Art Basel Hong Kong has announced new highlights for its upcoming edition. Returning to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from March 27–29, the fair will bring together 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, over half of which operate within the Asia-Pacific region, including 29 with spaces in Hong Kong.

Marking its Asia debut, Zero 10—a global Art Basel initiative launched in 2025 dedicated to digital art—will feature, among others, DeeKay’s video game-inspired digital animations and Jack Butcher’s silver sculptures that examine systems of value.

Further details have been released for Encounters, the sector dedicated to large-scale sculptures, installations, and performances. Curated by Mami Kataoka, Alia Swastika, Hirokazu Tokuyama, and Isabella Tam, this edition will showcase 11 works that respond to the cosmological concept of the Five Elements. Highlights include Masaomi Yasunaga’s glazed ceramic pieces, a multimedia textile installation by the late Suki Seokyeong Kang, and a site-specific digital animation installation by Christine Sun Kim at Pacific Place.

The film program, titled “In Between Magic and Reality,” will bring together films centered on the theme of imagination as a strategy of resistance. Curated by Ellen Pau, the selection will include Ayoung Kim’s Al-Mather Plot 1991 (2025), which threads personal reflection with historical inquiry to probe political power, the oil industry, and the shifting urban landscape of Riyadh, and Sin Wai Kin’s The Fortress (2024), a short film that critiques Western-centric systems of knowledge.

The fair’s returning Kabinett sector, which presents curated, thematic exhibits within individual booths, will be characterized by a strong Asian focus. Examples include Dinh Q. Lê’s installation Damaged Gene (1998) at P·P·O·W gallery and Ma Qiusha’s architectural installation at Beijing Commune.

Several collaborations have also been announced. A new initiative titled Friends of Art Basel Hong Kong is being launched to strengthen institutional relationships throughout Asia, developed with partners such as the He Art Museum in Foshan and Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum. For the third consecutive year, the fair will partner with Tai Kwun to present Artists’ Night on March 27, foregrounding performances, immersive installations, and sonic experiments. Back at the HKCEC, Art Basel will collaborate with Hong Kong Ballet on a multisite performance titled State of Wonder, which will unfold through a series of dance excerpts.

Aisha Traub Chan is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.