Cinema will take a center stage at Art Basel, the giant Swiss art fair that holds its Hong Kong edition in Spring. It is due to be held place shortly after FilMart and the Asian Film Awards.
In addition to its existing film activities, the Swiss fair Tuesday announced that it will introduce the Kabinett sector to the Hong Kong show. Abbas Kiarostami, the Iranian auteur who died last year, will be commemorated through an exhibition of his final photography series, presented by Rossi & Rossi gallery.
The impact of early cinema on the tradition of Chinese opera will be examined in works by Singaporean artist Ming Wong, while Hong Kong’s Lee Kit will present video installation “It Was a Cinema” (2016.) China’s Wang Qingsong will show a five-minute video work called “Happy Bed” (2014.) Most works on show at the fair are for sale.
Adeline Ooi, Art Basel’s director Asia, said this year several art galleries exhibiting at the fair will focus on film and video works.
The fair’s film section will return, showing a range of feature-length and short films. Last year the film section showed 67 shorts five features including “The Chinese Life of Uli Sigg,” a documentary about the eponymous Swiss mega collector, and “Jellyfish Eyes,” the debut film of Japanese art star Takashi Murakami.
“For the Hong Kong show, film is much more accessible to the audience, and very often documentaries and films about an artist have an effect,” Ooi said.
FilMart runs March 13-16. The Asian Film Awards take place on March 21 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Art Basel runs March 23 to 25.
