Cover ‘Doku the Creator’ by Lu Yang (2025) displayed at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 (Image: courtesy of the artist and de Sarthe)
‘Doku the Creator’ by Lu Yang (2025) displayed at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 (Image: courtesy of the artist and de Sarthe)
1 / 1
From Damien Hirst to a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Tatler puts together a list of the local and international booths that you should know ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, which opens to the public today (March 28)
Art Basel Hong Kong is officially open to the public from today and runs until March 30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. If you haven’t heard already, it brings 242 local and international galleries to the city, along with a rich programme of art events and features, including Exchange Circle, a series of art talks for collectors, artists and the public.
The art fair is organised into several sections: Galleries, the main area for established and blue-chip galleries; Discoveries, which features emerging artists; and Insights, which explores curated projects from artists across Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Wondering where to start? Tatler has got you covered. We’ve put together a selection of booths where you’ll get to see major art names, rising artists and galleries presenting for the first time at Art Basel Hong Kong.
Read more: Exhibitions, interviews and more: The ultimate guide to Hong Kong’s art month 2025
1. Thaddaeus Ropac
Above Marie-Therese au Beret Rouge et au Col en Fourrure (2025) by Tom Sachs (Photo: courtesy of the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac)
Marie-Therese au Beret Rouge et au Col en Fourrure (2025) by Tom Sachs (Photo: courtesy of the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac)
1 / 1
The London, Paris, Salzburg and Seoul-based gallery, which represents some of the most influential contemporary artists today, brings to the art fair major names, including Lee Bul, a leading figure in Korean art, and American artist Tom Sachs, known for his elaborate recreations of various modern icons. As Hong Kong celebrates all things Picasso this month, thanks to M+’s exhibition on the Spanish artist, it would be interesting to head to Thaddaeus Ropac’s booth to check out Sachs’s Marie-Therese au Beret Rouge et au Col en Fourrure (2025), a piece that is a nod to Picasso’s Marie-Therese portraits.
2. Greene Naftali (Booth 1B23)
Above ‘Tokener Chronos I’ (2021) by Greene Naftali (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
‘Tokener Chronos I’ (2021) by Greene Naftali (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
1 / 1
New York gallery Greene Naftali presents Hong Kong-born, New York-based artist Paul Chan, who is known for creating kinetic art pieces that redefine how two-dimensional images such as in paintings can be viewed three-dimensionally. At the fair, for instance, his Tokener Chronos I (2021), a moving installation made with human body-shaped nylon fabric filled with air, looks like the inanimate figures are waving their arms and swaying their bodies in a frenzy.
3. Mocube (Booth 1C40)
Above A Long Defeat (2025) by Zhu Tian (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
A Long Defeat (2025) by Zhu Tian (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
1 / 1
Mocube, an independent art space devoted to experimentation, pioneering and diversity in Beijing, is in Hong Kong to showcase Chinese artist Zhu Tian’s A Long Defeat (2025) in the Discoveries section. Her piece reflects the phenomenon of modern narcissism as a product of self-surveillance and performance in digital culture.
Don’t miss: Hong Kong art month 2025: 12 must-see exhibitions by international art galleries
4. Mazzoleni (Booth 3E12)
Above ‘Smartphone – donna in piedi e donna seduta’ (2018) by Michelangelo Pistoletto (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
‘Smartphone – donna in piedi e donna seduta’ (2018) by Michelangelo Pistoletto (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
1 / 1
Among other artists, this Italian gallery also showcases Michelangelo Pistoletto, the Italian painter who has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize this year. Pistoletto is known for painting on mirrors and encouraging viewers to interact with the subject of his work when they become part of the image itself. His 2018 work, Smartphone – donna in piedi e donna seduta is shown at the fair.
5. Contemporary by Angela Li (Booth 3C46)
Above ‘Streams of Celestial Stones’ by Yuk-Keung Kurt Chan (Image: courtesy of the artist and Contemporary by Angela Li)
‘Streams of Celestial Stones’ by Yuk-Keung Kurt Chan (Image: courtesy of the artist and Contemporary by Angela Li)
1 / 1
Joining Art Basel Hong Kong for the first time, Hong Kong gallery Contemporary by Angela Li will unveil Old Landscape, leading local contemporary artist Yuk-Keung Kurt Chan’s new series of acrylic and ink paintings and mixed media works, which experiments with new ways of creating traditional Chinese landscape art by adding synthetic materials to the pieces.
6. Ora-Ora (Booth 1B33)
Above Henry Chu demonstrating how to activate ‘F(ear) and G(reed)’ at Art Basel Hong Kong (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
Henry Chu demonstrating how to activate ‘F(ear) and G(reed)’ at Art Basel Hong Kong (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
1 / 1
Digital artist Henry Chu has been experimenting with blending music, technology and data to create captivating visual experiences for years. For Art Basel Hong Kong, he has collaborated with composer Lewis Chung to create F(ear) and G(reed), a cello installation that turns Bitcoin price charts into generative music, which challenges viewers to rethink how our society today interacts with technology.
7. Sabrina Amrani (Booth 1D44)
Above ‘Valentine’ (2024) by Mental Klinik (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
‘Valentine’ (2024) by Mental Klinik (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
1 / 1
Walking by Madrid-based gallery Sabrina Amrani, one may be startled by an androgynous person with long hair covering the face who sits in stillness. This is Valentine (2024), a hyperrealistic sculpture by Brussels-based artist duo Mental Klinik, styled “:MentalKLINIK”, from Istanbul. The faceless character represents the “lost souls” in the digital age, when avatars have nearly replaced physical experience. It confronts viewers to examine this character, which seems to come out of an AI-generated image.
8. White Cube (Booth 1C23)
Above ‘Inperturbatus’ (2023) by Damien Hirst (Image: courtesy of the artist and White Cube)
‘Inperturbatus’ (2023) by Damien Hirst (Image: courtesy of the artist and White Cube)
1 / 1
English artist and art collector Damien Hirst, who is famous for pushing the limits of fine art and good taste with sculptures that comprise dead animals submerged in formaldehyde, is showcasing Inperturbatus, a 2023 piece with butterfly wings neatly arranged in circles, at the fair. Is it taxidermy or fine art? It’s up to the viewers to decide, as they also reflect on the fine line between mortality and eternity.
9. de Sarthe (EN9)
Above ‘Doku the Creator’ (2025) by Lu Yang (Image: courtesy of de Sarthe and the artist)
‘Doku the Creator’ (2025) by Lu Yang (Image: courtesy of de Sarthe and the artist)
1 / 1
Yes, this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong features AI art too. Co-presented by Hong Kong and Arizona-based gallery de Sarthe and Sydney’s gallery Coma in the Encounters sector, Doku the Creator (since 2020) is an interactive installation that combines digital art with AI, CG and virtual reality. Created by Tokyo-based artist Lu Yang, the video art contemplates the art ecosystem in a highly technological society.
Topics
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
