Satellite fairs are a major part of Art Weeks in art centers around the world. This includes New York, Paris, Miami, and London, just to name a few. However, Art Central is a new concept for Hong Kong, which will welcome it as the city’s first world-class satellite fair. Art Central will take place during Hong Kong Art Week, complementing Art Basel and providing another point of interest for the international art world who descend on Hong Kong during this exciting week of art events. There is so much opportunity in Hong Kong thanks to the city’s culturally astute public who are keen to engage with art, as well as the active community of collectors, buyers and art enthusiasts from the Asia Pacific region.
Art Central’s sophisticated yet edgy feel will attract collectors, buyers, curators and artists alongside the art-loving public. Art Central’s programme spans traditional art forms, including contemporary ink, new media and large-scale, site-specific installations. The fair is a place of discovery and provides a refreshing alternative for viewing and buying art during Hong Kong Art Week.
There is a full program of talks and panel discussions held by The Asia Society Hong Kong Centre that will appeal to different interests, including a panel discussion about contemporary ink painting. We really kept every age group and demographic in mind, there’s a little something for everyone to see at Art Central.
The mood of Art Central will definitely be one of discovery. It welcomes an international section of over 75 galleries from 21 countries, more than 30 of which have never been seen in Hong Kong. It is this notion of the new – the creation of a site of discovery for our collectors, buyers and art enthusiasts – that Art Central champions in its inaugural year. In addition 19 of the galleries showing are from Hong Kong itself, ensuring the Fair provides a great platform for the city.
Integral to the fair is our focus on presenting artists who are well known and highly collected within their own cities, yet relatively unknown in a global context. Showcasing the next generation of talent alongside some of the most established contemporary galleries from across the globe, the fair prides itself on providing an international platform to artists working across a broad range of mediums, and at all levels of the market.
Art Central complements Art Basel by bringing yet more world-class content to collectors and art lovers during Hong Kong Art Week. The venue itself is one-of-a-kind and totally differs from any fair experience Hong Kong has seen before. A huge, three tent structure designed by Mike Stiff of award winning architecture practice Stiff and Trevillion will be put up on the new Central Harbourfront, in the heart of Hong Kong. Along with all the galleries, the structure will house Swarovski’s collaborative installation with emerging design star Joyce Wang, as well as site-specific installations by contemporary ink painter Lan Zhenghui, installation artist Stella Zhang, and an installation of intricately beaded sculptures by Jeffrey Gibson.
The participating galleries have been chosen by the fair’s Selection Committee, comprised of Ethan Cohen of Ethan Cohen Fine Arts (New York); Conny Dietzschold of Conny Dietzschold Gallery (Sydney/Cologne); Angela Li of Contemporary by Angela Li (Hong Kong); and Christa Schübbe of Schübbe Inc. (Düssledorf). Criteria such as quality of the artwork and projects undertaken by the gallery both locally and overseas were central to the selection committee’s decision. Selecting the galleries who will participate is always a challenge. We were overwhelmed by the quality and number of applications, and our selection committee was faced with the difficult task of selecting just a few to comprise our inaugural exhibitor list. We are very proud of what they have achieved.
Art Central will showcase established artists alongside some exciting emerging talents. The fair has two specialised sectors: Central for more established spaces and Rise featuring curated solo or dual exhibitions by galleries established in the last five years. Rise booths will highlight exciting younger artists and artists from emerging markets. Around 85% of the galleries will present their work in Central, with around 15% within Rise. Our exhibitors represent a total of 21 countries. Approximately 65% of these are from the Asia Pacific region and roughly 20% are from our local Hong Kong art scene.
Adding flavor to Art Week, Art Central has partnered with Swire Hotel’s newest restaurant and bar The Continental to bring to life what is set to be the best fair restaurant and bar experience of Art Week. With award-winning British Chef and Financial Times Weekend Magazine food writer Rowley Leigh at the helm, the menus draw inspiration from the grand cafes of Europe and feature the best ingredients from sustainable sources serving dishes for brunch, lunch and dinner each day.
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