| Cover picture: Alighiero Boetti, Rinaldo Annamaria Luna Rossi, 1993-94, blue ballpoint pen on cardboard on canvas, Tornabuoni Art |

303 Gallery

Another mirror piece in the fair – right side up this time! So perfect for selfies.

Liza Lou, Untitled, #14, 2011, Untitled, #15, 2011, Untitled, (Grid), 2012-14, Untitled, #12, 2011, woven glass beads on linen, Goodman Gallery

Kendell Geers, Four Letter Brand (Evil) 1, Four Letter Brand (Fate) 1, Four Letter Brand (Life) 1, Four Letter Brand (Gift) 1, plexiglas mirror and charred wood, Goodman Gallery

Alfredo Jaar, Other People Think, 2012, lightbox with transparency, Goodman Gallery

Hey, I do too!

Julian Opie, Walking in the rain, London, Walking in the rain, Seoul, 2015, screenprints, Alan Cristea Gallery

Polígrafa Obra Gráfica

Every gallery booth has a table and chairs for their staff, sometimes also for the laying out of books and brochures and whatnot, but this cardboard-style desk and chairs set looked very interesting!

Isabel Nolan, There will be time no longer, 2014, mild steel, wadding, wool and thread, Kerlin Gallery

Isabel Nolan, The emptied room: A rug for the 20th Century, 2014, hand tufted wool, Kerlin Gallery

Liam Gillick, Intermodal Elevation, 2015, powder coated aluminium, plexiglas, Kerlin Gallery

So many people at Art Basel! Just don’t stand too still to be thought of as a sculpture…

Norberto Roldan, Viper, 2015, oil and acrylic on canvas, Arndt

Love it! The quote is perfect, and I like the juxtaposition with an image of a fighter jet.

Leung Mee Ping, Expected Departure, x-rays, light boxes, 2006-14, Osage

I actually find this concept of x-ray images of various vomit bags really interesting! There’s a Hello Kitty bag, Thai Airways bag…

Yifei Chen, Early Morning (Suzhou), 1983, oil on canvas, Hammer Galleries

Yifei Chen, Leisurely Boat Ride (Suzhou, China), 1983, oil on canvas, Hammer Galleries

Yang Maoyuan, THEY are coming to Hong Kong, 2014, mixed media, Platform China

The title made me crack up so hard, HAHAHA! My favorite is the horse, there’s also a mutated camel and blue ball monster in the background. Weird creatures or not, doesn’t the horse look so real? You can really see the meticulousness that Yang put into his work in the details of the horse’s face, with small sweat/saliva beads on its little hairs.

João Vasco Paiva, Mausoleum, 2015, acrylic on stone resin modules on galvanized mild steel structure, Edouard Malingue Gallery

I first saw Paiva’s works in his Near and Elsewhere exhibition at Edouard Malingue Gallery at the end of 2013 and I remember my favorite were his stone resin works representing the styrofoam boxes you often see at wet markets in Wanchai (Hong Kong). That was my first foray into contemporary art! It was really nice to see Paiva’s works again but now in a larger than life format!

Fernando Botero, Man with dog, 2005, oil on canvas, galerie gmurzynska

Pablo Picasso, Femme à la robe verte, 1956, oil on canvas, Acquavella

I love how this painting was hung beside a photograph of Picasso at work. Can you spot the painting in the photograph? :)

Wayne Thiebaud, Four Heart Cakes, 1971, pen and ink on paper; Ten Candies, 2000, pastel on paper, Acquavella

Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (568-1), 1984, oil on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art

Jeff Koons, Flower Drawing (Red), 2011, mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating; reflecting Andy Warhol, Endangered Species (Ram), 1983, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art

Kitty Chou, Conflation #2, 2012, inkjet on Hahnemühle photo rag paper; Wang Keping, Femme, 2006, acacia;  Tseng Kwong Chi, Paris, France (Female Figure and Eiffel), 1983, silver gelatin print, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Alexander Calder, Poisson Avec Tête Humaine, 1976, metal painted hanging mobile, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Vik Muniz, Forbidden City (Postcards from Nowhere), 2014, digital C-print, Ben Brown Fine Arts

I love Muniz’s Postcards from Nowhere series! He builds images of places and people with scraps of paper, postcards, and the like, with the scraps themselves containing images related to the overall image Muniz creates. The final piece we see is a photograph of his work.

