New details announced for Art Basel Hong Kong 2026
The 2026 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong marks a bold new chapter for the fair as it returns to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 27 to 29 March. Bringing together 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, more than half of which operate across the Asia Pacific, the fair reaffirms its role as a leading platform for artistic exchange in the region and beyond. With its Global Lead Partner UBS, the 2026 edition will see expanded programming, new curatorial perspectives and collaborations unfolding across Hong Kong.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025. Image courtesy of Art Basel
A major highlight is the evolution of the Encounters sector, dedicated to large-scale sculpture, installation and performance. Led by an international curatorial team headed by Mami Kataoka alongside Isabella Tam, Alia Swastika and Hirokazu Tokuyama, Encounters will present 12 ambitious projects guided by the cosmological framework of the Five Elements, space/ether, water, fire, wind and earth. On show will be works including a multimedia textile landscape by Suki Seokyeong Kang, a yarn-based installation by Parag Tandel exploring ancestral ties to the sea, glazed ceramic forms by Masaomi Yasunaga and monumental eco-printed fabric columns by Geraldine Javier. Extending beyond the exhibition halls, Christine Sun Kim’s site-specific digital animation A String of Echo Traps (2022–2026) will be presented offsite at Pacific Place, expanding the fair’s engagement with the urban environment.
Eli Scheinman, Zero 10 Curator, Art Basel Hong Kong 2026. Image courtesy of Art Basel.
Digital innovation comes to the fore with the Asia debut of Zero 10, following its launch at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2025. Named in reference to Kazimir Malevich’s seminal 1915 exhibition, Zero 10 offers a dedicated platform for art of the digital era. Curated by Eli Scheinman, the sector will feature 14 exhibitors presenting digital animations, AI-driven installations, sculptural projects and blockchain-based works. Highlights include DeeKay’s psychologically charged animations inspired by early video games, a cross-disciplinary dialogue between AI and traditional ink painting featuring Seneca, Qu Leilei and Tim Yip, and Robert Alice’s participatory blockchain project exploring digital provenance through East Asian seal traditions.
The Kabinett sector will feature 35 focused thematic presentations staged within gallery booths, with a strong emphasis on historical and contemporary practices from the Asia Pacific. Visitors can expect luminous hand-painted glass lightboxes by Judy Chicago, Dinh Q. Lê’s poignant 1998 installation Damaged Gene, early works by Christo reflecting decades of collaboration with Annely Juda Fine Art, and abstract paintings by Tang Chang, a pioneering figure in Thailand’s modern art history. These curated presentations provide a more intimate, research-driven counterpoint to the fair’s large-scale spectacles.
Art Base Hong Kong 2025. Image courtesy of Art Basel
Beyond the fair floor, Art Basel Hong Kong’s expansive Public and City-wide Programmes will animate the entire city. The Film programme, curated for the first time by Ellen Pau, will explore imagination as a strategy for resistance under the title In Between Magic and Reality, while Conversations returns with an expanded four-day format featuring leading voices from across the art world. The fair will once again partner with Tai Kwun to present Artists’ Night, and will collaborate with Hong Kong Ballet on State of Wonder, integrating dance into the exhibition environment. For the fifth consecutive year, Art Basel will co-commission a major facade work with M+, as Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander unveils a new animated commission overlooking Victoria Harbour.
With the launch of the Friends of Art Basel Hong Kong initiative, which aims to strengthen partnerships with museums and cultural institutions across Asia, and expanded citywide activities, the 2026 edition will foster closer connections within the regional art community.
Date: 25–29 March 2026 (Preview Days: 25–26 March). Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Price: from HKD 350 – 4,880. artbasel.com
