Art Basel has announced its highly anticipated highlights for the 2025 edition in Hong Kong, promising an ambitious celebration of global and regional artistic expression. The event will not only feature innovative gallery presentations but also offer an expansive program of onsite and offsite public engagements, underscoring Hong Kong’s evolving role as a nexus of cultural exchange in the Asia-Pacific region.
Encounters: Monumentality Reimagined
The Encounters sector, dedicated to large-scale projects, takes center stage with 18 monumental installations curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor under the theme As the World Turns. The sector is divided into four thematic platforms—Passage, Alteration, Charge, and The Return—each exploring concepts ranging from cultural storytelling and materiality to mythology and spirituality. Highlights include:
- Pacita Abad: Three monumental works exploring iconographies of the Global South (Passage), presented by Silverlens and Tina Kim Gallery.
- Christopher K. Ho: A suite of brass sculptures playing with Modernist visual codes (Alteration), presented by Property Holdings Development Group.
- Lu Yang: A digital-art pop-up featuring works by an avatar named DOKU (Charge), presented by de Sarthe and COMA.
- Vajiko Chachkhiani: A poignant exploration of migration and displacement cycles (The Return), presented by SCAI The Bathhouse.
Offsite, Monster Chetwynd’s Lanternfly Ballet, a performance-sculpture hybrid, will take place at Pacific Place, marking a continuation of Swire Properties’ partnership with Art Basel.
Kabinett: A Record-Breaking Year
Kabinett, the fair’s sector for thematic presentations within gallery booths, sets a new record with 36 projects, including a remarkable focus on Asia-Pacific artists. Standout presentations include:
- Martin Wong: Gestural ceramics and paintings from the late 1960s and early 1970s, presented by P.P.O.W.
- Ann Leda Shapiro: Watercolors exploring interconnected systems of mind and body, presented by Axel Vervoordt Gallery.
- Takahiro Kondo: Ceramic works employing the artist’s patented Silver Mist technique, presented by Tokyo Gallery + BTAP.
These presentations illuminate Kabinett’s dedication to bridging historical and contemporary narratives through distinctive artistic voices.
MGM Discoveries Art Prize: Fostering Emerging Talent
The inaugural MGM Discoveries Art Prize champions emerging artists with a $50,000 award, shared between the winning artist and their gallery. Among the shortlisted are Shin Min (P21), Kayode Ojo (Sweetwater), and Saju Kunhan (Tarq). The prize reflects Art Basel’s ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative talent.
Public Programs: Expanding Horizons
Art Basel Hong Kong’s 2025 public programming exemplifies its role as a cultural catalyst. Notable initiatives include:
- Film: Curated by Para Site, the Film Program features seven screenings, including Isadora Neves Marques’ Vampires in Space. Themes of resilience, ecological interdependence, and technological hybridity emerge across the works of 30 artists. Collaborations with Nowness Asia and Videotage extend the program’s reach into Hong Kong’s burgeoning video art scene.
- Conversations: Panels explore pressing topics like AI’s influence on art, the evolution of Southeast Asian patronage, and hybrid intersections of art and design. A Shenzhen-based discussion focuses on contemporary living in the Greater Bay Area.
The Global Stage: A Showcase of Diversity
With 240 exhibitors from 42 countries, including 23 newcomers, Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 reaffirms its commitment to diversity and regional representation. More than half of the participating galleries hail from the Asia-Pacific region, amplifying the vibrancy of local and regional art practices.
From the grand scale of Encounters to the intimate yet thematic explorations of Kabinett, Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 promises to captivate audiences with its ambitious programming and curatorial innovation. By bridging traditional and contemporary, local and global, the fair positions itself as a pivotal moment in the art calendar—one that celebrates both the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific and its resonance with the wider art world.