EVENT DESCRIPTION
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.
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.
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.
The Conversations will include a day of talks guest-curated by Venus Lau, currently Director of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) in Jakarta. Renowned for her interdisciplinary approach and for framing contemporary art as a reflection of the zeitgeist, Lau champions cross-disciplinary dialogue and public engagement through exhibitions, music festivals, and film programs. Her extensive experience across leading institutions—including K11 Art Foundation (KAF), OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, and Ullens Center for Contemporary Art—positions her to bring fresh vision and depth to Conversations. Together with the Encounters curatorial group, the appointments of Pau and Lau underscore the fair’s continued dedication to nurturing artistic leadership and cross-cultural exchange in the region.
For the fifth year, Art Basel and M+ will co-commission an artwork for the M+ Facade, presented by UBS. From 23 March 2026, Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander’s 3 to 12 Nautical Miles, a radiant animation that brings her hand-painted watercolours to life on the museum’s exterior, mapping enduring currents of power, trade, and global exchange. Rooted in the visual language of East India Company manuscript paintings, the work emerges as meditation on empire, authority, and the networks that continue to shape global life—spanning 19th-century Hong Kong, the Mainland, and South Asia, to the interconnected economies of the present. This commission reflects Art Basel’s commitment to bringing ambitious contemporary art into the public realm.
Zero 10, a new curated initiative for art of the digital era, will follow its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach with a second edition at Art Basel Hong Kong. Representing a decisive, long-term commitment to support and empower a rapidly evolving area of artistic production and collecting, the initiative brings together leading and next-generation participants—artists, studios, galleries, and digital innovators—within Art Basel’s global framework of curatorial excellence and market access. Further details will be announced in due course.
Galleries
The Galleries sector brings together 182 of the world’s leading galleries, showcasing exceptional artworks from their extensive programs. Exhibitors will present a wide range of works by 20th-century masters, contemporary blue-chip artists, mid-career practitioners, and emerging talents.
Reflecting the fair’s role as a meeting point between artistic legacies and new directions, this year’s presentations highlight cross-generational dialogues and innovative reinterpretations of established traditions.
For the full gallery list for Galleries, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/galleries.
Discoveries
The Discoveries sector spotlights emerging artists and galleries, offering a platform for new artistic perspectives through solo presentations of recent projects. With a total of 25 exhibitors, over half of the participating galleries were established within the last ten years. Several of this year’s presentations share a focus on material experimentation and transformation, where artists translate personal and historical narratives into new forms.
For the full gallery list for Discoveries, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/discoveries.
Insights
Insights will feature 20 curated projects focused on artists from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, offering a deeper look into an individual artist’s career, a specific theme, or a period in art history from 1900 to the present. Several of this year’s presentations trace the evolution of modern and postwar art across Asia, with a strong focus on formative practices and cross-generational dialogues.
For the full gallery list for Insights, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/insights.
Echoes
Echoes, a new sector debuting at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, will highlight works created within the past five years through curated presentations, featuring up to three artists. Across 10 booths by 13 participating galleries, the sector offers a compelling encounter with the most current artistic practices and narratives shaping contemporary art today.
For the full gallery list for Echoes, please visit artbasel.com/hongkong/echoes.
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
