Words and Pictures by Veronica Cosio and JC Carandang
Art Basel Hong Kong isn’t just an event — it’s a gravitational pull. Every year, artists, curators, collectors, and curious onlookers descend upon the city to witness what feels like the Super Bowl of contemporary art. For one long weekend, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre becomes a sprawling cathedral of creativity, where global perspectives are distilled into paint, sculpture, film, fabric, sound, and performance. With hundreds of artworks from across the globe, spanning decades and disciplines, the fair becomes less an event and more a living, shifting encounter with human creativity.
In this dual perspective, Veronica, a practicing artist who’s attended Art Basel Hong Kong for several years, and JC Carandang, a first-time visitor, reflect on their time inside the fair. Their voices alternate—but their experiences, though distinct, often resonate in striking harmony.
Veronica: The Scope
Art Basel is as equally an indulgent experience as it is overwhelming. Just imagine seeing hundreds of artworks of all styles and sizes, from all corners of the world and different points in time in history. A veritable constellation of creation in one venue on display for just a few hours. It is… a lot.
So much so that – for someone like myself, a person who takes an interest in a wide range of art movements and aesthetics – it can be overly stimulating and quite exhausting. However, I’d be lying if I said I do not look forward to seeing the show every single year. I really do. And it is because of those exact same reasons: the massive size and scope of the collection is itself a tapestry to behold.
JC: First Impressions
A few weeks out from the much-anticipated Art Basel Hong Kong last March 28–30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HCEC)—one of the biggest art events globally that boasts of week-long exhibitions and cultural events happening around the city—I asked myself: from a first-timer’s point of view, how did it fare and is it really worth the hype?
It was a whirlwind weekend enough to stimulate the senses where one begs to ask: is Art Basel too much? And the answer is a resounding YES – but in a good way!
Veronica: Observing the Curators
In the last three years of visiting Hong Kong Art Basel, I think I’ve learned a little more about the observation of art since I’m essentially a spectator, being a member of the media (as opposed to being a shopper). I generally go to see what’s new, what’s interesting, what’s approachable, what’s popular, what’s daring, what’s meaningful, and what’s impressive.
This applies to individual pieces, as well as to the portfolio each gallery has curated for the show. While the abundance can feel like a deluge, I’ve been honing my ability to focus on particular categories, allowing myself to truly engage instead of spreading my attention too thinly across every booth.
JC: Managing the Madness
There’s excitement the first time you walk into the venue and you are surrounded by a buzz of activities happening left and right. From first glance, you feel the vastness of the exhibit area. You are greeted by rows of artworks and sculptures that beg to be noticed and catch your attention.
You may be tempted to stop and admire each piece that you pass by—and that certainly is a way to maximize the experience—but I find that to be overwhelming. There is simply too much, and art fatigue is a thing. Instead, I opted to stop and give extra time to pieces that caught my eye, and there are plenty of that to go around.
Veronica: Drawn In by Instinct
The easiest and probably most obvious thing I do is to stop to look at only the ones that are instantly appealing to me. I’ll see it from afar and instinctively want to go close to it. Bright colours and texture tend to draw me in, so my camera roll naturally gets filled with vibrant photos of multi-layered art. I can’t help it. I allow myself to soak in the sight of them. And it is always a plus when they turn out to be unconventional works. This is also how I discover artists and techniques.
Art shows can be very educational and motivating for me, since I am an artist myself. I allow myself to gravitate towards work that is similar to my personal art style or genre, which are mostly ink prints and collage. I like to see a piece and try to figure out how it was created, how the pieces came together, what materials were used, and what idea or experience led it to be brought into existence. These are questions I ask myself. Sometimes the answers are obvious, but many times it can be quite elusive, which adds to the mystery and magic of it all, begging to be figured out.
JC: Beyond the Canvas
The works beyond canvases are what set it apart from previous art fairs and exhibits I’ve been to. It was electrifying to see stories brought to life by different mediums, techniques, and performances. Artists and galleries took care of how they presented each work that makes sense for their own perspective. It is not just canvases with pretty colors on white walls.
After a few minutes of walking around, you do tend to notice that there is an oversaturation and repetitiveness between some of the works. It may seem that that is a bad thing, but in an event as big as Art Basel, the odds of having similar styles tend to get higher. And I’ve come to learn that there can never be too much art.
Veronica: The Hunt
Hunting for our favourite artists and pieces makes the Art Basel experience quite worth it too! My husband and I each have our own list of them. Every year when we go, it’s quite like seeing an old friend when we see work that has become dear to us; work we have discovered some kind of connection to.
On my personal list?
Yayoi Kusama’s White Infinity Net — in a very odd way, they calm me down
Anish Kapoor’s disc sculptures — every single one different and engaging
France-Lise McGurn’s Line ladies — a new discovery for me last year but an instant favourite
Joan Miró’s surreal and poetic landscapes — an oldie but goodie
and lastly
Kaikai Kiki Gallery… as a whole — they consistently bring out the best of pop art each year
Seeing these pieces and artists at Art Fairs is like a form of “coming home” to me. There is a familiarity. They remind me of my first encounter with them and of the reasons why I am drawn to them. Oftentimes, those reasons are also the very reasons why I love art and why I keep making art myself.
JC: The Ephemeral Encounter
Much to my amazement, the two days that I visited was an art experience I haven’t seen or had anywhere else before. It may well be a first-timer’s excitement and jitters, but Art Basel is not just canvases with pretty colors on white walls. It gave the feeling that art was fleeting and an encounter that can only happen then and there.
Veronica: The Quiet Intimacy
So while “indulgence” and “overwhelming” may be the prevailing key words that describe my Art Basel experiences, these work assignments can also be profoundly intimate and personal. Each year, I am bound to find something that only speaks to me and does not appeal to anybody else. I always end up interpreting one piece or another in an entirely different way from the observer next to me, or even from my own previous interpretations.
And there will always be that one work that will capture my eyes and emotions and then linger in my consciousness for days to come. Those are the reasons why I always look forward to seeing the show regardless of how immense and intense the entire affair is. I mean, it’s literally a collection of pure imagination, condensed in one space and one moment.
Final Reflection: Two Views, One Truth
Whether you walk through the halls as a first-timer, wide-eyed and unsure of where to focus, or as a returning visitor, methodical in your hunt for favorites and quietly tracking personal growth—Art Basel Hong Kong offers something unforgettable. It may be indulgent. It may be overwhelming. But that’s art, and the here’s the truth: Art Basel isn’t about understanding everything. It’s about knowing that art is as diverse as humanity is. And that is the truest display of colors that only the most massive of shows can convey.
