The Insights sector will be dedicated to curatorial projects by 27 galleries, of which eight are completely new to the show, and will feature solo shows, exceptional historical material and strong thematic group exhibitions. This unique sector illustrates Asian art history by presenting work by important artists from Asia and the Asia Pacific region. This year’s edition features a selection of Modern work of exceptional historical quality as well as a particularly strong presentation of Chinese contemporary artists, alongside a diverse and in-depth overview of art from across the region, with artists from Algeria, Australia, Mainland China, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Highlights include a presentation of exceptional historical works by four members of Taiwan’s ‘The Fifth Moon’ avant-garde art group comprised of Chen Ting-Shih (b. 1913, d. 2002), Fong Chung-Ray (b. 1934), Hu Chi-Chung (b. 1927, d. 2012) and Liu Kuo-Sung (b. 1932), presented by Galerie du Monde; Aicon Gallery’s first time participation featuring Pakistani artist Anila Quayyum Agha (b. 1965), British-Pakistani artist Saad Qureshi (b. 1986) and Tunisian artist Rachid Koraïchi (b. 1947) in a presentation focusing on geometry, repetition and minimalism; Pakistan-based Hamra Abbas’ (b. 1976) miniature portraits of food sellers in Singapore’s Little India district, reflecting on migration and cultural identity, presented by Lawrie Shabibi; Zilberman Gallery’s return to the sector with a presentation of work by Iraqi-Kurdish artist Walid Siti (b. 1954); Osage Gallery’s group presentation ‘Moving and Trembling’, featuring video, photography and sculpture by Jiang Zhi (b. 1971), Shen Shaomin (b. 1956) and Zhao Zhao (b. 1982) that investigate the mechanisms of power and control by portraying moments weakness; Ink Studio’s presentation of Zheng Chongbin’s (b. 1961) most recent abstract ink works as well as his latest video work presented in a floating LCD format; early work by leading contemporary Japanese female photographer Yoshio Kitayama (b. 1948) presented by MEM; Leeahn Gallery’s ‘Maze of Onlookers’ (2016), a presentation of 18 CCTV monitors exploring constant and mass exposure by artist J. Park (b. 1966); a premiere of new paintings and installation by Jane Lee (b. 1963), presented by Sundaram Tagore Gallery; an exhibition featuring the work of two Australian artists, ceramicist Kirsten Coelho (b. 1966) and painter Chris Bond (b. 1975), presented by This Is No Fantasy + dianne tanzer gallery and ‘A 100km Walk’ (2012), a performance in which Shi Jin Hua (b. 1964) will draw on the wall with a pencil to complete his 100km walk throughout the show and reflect on his circumstances caused by Type 1 Diabetes, presented by Mind Set Art Center.
Art Basel in Hong Kong has seen a notable increase in applications to the Discoveries sector of its 2017 show, resulting in the strongest selection of solo and two-person exhibitions ever presented in this sector. 12 of the 25 galleries participating will be completely new to Art Basel in Hong Kong. Highlights will include Petra Cortright’s (b. 1986) series of five digital paintings on anodized aluminum presented by Société; Ishu Han’s (b. 1987) politically charged video, photography and painting examining the relationship between the individual and society at Urano; Kadel Willborn’s project by Kathrin Sonntag (b. 1981), ‘I see you seeing me see you, you’ (2014), consisting of a multi-media installation that addresses the conditions of perception, observation and cognition; ‘Dragon Mart’ by Edgardo Aragón (b. 1985), a presentation of works on paper, sculptures and installation exploring the fate of Chinese residents in Mexico from the colonial period to today, presented by mor charpentier; an installation conceived by Conrad Ventur (b. 1977) and developed in conversation with the estate of Kathleen White (b. 1960, d. 2014), which investigates the connection between technology and vision, specifically photography’s relationship with time, presented by Rokeby; Huang Po- Chih’s (b. 1980) ‘Protein Boy’ (2015), part novel, part installation and video about Huang’s father and his obsession with food and sex, presented by a.m. space; Jhaveri Contemporary’s minimalist sculpture and painting installation by Rana Begum (b. 1977);
and Calvin Marcus’ (b. 1988) large-scale paintings of grass blades, accompanied by crafted birdbaths and birds, inspired by ‘Birds and Wild Grass’, a famous sixteenth century Japanese folding screen the artist has seen in the LACMA collection, presented by Clearing.
BMW Art Journey, a global collaboration between Art Basel and BMW to support emerging artists worldwide, is open to artists featured within the Discoveries sector in Hong Kong and within the Positions sector at Art Basel in Miami Beach. British artist Abigail Reynolds (b. 1975), represented by Rokeby, who was the award recipient in 2016, will this year present ‘The Ruins of Time: Lost Libraries of the Silk Road’ as a culmination of her experience. The next shortlist for the BMW Art Journey will be announced on Thursday, December 1, 2016 in Miami Beach.
The Encounters sector, which is dedicated to works of institutional proportions, will present large-scale sculptural installations and performances sited in prominent locations throughout the two exhibition halls. Alexie Glass-Kantor, Executive Director of the contemporary art institution Artspace in Sydney, will return to curate the sector for the third time. Further information on the works in the Encounters sector will be released in the coming months.