Art Basel to feature over 250 galleries in Asian debut

Art Basel will feature more than 250 leading galleries and 2,000 artists in its debut Asian showcase.

New Delhi/Hong Kong: Art Basel, the prestigious international art fair in Hong Kong, will feature more than 250 leading galleries and 2,000 artists in its debut Asian showcase May 23-26 next year, organisers said in a statement Thursday.

The fair was inaugurated in Hong Kong last month with the formation of a new screening committee, which will select the galleries. The application process opens June 11. The fair, sponsored by the Deutsche Bank, will have participants from Europe, Asia and the US, the statement said. Art Basel Hong Kong will showcase "young emerging talent to modern masters both from Asia and the West and trace 12 decades of art history in four segments - Galleries, Insight, Discoveries and Encounters," the statement said. More than 50 percent galleries will be from Asia, the Asian part of Turkey, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. In the Galleries segment, 180 will feature from Asia and across the world. The section will host paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, prints, photographs and films from 20th and 21st centuries, the statement said. The Insight section will showcase curatorial projects by galleries with themes like history of art and other solo projects. The Discoveries section will bring to limelight emerging contemporary artists from across the world, it added. According to organisers, the Encounters segment will be devoted to large-scale sculptures and installation works by leading artists created at various locations. Art Basel Asia director Magnus Renfrew said: "We want to build on the Hong Kong fair with Art Basel`s 40 years of experience and access to a much wider global community." "The fair will be defined by the host city and the Asia-Pacific region. It will encourage curatorial focus on the most important developments in the art scene in the last 100 years in Asia," Renfrew said. IANS