ART BASEL GOES TO HONG KONG

Hong Kong: Hong Kong will see a creative surge as Art Basel comes to town, but there’s a push for a more permanent change to the visual landscape of the city better known for its business hustle than its art scene. Asia’s largest art fair unveils its first preview on Tuesday and has boosted Hong Kong’s artistic credentials since it first launched in the city four years ago. A vibrant, wide-ranging “art week” of free exhibitions and events has grown up around the fair. But for the rest of the year some feel the city puts too much emphasis on selling, rather than viewing, with the focus on commercial galleries rather than publicly accessible shows. Hong Kong currently lacks a world-class art museum, and marquee exhibitions rarely make a stop in the southern Chinese city. “Everything is about the (commercial) galleries — everything is about it being expensive and if you can afford it,” said Nadia Cuvelier, 22, who works in event production and grew up in Hong Kong. “There’s a couple of walls and a few murals, but it’s so contained.’ Freelance photographer Jaffa Ho, in his 50s, agrees. “Seeing more art would be better — Hong Kong would have more culture and more joy and an atmosphere of creativity,” he told the press. —