Larger-than-life art sculptures and masterpieces, installations, paintings on canvas and art that speaks volumes are some highlights of the ongoing ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ campaign. The message is clear—the world of art is back on its foot and thriving after enduring two years of the pandemic.

The recently-concluded Art Basel Hong Kong, which was a part of the ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ campaign, saw a number of artworks curated by renowned artists from around the world. One such was The Shape of Light, a site-specific moving image work by Hong Kong-based artist and curator Ellen Pau. It was the first major co-commission project by Art Basel and M+, Hong Kong’s Museum of Visual Culture. It explores the possibilities of the immaterial and the material, transforming light into digital objects. Featuring Mahayana Buddhism’s The Heart Sutra, expressed here through sign language, the ritualistic video meditates on the concept ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form’. Another project, Artist Tram Project, commissioned by Art Basel and co-presented by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), invited local artists Cherie Cheuk Ka-wai, Stephen Wong Chun-hei, and Shum Kwan-yi to project their works on the exteriors of Hong Kong trams, the vehicles in one of the city’s most iconic transport systems.

Art Basel Hong Kong took place on May 28 and 29 with preview days from May 25 to 27. In the fair, 130 leading galleries from 28 countries and territories were invited. The event continued in a hybrid manner for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, launched by the HKTB in May, the ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ campaign showcases the city’s appeal as an arts and cultural hub. It aims to elevate Hong Kong as a community for arts and culture tours and interactive art tech experiences to encourage local public and visitors alike to rediscover the city from a cultural perspective.

HKTB executive director Dane Cheng says that in-depth travel experiences have become a major global trend, and arts and culture are a key driver of this trend. For this, the tourism board has also been organising ‘Art Month’ for the past nine years during which international events are held in town to generate city-wide art vibes.