Gavin Turk, Refuse, 2012, painted bronze, Ben Brown Fine Arts

This is too funny. It’s the shiniest and most refined bag of trash I’ve seen because it’s made of bronze! I really wonder where this artwork can be displayed though…

William Tillyer, The Frobisher Paintings, Oranges on a Plate, 2015, acrylic and mesh on canvas, Bernard Jacobson Gallery

Andy Warhol, Mao, 1973, synthetic polymer and silkscreen on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1970, set of ten screenprints on paper, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

It’s again great to see works from modern artists like Pop Art forerunner Andy Warhol at Art Basel. I’m not a big fan of Warhol’s, but I do find his ideas interesting!

Alighiero Boetti, Mappa acquolina in bocca nell’anno 84 Alighiero e Boetti Afghanistan, 1983-84, embroidery on cloth, Tornabuoni Art

Pinaree Sanpitak, The Hammock, 2014/15, blown glass and steel, Yavuz Gallery

When I was younger, I always had this dream to sleep in a hammock. I never did, and I still haven’t!

Haegue Yang, Sonic Figure – Ancient Revenant, 2015, steel stand, metal grid, powder coating, casters, copper plated bells, nickel plated bells, metal rings, Galerie Chantal Crousel

Yoshitomo Nara, Setsuko the Cat, 2012, bronze, Blum & Poe

Bronze sculptures make up another part of Nara’ wide repertoire. I find this looks a little creepy, I prefer the little girls!

Pablo Picasso, Compotier et bouteille sur un guéridon (Fruit bowl and bottle on a pedestal table), 1913-17, oil on canvas, Richard Gray Gallery

Picasso’s Cubist pieces are always so fun to decipher! Love his work.

Jaume Plensa, Blake in Venice (In Seed Time Learn…), Blake in Venice (Exuberance is Beauty), Blake in Venice (One Thought Fills…), 2013, murano glass, Richard Gray Gallery

Roy Lichtenstein, Sky, Land, and Water, 1984, oil and magna on canvas, Richard Gray Gallery

Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1973, drawing paper, transparent adhesive film, staples, oil, charcoal and oil crayon on paper, Galerie Karsten Greve

That’s the end of my review of Art Basel Hong Kong 2015! I highly recommend it! Tickets are pricey, but the numerous artworks you see is worth it. What’s interesting is also all the different types of people attending the fair – besides the art collectors and buyers, there are many families, couples, students and kids! It’s a fun outing idea for everyone. :D

Dates for next year’s Art Basel in Hong Kong have already been released, it’s going to be held a little later during March 24-26, 2016! The Art Basel fairs are apparently planned a few years in advance. O.O

Till then, can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year’s fair!

The post Art Basel Hong Kong 2015 | Part II appeared first on Wording Art.

1. Donation of Works by Wu Guanzhong 2014

This exhibition is located in the same space with The Four Gentlemen, and it was fun to turn the corner from Chinese historical and modern art to Chinese contemporary art! As noted in the exhibition title, it showcases newly donated works of Wu’s by his family to the Museum.

Wu Guanzhong, A lotus pond (Double stamp), dated 1995, horizontal scroll, ink and color on paper

I love how Wu updates the use of the traditional Chinese medium of ink and color on paper. He continues to work with varying tones of ink but renders his subjects in new abstract forms. The lotuses are mostly painted in black ink moving in different directions so it may be a little hard to identify what he’s drawing (without looking at the title first, ha!), but he gives a clear hint with his colored lotuses.

I find this so refreshing. Abstract art can be fun and interesting in its own way, but sometimes when intentional depictions of things in real life are a little too abstract, I’ll feel… surprised/confused/muddled.

The spots of color scattered across the painting might seem a little random when you see it up close, but I think it adds a sense of energy along with the strong ink brushstrokes.

Wu Guanzhong, Puzzlement, dated 1998, horizontal scroll, ink and color on paper

The first thing I thought when I saw Puzzlement was that it is Jackson Pollock-esque, he of action paintings and energetic splashes of paint all across his large canvases. It’s impressive that Wu managed to achieve that kind of effect with ink and color on paper instead of oil on canvas.

Puzzlement doesn’t seem to be made with that spirit in mind though, since the tangled lines and random spots of color are meant to represent the “bits and pieces in the painter’s anxious mind and fragmented memory,” as mentioned in the Artist’s Statement.

