ART HK 12 Announces Talks, Forums and Events
Including Keynote Lecture by Okwui Enwezor for 16–20 May 2012
Experience ART HK 12: engage with the best that the Asian and international art worlds have to offer
Back for its fifth year, ART HK 12 – Hong Kong International Art Fair will take place from 17–20 May 2012, with the VIP Preview and Vernissage on 16 May, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). ART HK 12, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, is delighted to announce its strongest ever exhibitor line-up, showcasing the very best in contemporary art from the most important galleries in both Asia and the rest of the world. To view the complete list of 266 galleries from 38 countries, click here. The Fair is internationally recognized for its encouragement of broad cross-cultural exchange, and remains unique as the only world-class art fair to have a 50/50 balance of Asian and Western participation.
Widely acknowledged as an essential platform for networking in the international art community, ART HK brings together collectors, curators, artists and galleries from across Asia and the rest of the world. ART HK 12 offers the perfect opportunity to experience all that Hong Kong has to offer, with a packed VIP program of events including talks, studio visits, gallery and museum openings, expert guided tours and much more.
As the Official Education Partner of ART HK since the Fair’s launch, Asia Art Archive will once again present Backroom Conversations, assembling leading experts and practitioners in the contemporary art field to consider key issues affecting the art world. This year’s program is packed with stimulating panel discussions by Chen Chieh-jen, Iftikhar Dadi, Inti Guerrero, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Marian Pastor Roces, Lukas Tam, Reiko Tomii, June Yap and more; The Burger Collection Keynote Lecture by Okwui Enwezor, renowned scholar and cultural historian; and Open Platform, a series of juried presentations.
ART HK Projects returns for its second year with ten large-scale installations positioned in dedicated spaces throughout the exhibition halls. The appointment of renowned curator Yuko Hasegawa as the first ever ART HK Projects curator strengthens this year’s edition. Hasegawa has been Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo since 2006 and was recently selected to curate the 11th Sharjah Biennial in 2013.
ART HK is also delighted to announce the return of the Private Museum Forum, which debuted at last year’s Fair. This is a pioneering initiative in which influential private museum owners and directors from across the world come together in a unique summit to discuss shared goals and concerns. This year, ART HK will develop the Forum to include a public panel discussion, an additional element intended to highlight the essential role of the private museum to a wider public audience.
Hong Kong itself stands in the midst of all the excitement that a cultural emergence brings. With the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District and its contemporary museum component M+(first phase scheduled to open in 2017), the redevelopment of the Central Police Station heritage site to a mid-size exhibition venue (scheduled to open in 2014) and the recent opening of the Asia Society’s new premises in Hong Kong in February, the city will shortly be home to world class cultural and exhibition venues. This, added to the significant work already conducted by organizations such as Para/Site Art Space, Asia Art Archive and Fotan Open Studios, provides a breadth to the noncommercial aspect of the cultural scene in Hong Kong.
The arrival of major international galleries in the city including Gagosian Gallery (2011), White Cube in March 2012, Pearl Lam Galleries in May 2012, and Emmanuel Perrotin, Simon Lee and Platform China in spring 2012 has strengthened an already vibrant gallery scene in Hong Kong, and is a reflection that the international art world recognizes the importance of Hong Kong as the location to launch their commercial activities in Asia.
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience ART HK and engage with the best that the Asian and international art worlds have to offer!
To book a hotel room at special discount rates, please contact:
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, Official Hotel to ART HK 12
+852 2820 4202
mohkg-reservations@mohg.com
www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong
Westminster Travel, Official Travel Agent to ART HK 12
+852 2731 3108
arthk [at] hkwtl.com
Booking website
For VIP enquiries please contact:
Deborah Ehrlich
VIP Relations Manager
+852 3127 5526
vip [at] hongkongartfair.com
www.hongkongartfair.com
For Press enquiries please contact:
International contact:
Roxana Pennie
Sutton PR
Roxana [at] suttonpr.com
+44 (0) 207 183 3577
Hong Kong contact:
Louise Oram
Cohn&Wolfe – impactasia
Louiseo@impactasia.com
+852 2521 1498
