No looking back

Eye on Hong Kong

On that journey, Hong Kong seems to have the support of the world's art fraternity. This week, pretty much anyone in the business of art will have their eyes on the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre - a venue ABHK shares with Art Central, the city's other major international art fair, with a focus on nurturing and promoting new and upcoming artists from the region. Both events run simultaneously, until May 29. Art Central features over 50 galleries. ABHK has lined up 130 galleries from around the world, with 74 satellite booths where gallery reps and artists based outside Hong Kong will be available to interact with visitors in real time. Art Basel Live, a multichannel digital platform broadcasting fresh, curated content every day ensures universal virtual access to the fair.

Though the seven-day hotel-quarantine requirement for entry to Hong Kong remains a major deterrent to overseas participants, a few committed souls seem ready to endure the hassle. South Korean artist Bing Lee, for example, came all the way from New York to put the finishing touches on a mural at Art Central. Lee's drawings in his Aluminum Honeycomb series are a homage to the dots and dashes of Morse code. A continuation of his "PictoDiary" project, which has to do with developing a visual vocabulary, the series was created during a 14-day quarantine stay in Hong Kong in 2021. Its unadorned, cartoon-like drawings capture the artist's musings on travel and isolation in the time of COVID-19.

"Audience members are invited to download an app called MMITA to embark on an augmented reality (AR) journey for a more-intimate experience," informs Agnes Wu, gallery operations manager of Soluna Fine Art, which represents the artist.