Art Basel in Hong Kong 2015
Image: Art Basel

With New York’s Armory Week barely out of the rearview mirror, the art world is gearing up for another major fair and its host of related events—albeit on the other side of the globe.

Art Basel in Hong Kong, the latest fair behemoth on the global circuit, opens this week, running from March 24-26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Now in just its fourth year, the fair has quickly become a premier event for collectors and dealers alike.

Bus in Hong Kong advertising the fair
Image: Courtesy Art Basel

Roughly half of the galleries are from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, with the locale simultaneously offering a platform for dealers around the world to showcase their art in Hong Kong. Simultaneously there are hundreds of cultural events across the city throughout the week.

This year, there are 187 dealers exhibiting in the main “Galleries” section. The vibrant lineup of special sections also includes “Insights” which will show projects by galleries in the Asia and Asia Pacific region, representing a wide range of artists, from Turkey to New Zealand, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. “Discoveries” represents a platform for emerging contemporary artists, while “Encounters” will present large scale sculptures and ambitious installation works.

Here are some highlights to look out for if you make the trip to Hong Kong, or just if you’re observing from afar:

Cristina Canale, Saia Xadrez (2015)
Image: Courtesy of Galerie Nara Roesler, Sao Paulo.

Galeria Nara Roesler, which operates in Rio de Janiero, and Sao Paulo as well as New York, is bringing works by Isaac Julien, Julio Le Parc, and Berlin-based Brazilian painter Cristina Canale.  In a statement the gallery said it is looking forward to presenting a new piece by Julien especially produced especially for the fair, a single channel work titled Stones Against Diamonds.

John Akomfrah, Peripeteia (2012)
Single channel HD colour video.
©Smoking Dog Films. Image: Courtesy of Lisson Galllery

London-based Lisson Gallery has presentations by a number of gallery artists in its main booth, including big names Ryan Gander, Anish Kapoor, Tatsuo Miyajima, and Julian Opie. Works in other sectors of the fair include a major installation by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, A Thief Caught in the Act, in the “Encounters” section, which promises colorful birds caught in the beam of a spotlight as they attempt to steal pills. In the “Film” sector, Lisson will show John Akomfrah’s 2012 film Peripeteia, “a mediation on appearances and disappearances , tracing early African life and movement in Europe.”

Lucio Fontana, Concetta spaziale Attese (1967).
Image: Courtesy of Mazzoleni Fine Art.

Mazzoleni gallery, of London and Torino, is returning to Art Basel in Hong Kong for the third time. The planned show, “Beyond Painting,” will survey works by some of the most important Italian artists of the postwar period, including Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, and Piero Manzoni.

Evan Nesbit, Porosity (Tactile Interface) (2016)
Courtesy 11R, New York

As part of the “Discoveries” section, Lower East Side gallery 11R is showing work by artist Evan Nesbit.

Marius Bercea Untitled (2015)
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Francois Ghebaly, Los Angeles

Also in the “Discoveries” section, Los Angeles gallery Francois Ghebaly plans to show this work by Romanian artist Marius Bercea, among other artists. The sector is “a great platform for the presentation of work from emerging contemporary artists,” associate director Heber Rodriguez told artnet News via email. “The energy, and creativity that abounds in this part of the fair really does make it one of the most exciting places to discover new art, and it was definitely the correct venue to debut a new body of work by Marius Bercea.”

Marina Abramovic Lovers (Star) (1988)
Image: Courtesy of Sean Kelly Gallery

Sean Kelly Gallery will present work by Los Carpinteros, Hugo McCloud, and Sun Xun. Also in the gallery’s main booth will be the presentation of The Lovers by Marina Abramović, a body of work she created after walking the Great Wall of China in 1988.

Alex Katz Four Trees 2 (2015)
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery.

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, and Salzberg, will be showing work by more than a dozen artists including: Jorg Baselitz, Marc Brandenburg, Lee Bul, Tony Cragg, Gilbert & George, Adrian Ghenie, Alex Katz, Robert Longo, Yasumasa Morimura, Yan Pei-Ming, Jack Pierson, Robert Rauschenberg, Raqib Shaw, and Not Vital.

Francis Bacon, Portrait of José Capeloc (circa 1987)
Image: Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska

Swiss powerhouse Galerie Gmurzynska is bringing a selection of classic blue chip art including works by Francis Bacon, Rudolf Bauer, Fernando Botero, Wifredo Lam, and Picasso.

Aaron Curry, yet to be titled (2016)
Image: Courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London.

Michael Werner, with galleries in New York and London, will be bringing work by Aaron Curry (above), Georg Baselitz, and Allen Jones.

Constantin Brancusi, Le Coq (1924)
Image: Courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery

Paul Kasmin Gallery will show works by artists including Nyoman Masriadi, Max Ernst, Simon Hantai, Robert Indiana, and Robert Motherwell. We’re looking forward particularly to the Constantin Brancusi’s classic, Le Coq.