Top Image: The Victoria Miro Gallery at Art Basel 2013. Photo: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG

It doesn’t take an art pundit to discern that Hong Kong has become somewhat of a hotspot for art fairs in the past year. From mega fairs with hefty price tags to the more ‘affordable art fairs’, collectors and gallery hoppers often find themselves spoilt for choice. So much in fact that the term ‘art fair fatigue’ no longer seems like a hyperbole. Yet if there is one fair that deep-seated collectors still flock to, nothing beats the scale and pomp of Art Basel Hong Kong.

Art Basel Hong Kong 2013

Now in its second reiteration, Art Basel Hong Kong will be held from 15 to 18 May at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. With UBS as lead partner, the fair – which morphed from Art Hong Kong last year – will feature 245 galleries from 39 countries and territories across four sections.

Sean Kelly Gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong 2013. Photo: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG

Galleries, the main sector of the fair, will play host to 171 art galleries, including Michael Werner, 303 Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Mendes Wood, Beijing Commune and Hong Kong’s 10 Chancery Lane Gallery and Hanart TZ Gallery. New entrants include Anna Schwartz Gallery, Applicat-Prazan, Brame & Lorenceau, Galleria Franco Noero and Galerie Hubert Winter.

Boers-Li Gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong 2013. Photo: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG

Magnus Renfrew, who retains his duties as fair director, assures at a press luncheon held at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong in January that the fair will have a strong Asian bent. The Insights section will pull in 47 galleries across the Asia-Pacific region. Spanning both levels, visitors can expect a visually-stimulating amalgam of solo shows and thematic group exhibitions featuring artists from the likes of Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Japan and Mainland China. First-time participant Athr Gallery will showcase works of Saudi Arabian artist Ahmed Mater. Fans of Tatsuo Kawaguchi should also drop by Gallery Yamaki Fine Art, where works by the Japanese post-war conceptual artist will be exhibited.

Marc Quinn’s Eye of History 08. Photo: The artist and Paragon

Art Basel Hong Kong has always been a place where up-and-coming stars shuttle with the big masters, an ethos addressed by the Discoveries sector, where solo and two-person exhibitions from 27 galleries will feature. The accompanying USD 25,000 Discoveries prize will be awarded to one artist showcased in this category.

Giorgio de Chirico’s Piazza d’Italia con Arianna (1964). Photo: Galleria d’Arte Maggiore G.A.M.

Curated once again by Yuko Hasegawa, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Encounters section will return with large-scale sculptural and installation pieces, which will be scattered throughout the two exhibition halls.

New to the fair this year will be a 3-day movie extravaganza, curated by Li Zhenhua and presented in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Final details have yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.

Paper Rain at Art Basel Hong Kong 2013. Photo: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG

Viewers may wish to enlighten their minds with Conversations, a series of talks and panel discussions presented in collaboration with the Absolut Art Bureau, and the complementing Salon series, which features artist talks, lectures, book launches and discussions in a more casual format.

The fair committee will also be working with key cultural organisations including Asia Art Archive, the Asia Society, Para/Site Art Space and Spring Workshop on a legion of exhibitions and lectures. M+, the forthcoming museum for visual culture in Hong Kong, will most notably also host an architectural exhibition during the duration of the fair.

Art Basel Hong Kong will be held from 15 – 18 May at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information, visit artbasel.com/en/hong-kong