Indian galleries to make presence felt at Hong Kong Art Basel fair 2018 - Hindustan Times
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Indian galleries to make presence felt at Hong Kong Art Basel fair 2018

Press Trust of India | By
Mar 19, 2018 04:38 PM IST

The Hong Kong Art Basel fair that begins on March 26 will feature 247 leading galleries from 32 countries, including 28 first-time exhibitors. Indian galleries that feature include newer ones like Tarq as well as older galleries like Chemould Prescott.

India is slowly expanding its base at the annual Hong Kong Art Basel fair, with nine galleries taking part in the gala show this year. Fair director Adeline Ooi said she hoped to see in the next editions more representation from India, which showcased the works of six galleries in 2017 and four in 2016.

A previous edition of Art Basel Hong Kong.(Facebook/Art Basel)
A previous edition of Art Basel Hong Kong.(Facebook/Art Basel)

“I am very greedy. I want more Indian galleries because one of the roles of this show is to highlight the diversities in Asia,” said Ooi. The fair, to begin on March 26, will feature 247 leading galleries from 32 countries, including 28 first-time exhibitors.

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This year’s edition, the sixth so far, would not just have an increased focus on art from Asia, but also on art created across generations. It is therefore no surprise that the barely four-year-old Mumbai-based gallery Tarq is making its debut at the fair and will showcase alongside veterans such as Chemould Prescott (Mumbai) and Vadehra Art Gallery (New Delhi). “We have got galleries across generations, which is what we are most excited about,” Ooi said.

The other Indian galleries to feature at the fair this year are Experimenter from Kolkata, Nature Morte and Gallery Espace from New Delhi, GallerySke from Bangalore, and Mumbai’s Sakshi Gallery and Jhaveri Contemporary. Ooi stressed that this was the only art fair of its kind with such a huge concentration of galleries from Asia. “I think for India to not be there would have been a huge failure on my part,” Ooi added.

The fair, as in earlier editions, will be divided into sectors — Galleries, Insights and Discoveries — and will present art ranging from masterpieces of the early 20th century to contemporary work by both established and emerging artists. While ‘Galleries’, the main sector of the show, will present paintings, sculptures, drawing, installations, photography, videos and editioned works by 194 leading galleries, the ‘Insights’ sector will feature presentations by one or two artists with historical material and thematic exhibitions by 28 galleries.

Sakshi Gallery, participating in this sector, will feature a project ‘City-Fifth Investigation’ by artist Vivek Vilasini. Comprising 31 translucent rice paper sheets that were exposed to dust and atmospheric pollution in New Delhi, the work addresses the issue of climate change and pollution. ‘Discoveries’, focusing on solo shows by emerging artists, will feature 25 galleries.

Among those participating in the sector will be Jhaveri Contemporary, which will represent Pakistani artist Ali Kazim, whose immersive installation inspired by his hometown, Lahore, echoes the current political situation in Pakistan. Artist duo Pors & Rao will present a digital interactive booth at GallerySke, with a survey on the “autonomous side of human behaviour”.

Presentations by exhibitors from Asia that have graduated into the main sector of the show are also a part of the line-up, along with important galleries from the United States and Europe, as well as works of younger artists from the East. The fair will come to a close on March 31.

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