Sore feet, lean pockets, sustainability woes—what’s a 21st-century art fair really good for, some might wonder? Surpassing the skepticism, this edition of Art Basel Hong Kong offered a compelling glimpse at the talent flourishing across Asia. Sure, Pace Gallery’s Modigliani made the early headlines—but by our reckoning, the fair belonged to Asia’s modern masters and its next generation of stars, some who sorely deserve their spotlight.
Bright spots abounded in the curated sectors, with especially strong showings from Discoveries and Insights, respectively dedicated to emerging artists and thematic presentations. With a simple sheet and smart lighting, Ho Chi Minh’s Vin Gallery staged a shadow-puppet display of ceramic skeletons by Japanese sculptor Ako Goto. Elsewhere, local outfit Lucie Chang Fine Arts made a compelling case for the canonization of the late Chinese painter Zhu Xinjian, whose traditional ink drawings shock with atypically salacious subject matter.
gdm, the Hong Kong-based gallery founded by Fred Scholle in 1974, offered one of the best pairings of established and ascendant artists: Kongkee’s seated figure in a lightbox, revealing a second face when viewed from the side, alongside a suite of abstract paintings by Tang Chang, a visionary of Thailand’s modern art scene. Surely, visitors couldn’t have missed another Kongkee work in Encounters: the monumental neon sign reading “Price / Value”—unless they arrived after the artist had smashed its filaments. Nothing lasts forever—except, perhaps, the memory of this electric spread.
