by Sabrina Mak

The art to your Sabrina Mak Visual Editor and A Level Art pupil, reviews unique, contemporary art and explores its feeling of freshness and diversity heart?

Art Basel and Art Central are undoubtedly the biggest annual art events in Hong Kong. Luckily enough, I had the chance to explore the two exquisite exhibitions over two years. With over 100 pieces of traditional vibe. The majority of compositions were figurative and realistic, as most of the artworks were portraitures of people. However, each portrait piece was produced by different materials, for example silk, paint, chalk and even lego. My favourite piece contemporary artwork from galleries around the world, Art Basel and Art Central feature the most unique yet alluring pieces of art from emerging and popular artists. My first impressions of Art Basel were abstract and ultramodern. The range of artworks included paintings, sculptures, photography and even performance art. What I found fascinating about every piece was how creative and different it was. Particularly, I really liked ‘God Speed for a Great Astronaut’ by Glenn Brown. With elements of an alien like figure, Brown cleverly still maintains the features of a human, where she uses oil paint to create the pool of blended colours, illustrating the intense aesthetic of colours. Additionally, they also presented surrealist painters such as René Magritte. His piece, ‘Les Profondeurs du Plaisir’, was one of the more popular pieces in the exhibition. Not only does it emphasise female beauty, it also displays a slight juxtaposition of it as the subject is an old lady, contrasting the stereotypical idea of youthful glamour. Overall, Art Basel is the perfect gallery for individuals who prefer abstract and imaginative art, as well as art that illustrates the sense of futurism and modernity. On the other hand, Art Central gives off a very European and from the collection was the portrait by Korean artist Han Young Wook of a middle aged woman: the enlarged image depicted every detail of her features, from the texture of her smooth hair to the slight wrinkles on her forehead. It also amazes me the fact that his work is not a snapshot, as he captures all possible detail, creating the equivalent to a high quality photograph. In addition, Damien Hirst’s iconic skull piece was another favourite of mine from the exhibition. Although not very noticeable, the teeth of the skull are bedazzled with diamond dust, something that I have not seen being created in the art industry before. It also portrays the philosophical meaning of “Vanitas”, implying that all living things come to an end, which can be seen by the symbol of death. Even though both art exhibitions presented beauteous and jaw dropping compositions, Art Central was still my preferred gallery, as the pieces fit in with the way I see art, particularly with the definite and lifelike paintings. Art Central has a better range of European art influences, such as Classical and Renaissance styles, with similarities of subject matter such as ‘The Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Scream’. Nonetheless, I also liked some of the more contemporary and abstract pieces from Art Basel, including abstract expressionist inspirations from Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, as it give s an atmosphere of freshness and simplicity missing from your stereotypical art galleries. These exhibitions were also extremely useful from my viewpoint, as it allowed me to recognise a wider range of present-day artists, which comes in handy being an art student. So, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong, make sure that you do come along to these two amazing exhibitions – trust me, it is worth more than the price of a plane ticket and a twelve hour journey.

Glenn Brown - God Speed for a Great Astronaut Djordje Ozbolt - Moon Dance