Wu Guanzhong, A fishing harbour, dated 1997, horizontal scroll, ink on paper

This is a favorite of mine! Again, this piece departs from the traditional look of an ink painting except that there is still a name and red seal at the bottom left of the painting. I love the detail of the splattered ink, that I’m thinking is the effect from flicking your finger over the brush. It’s done so precisely and adds a really nice touch to the painting, like it’s sunlight reflecting off the water.

Wu Guanzhong, Leaping, dated 1996, oil on canvas

This is another favorite! Honestly, when I saw it from afar, I was a little confused and unimpressed – I thought it was a white fish floating in a mass of black. But of course, it’s all about going up close to see the details. The painting shows a realistically depicted ripple of water entirely rendered in black. Instead of using the (perhaps easier) option of ink, Leaping is done with oil on canvas.

Wu masters the art of both ink and oil painting and I find it very interesting how he subverts expectations in his use of mediums in his various paintings.

Location: Chinese Fine Art Gallery (4/F)

2. Random Moments

This is a small exhibition made up of video art, and is titled as such since there is no central theme to the works. I have to say that I am not particularly interested in video art but it’s always nice to see more types of art! The exhibition space was sectioned off into different areas/rooms for each piece, most with a bench placed in front of the screenings so you can sit and watch them!

Tsui Ngai, Miranda, Shoe-stories, 2001, video and digital image, approx. 44 mins

The highlight of the exhibition for me was Tsui’s Shoe-stories which is a widescreen black-and-white video divided into three sections, each alternatively cutting to different people’s shoes.

The title pretty much says it all, and I found it fascinating how the way people sit and position their feet, their choice of shoe-wear, the pattern or print of their shoe, and their little feet-tics can actually lead us to form an impression of the person. It’s commendable how Tsui recognised this as a potential subject for documentation and presents it in a sophisticated manner.

I was including my shoe-story here – this is me interacting with art! ;)

Location: Historical Pictures Gallery (3/F)

3. Tempting Touch – the Art of Tong King-sum

This is an exhibition of Hong Kong sculptor Tong King Sum’s works made with different types of wood. When you enter the gallery, you are greeted with Unfinished Work that Tong was preparing for an exhibition for the Hong Kong Visual Arts Society, but he passed away before the sculpture could be completed. Tong had drawn various markings over it and there is a large incision on the left as well.

Tong King Sum, Unfinished Work, 2007, teak

There is also a sculptor studio set in the exhibition, but I’m not sure if it’s supposed to represent how Tong’s studio looked like or if it’s a general impression of an artist’s workshop. Anyhow, I found it interesting how there was a mix of real items, such as the saw and shoes on the ground and the cap hanging off the rack, and fake styrofoam items made to look real, like most of the tools hanging on the wall.

Location: Contemporary Hong Kong Art Gallery (2/F)

4. All Are Guests – Homecoming

All Are Guests – Homecoming features a mix of works by Hong Kong artists and here are my highlights!

Chow Chun Fai’s Reproducing ‘Hong Kong Our Home Theme Song’ is an impressive sight that spans three walls, made up of small paintings meant to represent the various facets of Hong Kong from the point of view of a “guest.” The paintings are all taken together to form a video, or you could take it that the paintings are “screenshots” of the video on the right wall. Please excuse the photo quality, the lighting was not good for taking photos!

Chow Chun Fai, Reproducing ‘Hong Kong Our Home Theme Song,’ 2014, paintings and video

Leung Mee Ping’s Out of Place is a mix of video installations shown on both sides of cloth-like screens that were assembled in a maze-like way with speakers situated above each screen. It felt surreal to me, as you walk around, you feel like you’re experiencing the city along with what you see on the screens.

Leung Mee Ping, Out of Place, 2014, video installation

Leung took these videos in the Asian cities Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Shenzhen, Tokyo and Varanasi. She focuses on the experiences of city drifters who live in these cities but have somehow been cast aside in the public mindset of what the city represents. In the video captured in the first photo above, Leung follows an old man as he walks through Hong Kong, who seems strangely unaffected by all the bustle going on around him, lost in his own world. And really, who thinks of Hong Kongers in this way?

I was standing in the middle of all that and I almost missed seeing myself in this photo again! ;)

Location: Special Exhibition Gallery (2/F)

This wraps up my weekend trip to the Hong Kong Museum of Art! Do check out the exhibitions while they’re still ongoing at:

Hong Kong Museum of Art
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Mondays to Fridays 10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays 10:00am – 7:00pm
Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays)

Standard Ticket $10
Concession Ticket $5

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