Art Basel 2025: What Was Actually Worth Seeing
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracted 240 galleries from 42 countries and regions, including 23 first-time exhibitors. Under the theme "Repositioning," the fair strengthened its partnerships with Asian art institutions and launched the MGM Art Discoveries Award to support emerging artists. The exhibition featured three sections: Galleries, Insights, and Discoveries. The first day of the fair was packed with visitors and strong sales.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracted 240 galleries from 42 countries and regions, including 23 first-time exhibitors. Under the theme "Repositioning," the fair strengthened its partnerships with Asian art institutions and launched the MGM Art Discoveries Award to support emerging artists. The exhibition featured three sections: Galleries, Insights, and Discoveries. The first day of the fair was packed with visitors and strong sales.
Fair Scale and Exhibitor Lineup
240 Chinese and international galleries participated in Art Basel Hong Kong.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 brought together 240 international galleries from 42 countries and regions, with 50% representing galleries from the Asia-Pacific region, including 23 first-time exhibitors. Thirty-two participating galleries have established physical locations in Hong Kong, highlighting the deep connection between the international platform and the local art ecosystem. Twenty-three new exhibitors, including Berlin-based König Galerie and Seoul Art Space P21, participated for the first time.
Highlights
① Art Space: 18 large-scale art installations, creating a visual spectacle
② Curator's Corner: 36 unprecedented projects, pushing the boundaries of imagination
③ Light and Film: 7 special screenings curated by Para Site, showcasing works by 30 artists
④ MGM Art Discovery Award: A new award dedicated to emerging artists and rising talent
⑤ Art Basel Store: Debuting in Hong Kong, featuring a curated selection of high-quality lifestyle products. Bring the inspiration of Art Basel home!
Recommended Exhibition Sections
Booth 3D14
Artists:
Ann Leda Shapiro, Bosco Sodi, El Anatsui, Jaffa Lam, Kimsooja, Norio Imai, Peter Buggenhout, Shi Zhiying, Sopheap Pich, Waqas Khan, Zoran Music
A highlight of Axel Vervoordt's exhibition is Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich's large-scale sculpture, "The Absent Tree" (2024), composed of aluminum, fiberglass, and synthetic resin, featuring twisted, coiled branches. Pich, widely considered one of Cambodia's most important contemporary artists, centers his sculptural practice on found objects. Since 2013, he has created these metal-collage sculptures using old rice pots and various aluminum kitchen utensils.
Concurrently, the gallery presents a series of enigmatic watercolors by 79-year-old American artist Ann Leda Shapiro in Kabinett, a section dedicated to thematic curation of modern and contemporary artists. Shapiro's work has consistently addressed gender issues since the 1970s, and this exhibition spans five decades of her career. Among the works is her signature work, "Giving Birth to Myself" (1971/2017), depicting a hermaphroditic figure, which faced censorship and was withdrawn from her 1973 solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Her work blends social discourse with a tender and nuanced observation of the human form, revealing profound reflections on the bodies of others, her own, and her own identity," says gallery advisor Dylan Shuai.
Other highlights include El Anatsui's "Blue Moon" (2025), a sculpture made from bottle caps, printed boards, and copper wire, which hangs on the wall above a work by Sopheap Pich. The work sold for nearly $2 million. Elsewhere in the booth, the gallery presented Chinese artist Lin Lan's "Mobile Wisdom" (2025), a hammock-like sculpture crafted from recycled, colorful umbrella fabric and rope.
HdM Gallery
Booth 3D12
Exhibiting Artist: Sanyu
Despite its all-red walls, the HdM Gallery booth's tranquil atmosphere contrasted sharply with the explosive, colorful works at this year's Art Basel Hong Kong. This exhibition focuses on the Chinese artist Sanyu, with a particular emphasis on his Parisian period. Often called the "Chinese Matisse," Sanyu is renowned for his works on paper in ink and charcoal. The exhibition features over 20 intimate and sensual paintings.
Sanyu's artistic career also reflects the broader cultural exchange between East and West, a perspective particularly relevant to HdM, a French-founded gallery with locations in Beijing and Paris. "In today's increasingly insular and self-centered world, Sanyu's experience is a profound revelation," says gallery partner Olivier Hervet. "A century ago, this Chinese artist journeyed to Paris, a journey halfway around the world that was incredibly difficult. Yet, his works exude a carefree, effortless air that is truly captivating."
These minimalist works often recur, depicting fleeting moments: a woman painting, a curvaceous nude, or two women sitting intimately next to each other.
