Why Art Basel Hong Kong is Asia’s biggest canvas for global artists
- Close relationships with the city’s galleries like Simon Lee and David Zwirner seem to be a key entry point for artists planning their expansion in the region
Placed at the centre of Asia’s international art scene, Art Basel Hong Kong attracts plenty of artists from around the world who are making their debut in the region.
“In Asia and in Hong Kong, it’s such a small scene; people here are looking for works that speak to a global audience – not just a Chinese audience, not a gimmick … The market is actually very mature in Asia,” says Simon Lee, owner of Simon Lee Gallery, founded in London but which has had a presence in Hong Kong since 2012.
A close relationship with galleries in the region seems to be a key entry point for artists planning their expansion to Asia.
This year, Simon Lee Gallery, Hong Kong will present new paintings by Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig both at Art Basel and a parallel solo exhibition.
“The idea of exhibiting in Asia is the result of the close relationship I have between Simon Lee and the gallery,” says Zobernig. “We came to a mutual decision that it was the right time to take this step.”
The paintings to be shown are from various phases of work from last year.
Zobernig took inspiration from Pablo Picasso’s interpretation of Édouard Manet’s Le dejeuner sur l’herbe to create an extensive series of works in which he strengthened the level of abstraction. Another work is both a nod to, and a rejection of, Picasso’s flower paintings, in a challenge to perceptions of nature.
This city – like so many other things in Asia – cannot be measured by European standards, even though it was exposed to British influence for a long period of time
“I am looking forward to seeing how my appropriation of the minimalism of Asian philosophy finds its way back to the audience,” Zobernig says. “On one hand, the influence of Asian art was very important for the development of avant-garde European art more than a hundred years ago. On the other hand, there was very little continuity in the abstract tendencies in the Asian world.