Cover Suhanya Raffel, one of the jury members of the Art Basel Awards this year (Photo: courtesy of Art Basel)
Suhanya Raffel, one of the jury members of the Art Basel Awards this year (Photo: courtesy of Art Basel)
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The inaugural edition of the annual Art Basel Awards, which celebrate boundary-pushing artists, features Hong Kong’s M+ museum director in the jury and a number of Asian artists as winners
The Art Basel Awards, which are the international art fair’s new annual global awards, announced its 36 winners today—six of whom are of Asian descent.
The awards were launched in February this year with the vision to celebrate boundary-pushing artists, curators, museums, patrons, cross-disciplinary creators and media whose work is driving the future evolution of contemporary art. Instead of singular achievements, the awards look at the long-term portfolio of artists who demonstrate significant contributions to and broad impacts on the art industry.
Above Vincenzo de Bellis (Photo: courtesy of Art Basel)
Above Hoor Al-Qasimi (Photo: courtesy of Art Basel)
Vincenzo de Bellis (Photo: courtesy of Art Basel)
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Chaired by Art Basel’s director of fairs and exhibition platforms Vincenzo de Bellis, the international jury is made up of nine members, including Hong Kong’s M+ museum director Suhanya Raffel and Sharjah Art Foundation’s president and director Hoor Al-Qasimi.
This year, the medallists are selected for their vanguard vision, skill and impact. Among the 36 winners, 12 will be named gold medallists by voting among themselves. This marks a new model of recognition in the art industry in which future changemakers are elevated by their peers.
Above Cao Fei and her art at ‘Mate-mentary’ in 2024 (Photo: Instagram/@cao_fei)
Cao Fei and her art at ‘Mate-mentary’ in 2024 (Photo: Instagram/@cao_fei)
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Six Asians are recognised this year: Uzbek filmmaker Saodat Ismailova in the Emerging Artist category for reviving the spiritual memory of Central Asia through women’s stories; Berlin-based Chinese artist Pan Daijing in the Emerging Artist category for blending sound, performance and installation to explore narrative and perception; Chinese film pioneer Cao Fei in the Established Artist category for capturing the surreal contradictions of modern life in China; Singaporean filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen in the Established Artist category for his immersive multimedia installations; London-based Indian curator and Head of Visual Arts at the Barbican Shanay Jhaveri in the Curator category; and Korean American curator Eungie Joo, who has headed a number of major arts institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and New Museum in New York, in the Curator category.
The winners will have access to Art Basel’s global network, tailored mentorship, partnership opportunities and bespoke support designed to amplify their work on an international scale. For the gold medallists, who will be awarded in Miami in December, the Art Basel Awards will offer further art showcases, commissions and mentorship opportunities.
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.
