Many international festivals have been seeing a slow return to their former glory this past year after reduced operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic—although there are still reports of new surges—and this was evident at Art Basel Hong Kong 2024. After multiple years of a pared-down version of the event, it was back in full force this past week to showcase Pacific Asian artists and the global art community.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 hosted two hundred and forty-two exhibitors, compared to the one hundred and seventy-seven from last year—although they reported being down over 10,000 visitors from last year’s total of 86,000. Still, the festival made a strong showing of talent from across the Pacific Asian region and its diaspora, from curated works of the early 20th century and beyond to galleries for established and emerging artists to immersive installations.
Some of the works in the central spotlight of this year’s exhibition included: Atsushi Kaga’s Ukiyo-e (2022-23), an installation evoking a traditional Kabuki-style theatre of the Edo period with a panel painting of the artist’s bunny alter ego sat amidst homages to his late mother; El Anatsui’s A Desire To Get Away (2024), a massive tapestry of bottle caps and metal wire, resembling a fish’s scaly skin from repurposed waste; and the wealth of film works curated by Li Zhenhua.
While Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 may have seen a dip in numbers from the prior year, it is certainly no reflection on the art on offer. An all-encompassing presentation of the modern-historic and current works within its borders and beyond, it is positive to see growth in presentation in the wake of the recent artistic climate. Fingers crossed for an even stronger turn out in the years to come.
