Art Basel

While I do applaud Hong Kong and the organisers for boosting creativity and promoting art, Art Basel 2016 was ill prepared for Hong Kong. I hadn’t gone since 2013 and I went on a weekday then so I have no idea if it’s gotten worse or not, but going on a Saturday is no bueno.
I suppose there really isn’t that many options in Hong Kong, but the bulk of the art was uninteresting to say the least. Perhaps it’s because most of the artwork were for sale and it’s catered to the older generation with money to buy. Don’t get me wrong, while I am no art collector, I do try to appreciate art, even modern art! I have been to various art museums and recognise their value and aesthetic when its deserving. The amount of artwork that made me raise my eyebrows and shake my head were just too many to count. Coupled with disrespectful viewers, poor crowd control and exorbitant entrance fees at $ 350 on weekends. World-​renowned museums tickets cost less than half the price! (Luckily I had a friend who worked at UBS ;)), it fell short of my expectations.
Honestly, I had just came back LA and went to The Broad less than a week prior (which is not even a top tier museum and was free) this place felt a bit amateur which may have led to some bias. I know Hong Kong is still at its early stages in the art world, however my disdain was further amplified by poor event management. It was packed like sardines, I know they tried to do some crowd control and limit ticket sales (which sold out online). With any luck, they will consider extending the event to include two weekends instead of cramming the whole population of Hong Kong in a weekend. Unless you’ve got tickets to the vernissage, you will not get the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere that is typically associated with viewing art (unless it’s Uniqlo free Fridays at the MOMA, I’ve learned to pay instead of being cheap).
All in all, the majority of the art was mediocre at best compared to the museums around the world, however for Hong Kong it’s a start and a privilege to be hosting this prominent event. It’s also HUGE. The artwork were crammed against one another filling two whole floors of HKCEC. I walked around for 4 hours and only managed to see nearly everything (I speed walked the last hour) But truthfully after 3 hours, I was really tired at looking.
I do hope they improve with keeping the amount of people inside at a comfortable level and perhaps be a little more selective with the artwork that gets into the exhibit, but that’s probably up to the galleries’ jurisdiction.
To be fair, there were a handful of art that were inspirational and made you think, I was primarily really put off by the crowdedness
There were articles telling people to not step or touch the art. I’m sorry galleries, but don’t blame the viewers when you haven’t even done your part. With the rising popularity of interactive art, there really should be clearer signs or markings on the ground. The placement of some art pieces were haphazard and there were times when I nearly stepped on a piece of art because it was randomly placed on the ground. At the very least, there should also be some house rules laid down by Art Basel when you enter. If there were, I must have missed it so they should do a better job. It may be the first time many of the viewers visit any type of art gallery and it’s up to the event organiser/​gallery to educate viewers.
Food was expensive, water was like $ 40 so I got a glass of (terrible) wine instead. For $ 50. A pack of small Doritos was also like $ 20
***
Tips: Find a UBS friend. Buy online early, they do sell out. Go on a weekday if you can. It takes 4 hours to really walk through the whole place. Bring water, it’s expensive inside.
Favourites: Lots and lots of art.
Meh: expensive! Crowded! The art was more quantity than quality
Last words: Just have to suck it up and go since there’s nothing else better to do anyway.

