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| No.3 June, 2013 |
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Art Basel Hong Kong: Roundup |
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 Last month’s successful launch of the inaugural Art Basel Hong Kong shows how Hong Kong has managed to transform itself into a global arts hub within a short space of time.
A total of 245 international art galleries and 3,000 artists exhibited at Art Basel Hong Kong, held at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre next to Victoria Harbour. There were 9 Australian galleries present - including Sydney-based Roslyn Oxley9 and Sullivan+Strumpf - and Auckland-based Starkwhite Gallery.
Australian artists were well received by buyers and collectors in Hong Kong. The Age reported that painter and sculptor Brendan Huntley managed to sell six of his artworks in a little over an hour into the prestigious art fair. His buyers came from all over the world, from Spain to Thailand.
Despite heavy weather marking the first day of Art Basel Hong Kong, total visitor numbers for the four-day event reached 60,000. This is a far cry from a decade ago when the Hong Kong art scene was relatively unexciting.
Hong Kong art dealer Jean-Marc Decrop, who owns Yallay Space in Aberdeen, said the city has changed a lot in terms of embracing international art.
"When I first moved here, Hong Kong was not at all international. The art on offer was Chinese art. The few collectors were interested in traditional wares such as jade, ceramics and ink brush painting," said Mr Decrop.
Hong Kong, with its tax-free status and reputation as a global business and financial centre, has experienced an art renaissance. It’s now a major international arts centre - according to Art Asia Pacific, the city is home to more than 100 contemporary art galleries.
The city is also the third-largest art auction center in the world, after New York and London, and Sotheby’s Hong Kong alone had sales of more than AU$8.5 billion in 2011.
The Hong Kong government has also invested heavily in the arts, earmarking more than AU$2.5 billion for the 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District, where the M+ contemporary art museum is scheduled to open in 2017.
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