Art Basel unveils gallery line-up and first highlights for its 2026 Hong Kong edition
- Gen de Art
- 10 minutes ago
- 5 min read
●Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 will bring together 240 leading galleries from 41 countries andterritories, reaffirming its role as a global platform rooted in the Asia-Pacific region.
●Over half of participating galleries operate spaces within the Asia-Pacific region, including 29galleries with spaces in Hong Kong.
●First-time exhibitors include 32 galleries from Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Greater Chinaregion, Turkey, France, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States willjoin the fair, reflecting a diversity of new voices from across the globe.
●A brand-new sector, Echoes, will debut, spotlighting works created within the past five years infocused presentations by up to three artists.
●Encounters, the sector dedicated to large-scale installations, sculptures, and performances,will be curated for the first time by a collective of four Asia-based curators and led by MamiKataoka, alongside Isabella Tam, Alia Swastika, and Hirokazu Tokuyama.
●The city-wide Public Program returns with free public access to Film screenings, Conversations,and collaborative events with cultural institutions across Hong Kong, reinforcing the fair’sconnection to the city and its communities.
●The fair’s Film Program will be curated by pioneering media artist Ellen Pau, deepening thefair’s engagement with moving image and Hong Kong’s media art landscape.
●One day of the Conversations Program will be directed by guest curator Venus Lau, Director ofMuseum MACAN in Jakarta, fostering dynamic cross-cultural dialogue and public engagementacross Asia’s art scene.
●For the fifth year, Art Basel and M+ will co-commission a monumental public artwork,presented by UBS, for the M+ Facade in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Pakistani-Americanartist Shahzia Sikander’s 3 to 12 Nautical Miles will transform the museum’s exterior with aluminous animation composed of her hand-painted watercolours, tracing historic andmodern trade routes that have shaped global exchange.
●Art Basel Hong Kong, whose Global Lead Partner is UBS, will take place at the Hong KongConvention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from March 27–29, 2026, with Preview Days on March25 and 26.
Art Basel is delighted to announce the participating galleries and its brand-new curatorial team for its 2026 edition in Hong Kong, bringing together established and emerging voices from across the globe. This edition underscores Hong Kong’s position as the key global nexus for art in Asia and beyond, with a focus on artistic innovation, regional diversity, and the next generation of galleries, artists, and curators. The fair once again commits to its role in advancing cultural exchange worldwide, building on the energy of Asia-Pacific’s thriving art ecosystem.
Angelle Siyang-Le, Director of Art Basel Hong Kong, said: ‘The 2026 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong is a celebration of the city’s status as Asia’s global hub for culture. Hong Kong’s unique strengths – its tax-free status, free-port heritage, logistical ease, multilingual accessibility, and unrivalled connectivity – continue to underpin its position as a gateway to the region’s rich cultural diversity and dynamic art market. We’re delighted to debut a new curatorial team to lead our Encounters, Film, and Conversations sectors, and to introduce the inaugural Echoes sector for 2026. We’re also excited to deepen our partnerships locally, regionally, and globally as we continue to expand the content and networks of our platform. Above all, our aim is to inspire, to foster learning, and to bring communities together. Art Basel Hong Kong is more than an art fair – it is a living ecosystem where creativity and culture drive a vibrant, resilient art market.’
This year’s edition welcomes 32 galleries joining Art Basel Hong Kong for the first time, spanning Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Greater China region, Turkey, France, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. Notable newcomers include A Lighthouse called Kanata (Tokyo), The Commercial (Sydney), Pilevneli (Istanbul), Uffner & Liu (New York), Galería Casado Santapau (Madrid), and 1 Mira Madrid / 2 Mira Archiv (Madrid). Together, they bring fresh perspectives and expand the fair’s reach across diverse artistic contexts.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 will mark the debut of Echoes, a new sector dedicated to works created within the past five years. Ten curated booths will feature works by up to three artists, offering a compelling glimpse into the most current artistic practices and narratives. Highlights include Max Estrella (Madrid), presenting Tiffany Chung’s embroidered maps of spice routes and Miler Lagos’s carved book sculptures, and Double Q Gallery (Hong Kong), with an immersive spatial installation by Polish artist Natalia Załuska.
Reflecting its commitment to curatorial excellence and innovation, Art Basel Hong Kong introduces a new collective curatorial model for Encounters, the sector dedicated to large-scale installations, sculptures, and performances. For the first time, four Asia-based curators, led and advised by Mami Kataoka (Director of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo), alongside Isabella Tam (Curator of Visual Art, M+, Hong Kong), Alia Swastika (curator, researcher, and writer, Jakarta), and Hirokazu Tokuyama (Senior Curator, Mori Art Museum), will jointly curate the sector, bringing their distinct perspectives with bold, cross-regional insights to the fair’s most immersive platform.
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The city-wide Public Program returns with a rich schedule of free public events, including Film, Conversations, and institutional collaborations across Hong Kong. These initiatives deepen the fair’s connection to local communities, making contemporary art accessible to a broad public and celebrating the city’s role as a global cultural hub.
As part of the fair’s Public Program, the Film Program will be curated by Ellen Pau, a pioneering media artist and curator whose practice has shaped Hong Kong’s art and technology landscape. The 2026 edition will be the first time that an artist curates the Film Program. A visionary leader in the field, Pau cofounded Videotage, a groundbreaking non-profit platform for media art in Asia. She also established the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival, which remains a leading forum for art and technology. Pau will bring visionary insight to the curatorial direction of the Film Program, deepening Art Basel Hong Kong’s ongoing commitment to moving image and time-based media in the region.
Preview (by invitation only)
Wednesday, March 25, 12 noon to 8pm
Thursday, March 26, 12 noon to 8pm
Friday, March 27, 12 noon to 2pm
Saturday, March 28, 12 noon to 2pm
Sunday, March 29, 11am to 12noon
Vernissage
Thursday, March 26, 4pm to 8pm
Public Days
Friday, March 27, 2pm to 8pm
Saturday, March 28, 2pm to 8pm
Sunday, March 29, 12 noon to 6pm
