exploring the return to nature and Communist leaders, respectively, while Filipino artist Pio Abad features 180 counterfeit reproductions of Margaret Thatcher's iconic handbag in "Not a Shield, but a Weapon."
Dutch-Australian artist Sanne Mestrom's "The Bathers" takes its inspiration from Cézanne's painting, presenting three large resin figurine abstractions along with an aluminum and bronze 'water fountain.'
Works by Li Jinghu, Gonkar Gyatso, Waqas Khan, Rasheed Araeen, Hu Qingyan, Alicja Kwade, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Bingyi and Joyce Ho round out the roster.
In addition to the Encounters sector, one of the highlights of the 2017 fair will be the presentation of "Twenty-Five Minutes Older" by Hong Kong artist Kingsley Ng, which will turn two public trams into moving camera obscuras, allowing passengers to experience the city in reverse. From March 20 to 28, trams will run daily between Causeway Bay and Western Market, Sheung Wan.
Find out more: www.artbasel.com/hong-kong