For viewing, emerging, discussing and absorbing contemporary art in the world, for the average art lover, it gets no better than being able to attend one of the Art Basel events annually in the world. SO BUY A TICKET AND GO!
Art Basel Hong Kong (having been around a couple of years… I think 4) is the baby brother behind the older siblings in Basel Switzerland and Miami Beach Florida, with the Basel fair having been around since the 1970’s. Art Basel regardless of where you attend in the world, simply put, is a forum in which galleries can connect to patrons and buyers in the world. But to the average art lovers good fortune, you too can go and see!
As the Hong Kong fair continues to unfold into the art world, the Asian art and Asian artists that show at this event is mind numbing. Simply brilliant in all the known and unknown Asian artists that are here for one to view. As more Western art marinates across the ocean to Asia and similarly more Asian art marinates across to ocean to the West, Asia continues to become more of a player in the narrative of contemporary art in this new century.
Buy a ticket and go! Best to have bought your ticket in advance and have had it mailed or e-​mailed to you before you go, for the lines for pick-​up or purchase on sight were very very long!
Also a good idea to have looked at the calendar of events, discussions, layout, floor plan, internal happenings, etc. prior to your arrival as well. It will better guide you as to best take in the most you can during your time there. There is so much art… your head will be spinning, thus a plan kind of helps. Know you will not be able to see it all. The fair this year was broken out into Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters. Kind of different gallery based sections to showcase world artists, emerging artists, Asian artists, etc. Helps to know the layout of these sections, so you are aware of what you are seeing when you come across that area of the convention floor.
Mind your manners in the sea of absent minded attendees who might not be versed or educated in such art viewing basics like «don’t touch the artwork ever!» or «no, your kid could not have done that!» or «snapping so many Instagram photos in lue of actually absorbing the amazing works in front of them defeats the purpose of absorbing this moment.» You can easily become irritated by the mass amount of people and their rudeness, but be mindful that all of this art excitement is new to them and kind of a big thing to them too. Education on museum manners has come with every passing Art Basel Hong Kong. The learning curve is fast from year to year.
Regardless, it is great to see so many eager, interested, curious people who are thirsty for contemporary Asian art and the narratives it engages and opportunities it opens. I am so happy to have attended and look forward to attending again and again and again…

Art Basel has become one of the biggest annual art exhibitions in town for quite some years now.
Are people in Hong Kong passionate about Art Basel? Hell yeah. Are poeople in Hong Kong passionate about art? Oh well, it really depends on how do you define it.
It is a Facebook/​Instagram heaven for a lot of us. And bigger, shinier, fancier arts are the ones usually get more attention. It’s like where you go to a fashion show and the models who dress least will get most pictures taken. Nothing wrong with that, really, whatever floats your boat I guess.
Art Basel is a collective exhibition of a lot of art galleries, art dealers, individual artists and all. So it is not quite as organized as you go to an art museum. The good part is you never know what you’d expect, and never get bored walking around two /​three floors of arts. If you really want to appreciate closely, you need a solid 4 hours time at least.
I’ll see a bit of Impressionism like Sisley or Monet, and then a bit of Cezanne, Picasso, and then mostly the modern arts with Warhol, Miro, Magritte, Dali, Calder, Nam June Paik, etc. and a bunch of Chinese /​Asian artists that I don’t recognize. If you like taking pictures of arts and having a healthy annual dose of arts, then Art Basel is your perfect place. If you are an art lover, you may find it a bit repetitive after a few years, because the it is not only about exhibition, but also a platform for galleries /​dealers trying to sell similar arts over and over.

This year Hong Kong hosted the second edition of Art Basel, organized by Asian Art Fairs.
Apparently and according to critics, this edition has boosted Hong Kong status as a key art hub for the whole of Asia and I was lucky enough to have been invited. Of the 245 galleries that attended the fair, more than half have permanent exhibitions in Asia and around 24 are based in Hong Kong. And you could definitely feel this ‘Asian flavor’ in the air.
The venue chosen by Art Basel was Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, like last year, and it featured wide open spaces and ample corridors so that visitors could feel free to browse around. This year, the galleries brought a mix of well-​known and emergent artists’ pieces, and there was a significant increase in Chinese art.
The fair was organized in sections: Galleries, Discoveries, Encounters, Film, Insights and Magazines. I didn’t have a chance to see the whole fair, but focused on the first three. What I loved the most about it was possibly the Discoveries section, where you could see art by emergent artists (and there was even a 25.000 USD prize that went to an Indian artist, Nadia Kaabi-​Linke). Encounters was also a very cool part of the fair, usually located at the main entrances. Ping-​pong Go Round was definitely my favorite installation, as you were invited to show your skills on the spot!
As it’s already been scheduled for next year, I would encourage you to keep an eye on it and visit its third edition. It looks like Hong Kong is securing a place in the arts scene in the world and you may want to witness it. Oh, and it’s so much fun!
For reference: 1 day ticket was 250 HKD/​4 days ticket 750 HKD