REPORT
We highlight the best of Art Week – from interactive multimedia installations to European masters
藝術周精選節目：聚焦互動多媒體裝置及歐洲大師之作
Ever since making its debut in 2013, Art Basel Hong Kong has invaded the international art consciousness and propelled the city onto the global stage, inspiring countless satellite exhibitions and events as a result of its forward momentum. Among these, Art Central has emerged as the strongest contemporaneous offering, shining an admirable spotlight on talent from around the region. Of course, there’s much more to Art Week’s programming than the major players – from site-specific installations to Chinese abstract art, here’s what not to miss.
香港巴塞爾藝術展自2013年首次舉辦以來，不但打入國際藝術的意識世界，更把香港推上國際舞台，其引領的前衛潮流亦衍生出無數衛星展覽和活動，其中Art Central成為同期最強展覽，給予區內藝術家一個發光發熱的平台。當然，香港藝術週的節目又何只這幾個大型展覽？定點藝術裝置和抽象中國藝術品等展覽亦不容錯過。
ART BASEL HONG KONG (MARCH 29 – 31, 2018)
Art Basel Hong Kong oversees Art Week proceedings from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, assembling 248 galleries, around half of which have exhibition spaces in the Asia-Pacific region. That said, it’s largely the major players representing blue-chip artists and big names that dominate, with galleries bringing Western art to cater to increasingly sophisticated and globalised Asian collectors. Highlights from this year’s line-up include the return of the Kabinett sector, which offers galleries the opportunity to present a curated solo project within their booths and will see 10 Chancery Lane Gallery restaging the “Frog King Calligraphy Shop” by Hong Kong’s infamous conceptual and performance artist. Elsewhere, Discoveries promises just that by providing a platform for emerging contemporary artists, while the ever-impressive Encounters zone showcases large-scale sculptures and installations curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor, the executive director of Artspace Sydney.香港巴塞爾藝術展 (2018年3月29 – 31日)
香港巴塞爾藝術展將於香港藝術週進駐香港會議展覽中心，屆時將有248間藝廊雲集會展，這些參展藝廊有一半在亞太地區設有展覽空間。雖然如此，藝術展仍然以有大牌藝術家坐鎮的大藝廊為主角，有藝廊帶來西方藝術品以迎合愈趨成熟和國際化的亞洲收藏家的口味。今屆藝術展焦點包括「策展角落」展區的回歸，讓藝廊在各自的展區內舉行個展，另外10號贊善里畫廊亦會重新展出本港概念及行為藝術創作先驅郭孟浩創作的「蛙王」。此外，「藝術探新」展區繼續為新進現代藝術家提供展示平台，從沒令人失望的「藝聚空間」展區則會展出由Artspace Sydney行政總監Alexie Glass-Kantor策展的大型雕塑及裝置藝術品。
ART CENTRAL (MARCH 27 – APRIL 1, 2018)
Now in its fourth year and with a new fair director, Shuyin Yang, Art Central promises another stellar programme of progressive, boundary-pushing contemporary art ranging from cutting-edge Asian talent to blue-chip artists such as Damien Hirst and Yves Klein, as well as a variety of talks courtesy of the Asia Society’s Hong Kong centre. “With each year, we improve the content, quality and presentation of art on view,” says Yang. “This also reflects the increasingly discerning taste of the art-collecting public in Hong Kong, who have been exposed to a plethora of topquality exhibitions and museum shows… meaning that art buying is even more accessible than before.” In addition to more than 100 galleries (75 per cent of which hail from the Asia-Pacific region) and pop-up dining experiences from some of the city’s hottest restaurants, visitors to the fair can once again enjoy Performance x 4A, a series of interactive performances scheduled by the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Look out for Singaporean artist Sam Lo’s “Progress: The Game of Leaders” – a giant game of Jenga that invites participants to select building blocks to create their perfect society. (Needless to say, it all comes tumbling down.) Art Central has also partnered with United Overseas Bank for the second time to present a host of interactive workshops, conceived to engage students and the general public in the immersive worlds of art and culture.
ART CENTRAL (2018年3月27日至4月1日)
今年已是第四年舉辦的Art Central將由Shuyin Yang擔任新總監。Art Central將一如既往，呈獻前衛尖峰和突破常規的現代藝術，包括破格的亞洲藝術家、Damien Hirst與Yves Klein等鼎鼎大名的藝術大家，以及由亞洲協會香港中心提供的不同講座。Yang說：「我們每年都會改進展覽內容、質素和展示方式。這亦反映香港的藝術收藏界已愈來愈會欣賞藝術，這多得港人接觸多了很多優質的展覽和博物館展，意味收藏藝術品已比以前變得更普及。」除了超過100間藝廊(其中四份之一來自亞太地區)與城中最具人氣食府開設的限定店外，參觀者可再次享受由4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art編排的Performance x 4A一系列互動表演。重點注視新加坡藝術家Sam Lo的Progress: The Game of Leaders，邀請參加者以積木建構理想社會的加大版層層疊遊戲(毋庸多說，積木當然會全部塌下來)。Art Central亦再度與大華銀行合作舉辦一系列互動工作坊，帶學生與公眾投入文化藝術世界。
SATELLITE HIGHLIGHTS
Each year, Art Week’s extracurricular offerings have proven more inspiring and intriguing, and this year is no exception. One of the biggest draws will certainly be the first major exhibition in the city of American artist George Condo’s works, to be held at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Titled Expanded Portrait Compositions and presented by the Skarstedt and Sprüth Magers galleries, Condo has created eight paintings on canvas and five works on paper specifically for the show; all of them illustrate the unique aesthetic has earned him a spot as one of the world’s top contemporary visual artists. Other exhibitions of note include Rooting the Synapse at White Cube Hong Kong, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by Antony Gormley; the first solo presentation of works by Brazilian street artist duo (and identical twins) Os Gemeos at Lehmann Maupin; and a group exhibition curated by Peng Fang at the Parkview Art Hong Kong, featuring the works of eight Chinese artists charged with founding the abstract art movement of modern China. If that’s not enough to get excited about, expect much ado around the opening of the new CL3designed H Queen’s building, which welcomes the first Asian branches for several leading international galleries, including David Zwirner Gallery and Hauser & Wirth; the latter will be celebrating its grand opening during Art Week festivities.
焦點衛星展覽
藝術週的周邊活動一年比一年更具啟發性和趣味，今年亦不例外。其中最矚目的當數美國藝術家George Condo在本港的首個大型個展。假香港海事博物館舉行的這個展覽名為Expanded Portrait Compositions，由Skarstedt與Sprüth Magers畫廊呈獻。 Condo特別為展覽創作了八幅油畫及五幅紙上作品，全部作品都展示出這位世界頂級當代視覺藝術家的獨特審美觀。其他值得留意的展覽包括於白立方畫廊展出的Antony Gormley新雕塑個展Rooting the Synapse；立木畫廊將展出巴西街頭藝術二人組兼孖生兄弟Os Gemeos的首個個展；芳草地當代藝術將展出由Peng Fang策展、集合八位現代中國抽象藝術運動領軍中國藝術家的聯展。還嫌不夠喉？不妨到全新開幕、由CL3打造的H Queen逛逛，多個國際知名藝廊如David Zwirner Gallery與Hauser & Wirth都在這裡開設他們在亞洲的首個分部，而後者更會於藝術週期間盛大開幕。