Art Central, satellite fair of Art Basel Hong Kong, plays up performance art and draws a crowd
- Satellite art fair draws attention with performance art works, including a dress visitors crawl under and one where they sit, chat and snack with artists
- Selling galleries are back in numbers, with a first-time exhibitor reporting a US$26,000 sale of a work by a Hong Kong artist on Art Central’s opening day.
As new art fairs pop up around Asia, organisers are keen to make theirs stand out as the competition heats up, especially given the downturn in the art market this year.
Within its signature white marquee, the traditional booth format has been retained, but it has been jazzed up by the presentations of Hong Kong art the fair and its sponsors have commissioned, and by its video programming, options for eating and drinking, and its biggest programme of talks yet.
One of the most eye-catching aspects of the fair is the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s booth – a small exhibition titled “Hardworking Aesthetics”, apparently a nod to the city’s workaholic tendencies.
Look for Liv Tsim’s Energy Bar (2024), a portable science lab that resembles a hawker’s cart, from which she creates energy bars that have been stacked up on one side.