Metalised balloons float next to hanging cities as Art Basel comes alive

Metalised balloons float next to hanging cities as Hong Kong comes alive through the world of art. Creative minds from around the world are at the 7th Annual Art Basel Exhibition which is showing a range of different mediums from VR to traditional mediums like paint.

Hong Kong: "WIlling to be Vulnerable" is the name of this piece of work by artist Lee Bull as it looks over the thousands of visitors who have come to one of the world's most prestigious modern art exhibitions in the heart of Hong Kong.

The massive exhibition hall is hosting 242 galleries from 35 countries and territories.

More than half of the galleries are from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, featuring 21 galleries participating for the first time this year.

One highlight of the fair is the Discoveries section featuring emerging contemporary artists.

"I would definitely spot light on would be definitely the discovery sector of our show which is a sector presenting young galleries with young artists. And I think you know, out there, I think you can find a whole range of different medium from VR all the way to very tradition mediums like painting. But all interpreted in a very fresh, exciting way," says Adeline Ooi, Asia Director, Art Basel.

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One piece in the discovery sector is artist Moe Satt's"Dove with revolution hand", 2019 showing a dove in the air with caged fists and wings below. The artist explains the sculptures are based on the 1988 Burmese Uprising.

"This is from the newspaper in the 1988 Uprising time, this is the logo from the newspaper 'The Call', it's like the name of the newspaper. And in the 88, the logo of "The Call" is like dove with the revolution hand. When I see, actually I got the idea last year, last year we made the 30-anniversary of the 88 Uprising. I got the idea from okay, how we can talk the 88. So also I got the dove with the revolution hand, like for the freedom, for the democracy we need to fight. Also, I put the extra wing and dove in the cage, all the freedom fighter in the jail at the time. They arrested a lot of the protestors,"Satt says.

Hong Kong Art Basel provides an opportunity for cross-cultural artistic exchange between East and West.

Whilse the majority of artists and galleries come from Asia, Yuli Karatsiki, Gallery Manager of Athens-based Kalfayan Galleries explains that her gallery has an important presence in this year's Art Basel Hong Kong exhibition.

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"We collaborate and we exhibit artists from Lebanon, from Egypt. We are trying, as a gallery, to breach East and West, and this is very much appreciated as we have discovered by the audience here in Art Basel Hong Kong," Karatsiki says.

Aki Inomate, a first-time participating artist from Japan is showing her art works combining ideas from animals with skyscrapers which represent human migrations.

"I do the joint work with living creatures - such as hermit crab, insects, dogs, turtles. I create my art piece as if I collaborate with these various animals. It is because I feel we humans are now very much isolated from the natural environment but I am interested in how we live in such an environment (together with these animals)."

Courtesy: APTN

While the majority of the artwork comes from reknowned and upcoming artists the price tags aren't cheap, with these shoe statues entitled "Hand warmers" by artist Ann Agee selling at $18,000 each.

Duane Hanson's "Flea Market Lady",made in 1990, may look more like an installation with a live model, but on closer inspection you will find that the lifelike sculpture is actually made of bronze.

Hong Kong Art Basel opens to the public from 29th to 31st March 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.