Art Basel Hong Kong Brings 18 Large-Scale Installations to the City

One of the biggest events on Hong Kong’s cultural calendar, Art Basel, is set to take over the city at the end of March, bringing with it an exciting lineup of contemporary art. This year’s edition will see the return of Encounters — the show sector dedicated to large-scale exhibits — with 18 monumental artworks from a diverse group of international artists. The 2025 edition, called ‘As the World Turns’ will include 14 works created specifically for Art Basel Hong Kong put together by Alexie Glass-Kantor in her last year as the fair’s curator.

Offsite Encounters Installations at Pacific Place

As in previous years, Pacific Place will house the offsite Encounters displays during Art Basel. One of the highlights is Laurent Perbos’ Beauty and Gesture, which is making its Hong Kong debut at Starstreet Precinct. Originally showcased at the French National Assembly during the 2024 Paris Olympics, the installation features reinterpretations of the Venus de Milo, each holding a different piece of sports equipment to symbolise Olympic events. 

Also at Starstreet Precinct is Lanternfly Ballet by Monster Chetwynd, which features three large-scale lanternfly sculptures resting on lily pads inspired by the artist’s collages. These insects, native to Hong Kong’s woodlands, represent transformation and adaptability. At scheduled times, dancers will perform a specially choreographed routine that mimics the evolving nature of the lanternflies. 

A Closer Look at Encounters’ Four Themes

The rest of the Encounters works will be on view at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The section is structured around four thematic platforms: Passage, which explores cultural resilience and storytelling; Alteration, focusing on abstraction and materiality; Charge, investigating digital and physical intersections; and The Return, which delves into mythology and cycles of existence. Several artworks will be showcased under Passage, including three monumental paintings by Pacita Abad, the late Filipino-American artist known for her vibrant exploration of iconographies from the Global South. 

In Alteration, Hong Kong-born artist Christopher K. Ho presents a suite of 30 brass sculptures, incorporating Modernist visual elements to create a playful yet thought-provoking installation. Lu Yang’s pop-up store at The Charge section will sell artworks created by digital avatar DOKU, while Vajiko Chachkhiani’s latest work at The Return reflects on migration and displacement, examining the recurring “them and us” dynamics in history.

Header image credits: Firetti Contemporary

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