Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 Kicks Off

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 is currently hosting its preview days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), with the official public opening scheduled from March 27 to 29, 2026. The event features 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, with more than half operating within the Asia-Pacific region. This reflects its established "glocal" tradition, firmly rooted in the host city while maintaining a global perspective.

The main "Galleries" sector offers a comprehensive view of global contemporary art through both blue-chip and emergent institutions. Major players like Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, David Zwirner, White Cube, Almine Rech, and others are prominently featured. Pace Gallery is showcasing a new premiere painting by Anicka Yi, marking her first exhibition with the gallery, alongside a mature masterpiece by Amedeo Modigliani, preceding a significant 2027 New York exhibition. At Berry Campbell's booth, dedicated to rediscovering historically underrepresented voices, especially 20th-century women artists, two works by Alice Baber and Elaine de Kooning achieved six-figure sales on the first preview day. Dirimart presents an immersive solo booth for Çağla Ulusoy, designed to resemble a stately home's interior, featuring a lavishly set table with Ulusoy's new artist book, "Overworked," which compiles nearly a hundred collages exploring the relationship between collage and painting.

Numerous Italian galleries are distributed across various sections, including giants like Massimodecarlo (which maintains a Hong Kong branch) and Galleria Continua, alongside Cardi Gallery, Lia Rumma, Franco Noero, Galleria d’Arte Maggiore G.A.M., P420, Alfonso Artiaco, Francesca Minini, Galleria Massimo Minini, Lorcan O’Neill, and Tornabuoni. P420 is featured in the Main Section, presenting artists such as Riccardo Baruzzi, Irma Blank, Filippo de Pisis, Rodrigo Hernández, and Shafei Xia. Mazzoleni returns to Art Basel Hong Kong with a selection of 20th-century Italian and international art masterpieces by artists like Lucio Fontana, Wifredo Lam, and Salvo. The gallery also showcases representatives of the School of Paris, reflecting the city's cosmopolitan energy post-WWII, including Hans Hartung, Georges Mathieu, Zao Wou‑Ki, and Jean Paul Riopelle. Additionally, Mazzoleni contributes to the Kabinett section with a dedicated project on Marinella Senatore.

"Encounters" lives up to its monumental reputation, presenting large-scale sculptures, installations, and performances. This year, the section embarks on a new phase under an international curatorial team led by Mami Kataoka, joined by Isabella Tam, Alia Swastika, and Hirokazu Tokuyama. Its guiding theme is the Five Elements—a prevalent cosmological framework in Asia—with each element (space/ether, water, fire, wind, and earth) assigned to specific areas within the exhibition halls. Highlights include Suki Seokyeong Kang's multimedia textile installation representing space/ether (Kukje Gallery), Parag Tandel's yarn-based piece exploring ancestral connections to the sea for water (Tarq), and Masaomi Yasunaga's glazed ceramic works representing fire (Lisson Gallery).

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 also marks the Asian debut of "Zero 10," Art Basel's global initiative for digital art, following its launch at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2025—famously featuring Beeple's robot dogs. This ultra-tech section includes digital animations by DeeKay (presented by AOTM) that explore psychological states through the visual language of early video games. References to artificial intelligence are pervasive throughout. The fair also features the "Kabinett" section, hosting 35 thematic exhibitions focused on specific historical and contemporary practices from the Asia-Pacific region, displayed within gallery booths.

Finally, the traditional cross-disciplinary collaboration continues with the city's public program, offering free access to films, conversations, exchange forums, and collaborative events. For the third consecutive year, Art Basel partners with Tai Kwun to present the "Artists' Night" on March 27, spotlighting emerging and experimental talents across music and visual arts. On-site, Art Basel Hong Kong will collaborate with the Hong Kong Ballet for "State of Wonder," a series of dance excerpts integrated into the fair's environments. Concurrently, the facade of the M+ museum will be illuminated by "3 to 12 Nautical Miles" (2026), a cinematic work commissioned from Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander, projected nightly until June 21, 2026.