Art Basel announces further highlights for its 2025 edition in Hong Kong, including details on special sectors, as well as an extensive week-long public program on and off-site
Encounters is the exhibition sector dedicated to large-scale projects, presenting 18 large-scale installations by artists from a wide range of geographies. Art Basel Hong Kong’s curated sector dedicated to large-scale projects, will present 18 exceptional installations that foreground the realms of digital art, design and architecture, textiles, nature and human interactions. More than half of the works have been created specifically for the fair. The sector will include a site-specific installation for the third consecutive year: Lanternfly Ballet by Monster Chetwynd will be presented at Pacific Place, with the support of Swire Properties, official partner of offsite Encounters.
cabinet Featuring a record 36 galleries, the section sees thematic presentations within the galleries' main stands, with a strong focus on solo projects from the Asia-Pacific region and the Asian diaspora, showcasing works by 21 Asia-Pacific artists and 15 from the rest of the world.
The MGM Discoveries Art Prize
The artists selected for the inaugural MGM Discoveries Prize are Shin Min, represented by P21; Kayode Ojo, represented by Sweetwater; and Saju Kunhan, represented by Tarq. The winner will be announced during the show at the MGM Lounge and will receive a cash prize of $50.000 to be split between the artist and his or her gallery, along with an opportunity for the artist to exhibit their work in Macau. An award established for the sake of performance and to support emerging artists, the selected artists and the jury of international experts have been revealed. Showcasing the cultural dynamism of its host city, Art Basel Hong Kong will present an extensive public program, both on-site and off-site, including film and conversation programs, as well as the Exchange Circle, accessible free of charge to the public at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Additionally, Art Basel will collaborate with leading cultural institutions M+ and Tai Kwun for joint off-site programming.
The exhibition’s film program, curated for the first time by Hong Kong’s independent art institution Para Site, will feature seven screenings and the works of 30 artists. Art Basel will continue its collaboration with cultural video channel Nowness Asia; and Videotage, one of the region’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to video art. The show continues to expand its support to encompass more creative fields and welcomes new cultural partners, including Design Trust, as well as HASS Lab and Tomorrow Maybe. The Art Basel Shop will be present in Hong Kong for the first time, offering a selection of lifestyle products that celebrate and enhance the Art Basel experience.
The 2025 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong will bring together 240 exhibitors from 42 countries and territories
Including 23 newcomers, presenting artistic practices that reflect the show’s commitment to global diversity and regional representation. More than half of the participating galleries hail from the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting Art Basel’s vital role as a platform for the region’s dynamic art scene. The week-long, extensive public program, both off-site and on-site, will further underscore Hong Kong’s role as a major cultural hub.
But also a film program
Hong Kong-based independent art institution Para Site will lead the curatorial direction of the Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 film programme. Titled “In Space, It’s Always Night”, this year’s programme draws on themes explored in Isadora Neves Marques’s Vampires in Space (2022), a feature-length film that will be presented at a special screening. The film program includes seven screenings bringing together the works of 30 artists. It will present a selection of short films that reflect on ecological interdependence, resilience to social constraints both physical and mental, human desires, and an investigation into the technological realities that shape the increasingly hybrid and interconnected existence of humankind. Echoing the curatorial direction of Para Site, collaborations with cultural video channel Nowness Asia and Videotage – one of the region’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to video art – will also explore topics that are at the forefront of the special screening of Neves Marques’ work, with Videotage dedicating its selection to Hong Kong artists.