Opinion / Art Basel Hong Kong: how artists are being energised by luxury brands looking to captivate social-savvy Gen Z
- Brands from Rolls-Royce to Hermès and Louis Vuitton to BMW and Audemars Piguet are all finding inventive ways to cross over into the art world
- Art Basel Hong Kong is critical to the luxury market, and the world of collecting valuable items is shifting increasingly to Asia – and online
I will be one such virtual attendee this year, after being a regular visitor in the past, and once hosting a panel discussion at the Sotheby’s and Jing Daily “The Future of Luxury” conference two years ago.
It was no surprise that Sotheby’s organised one of its largest Asian luxury conferences alongside the fair two years ago, and it is no surprise that luxury brands like La Prairie, BMW, Louis Vuitton and Audemars Piguet are active at the 2021 fair.
Ahead of Art Basel, Louis Vuitton showcased its latest edition of the Objets Nomades Collection in Hong Kong. True to Louis Vuitton’s core values, the collection includes travel-inspired furniture and objects crafted in collaboration with internationally renowned designers, with this year’s collection inspired by old Hong Kong mansions. The show also featured Hong Kong photographer Wing Shya with a series of movement-driven photographs, connecting with the brand idea of Louis Vuitton to explore horizons.
The BMW Art Journey reaches back to 2015, and aims to support emerging and mid-career artists. This year, BMW features Leelee Chan in its Wan Chai showroom. Her project Tokens from Time embodies material culture from the past, present and future.
The artist interprets tokens across different historical and cultural contexts and in their role of expressing feelings. During Chan’s journey, BMW invited her to visit its research centres in Munich as the first Art Journey awardee. There, she exchanged ideas with experts from the fields of textiles, glass, recycling and design allowing her to gain a deeper understanding of how engineered materials can play a part in a sustainable future. It is a beautiful example how the brand’s engineering expertise and art create inspiration.
Audemars Piguet, the Swiss luxury watchmaker, founded its contemporary art programme, named Audemars Piguet Contemporary, in 2012. This programme supports international artists by commissioning new artworks.
According to curator Audrey Teichmann: “These collaborations contribute to exploring diverse contemporary artists’ positions. In a world that is ever-changing, engaging in a dialogue with artists is key, because they offer unique, critical, philosophical approaches to the intricacies of the world we live in.”
The goal is to build long-term relationships. As Teichman explained: “One of our goals is to offer different audiences the opportunity to experience these artworks. We have presented the commissioned artworks worldwide, in major venues. We are pleased to be supporting the art scene and always look forward to discovering interesting artists from the region.”