After a minor pandemic-related delay, Art Basel Hong Kong opens this month at last. With an impressive line-up of 130 galleries, we speak to some of the familiar representatives around town about this year’s edition and what they hope visitors will take away with them.
In Conversation with Leo Xu, Senior Director, David Zwirner Hong Kong
Has your gallery’s curation focus changed since Covid?
Although planning has been more uncertain, the gallery’s focus has remained committing to present the best artists and exhibitions to our audiences in Hong Kong and we’ve been pleased to present standout exhibition by artists including Isa Genzken, Josef Albers and James Welling among others this past year.
During this time, we’ve also launched our Wechat Mini Program that extends our physical programs online in digital viewing rooms which has allowed us to continue sharing our artists with audiences in China and around the world.
What/who are some highlights you’ll be showing this year?
At this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong, we will be presenting new works by Katherine Bernhardt, Lisa Yuskavage, Nate Lowman, and Oscar Murillo. Bernhardt’s vibrant canvases draw from pop culture and images from everyday life; we will also be showing Lowman’s latest series depicting satellite renderings of hurricanes which just debuted in our New York space.
The booth will also present important works by R. Crumb, Stan Douglas, Dan Flavin, Raymond Pettibon, Thomas Ruff, Wolfgang Tillmans, Franz West, and Jordan Wolfson.
What are some important topics/conversations you hope to spark in the fair visitors?
At the fair, we always aim to connect visitors with the gallery’s global program and introduce them to artists, many of which haven’t been shown in Hong Kong before. In particular, Nate Lowman’s new series of large-scale paintings raises important questions about climate change as well as the circulation of images in news media, whilst Katherine Bernhardt’s bright and often humorous works draw inspiration from her own life and childhood as well as the wide range of cultural symbols in our contemporary world.
Featured image courtesy of Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, No Title (The weight of…) (2019)