Basel's Back, Baby

With the fair back to its pre-pandemic scale, we scour the 243 galleries from 40 countries and give you our picks of the most exciting emerging artists both from Asia and of Asian descent

- Aaina Bhargava

Art Basel Hong Kong is the commercial event with the best selection of Asian art in the region, and this year, now that the Swiss-owned show has resumed its pre-pandemic scale, there’s even more art to look out for. The fair’s Insights section is curated with Asian art in mind, while the Discoveries section features exciting new and young emerging talent. Interest in Asian art, from both the region and the diaspora, has been growing among both institutions and collectors around the world.

Here are eight artists from across the continent or of Asian descent whose work we recommend you look out for.

FIZA KHATRI

Jhaveri Contemporary, Booth 1C39 

Mumbai-based gallery Jhaveri Contemporary is set to showcase an immersive installation of paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Connecticut-based Pakistani artist Fiza Khatri, the first time her works will be shown in Hong Kong. The artist is known for her intimate drawings and portraits that depict both singular and multifigure scenes inspired from observation and imagined scenarios that the artist longs to inhabit, and are often informed by her experiences in feminist and queer advocacy in Pakistan. These portraits surround the centrepiece of the booth, a seven-panel painting, Beloved (2024), in which traditional floral garlands that have significant cultural implications—they mark ceremonious occasions such as weddings and funerals—spell out the work’s title. The word “beloved” is commonly used in Sufi songs and poetry; Khatri uses this poetic connection to highlight the association between beauty and the sacred. 

NAWIN NUTHONG