Art Basel announces details of its 2017 Film program in Hong Kong

USPA NEWS - Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Art Basel´s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through a number of new initiatives.

From March 20 to March 25, 2017, Art Basel will present a premier program of over 30 film and video works at its Hong Kong show. Following the successful addition of feature-length films to the program last year, a new selection will be screened this March. Highlights include the world premiere of “˜My Dear Art´ (2017), a film about Taiwanese art collector Yao Chien; “˜Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang´ (2016), a documentary about Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and his pyrotechnic art; and Ho Tzu Nyen´s film “˜The Nameless´ (2015), which tells the story of Lai Teck, a Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party during the 1930s and 1940s who simultaneously worked as an agent for several governments.

The program also includes 34 short films by Yuri Ancarani, Boo Junfeng, Chen Shaoxiong, Gabriel Lester, Tsuyoshi Ozawa, Shen Shaomin and Zheng Chongbin among many others. Selected from the show's participating galleries, the Short Film Program has been curated for the fourth year by Beijing- and Zurich-based multi-media artist and producer Li Zhenhua. This year both programs, the feature-length films as well as the Short Film Program, will be screened at Theatre 2 within the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The show, whose Lead Partner is UBS, takes place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 23 to March 25, 2017.

The 2017 Film program will open on Monday, March 20 with the world premiere of “˜My Dear Art´ (2017). Directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Hsu Hao-hsuan (b. 1984), the documentary follows Taiwanese art collector Yao Chien for over a year, as he visits art fairs, auctions, gallery exhibitions and museum shows across Asia and the United Kingdom. The film features interviews with artists, gallerists, art collectors, and other leading art world figures, who share their thoughts on art, art collecting and the art market.

Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen's (b. 1976) film “˜The Nameless´ (2015) will be screened on Wednesday, March 22. It tells the story of Lai Teck, who was the Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party from 1939 to 1947 while simultaneously working as a triple agent for the French, British and Japanese governments. Composed of clips from movies featuring Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, “˜The Nameless´ explores ideas of identity, loyalty and political and personal duplicity.

“˜Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang´ (2016) will be screened on Friday, March 24 and follows the creation of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang´s (b. 1957) most ambitious work yet, a ladder made of fireworks that stretched 1,650 feet into the air. Famous for using pyrotechnics and gunpowder in his art, Cai Guo-Qiang discusses his career, inspirations and ambitions in this documentary by Scottish film director Kevin Macdonald (b. 1967).

On Wednesday, March 22, the Short Film Program will start with 'In memory of Chen Shaoxiong' (b. 1962-2016) a series of ink animations about the Chinese artist who passed away late last year. This will be followed by a line-up of five short films under the theme 'The Sun Also Rises', all of which explore how artists disrupt the mundanity of everyday life. The final set of short films on that day will be screened under the title “˜Data, algorithm and beyond´ and will showcase video works by artists who are using technology to expand our understanding of what art is or what art could be in the future. Films showcased in “˜Data, algorithm and beyond´ include aaajiao´s (b. 1984) “˜Ornaments´ (2014) and Baden Pailthorpe´s (b. 1984) “˜MQ9 Reaper I´

On Thursday, March 23, Shen Shaomin´s (b. 1956) film “˜I am Chinese´ (2007) will be screened. Set in Hongjiang village, which sits on the border between Russia and Mainland China, “˜I Am Chinese´ investigates the plight of generations of Russian refugees who fled to Hongjiang to escape World War I, the October Revolution and World War II. This documentary-style film explores ideas such as the extinction of languages, the dilution of religions and the mixing of ethnic groups.

The Short Film Program on Friday, March 24, will showcase “˜Anthropocene´ including 11 video works by artists evaluating humanity´s ever-changing ““ and sometimes damaging ““ impact on the planet. “˜Anthropocene´ features videos by Hans Op de Beeck (b. 1969), Charwei Tsai (b. 1980) and Heba Y. Amin (b. 1980) among others.The final day of the Film Program, Saturday, March 25, will begin with a screening of a video work by Yao Qingmei (b. 1982), followed by a short film by Joel Kyack (b. 1972).

Both films explore people´s perception of self and the role of the individual in society. These will be followed by the short film line-up “˜Narrative relation´, featuring five video works inspired by human relationships, including videos by Yuri Ancarani (b. 1972) and Oliver Beer (b. 1985) among others.

This year both programs, the feature-length films as well as the Short Film Program, will be screened at Theatre 2 within the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Film is free and open to the public. Due to limited capacity, tickets are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

On Thursday, March 23 at 1pm, Art Basel´s Salon Program presents “˜1997/2007/2017 | Made in Hong Kong´, a discussion between artists Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976), Leung Chi Wo (b. 1968) and Ellen Pau (b. 1961). The talk will be moderated by Film curator Li Zhenhua. Art Basel entry tickets include admission to Salon.On Friday, March 24 at 11am, Ho Tzu Nyen will also be in conversation with AAA Researcher ChÆ°Æ¡ng-Đài Võ at the Asia Art Archive. The talk is about his multimedia project “˜The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia, Vol.

1: G for Ghost (writers)´ which he developed during his AAA residency and will be on display at the AAA Library from March 21 to August 19, 2017. For further information, please visit aaa.org.hk/HoTzuNyen.

About Li Zhenhua
Since 1996, Li Zhenhua has been active as a multi-media artist, curator and producer for international and Chinese contemporary culture. He is the founder and director of Laboratory Art Beijing, a virtual and physical platform for art, research, and exchange. Since 2010 he has been the nominator for the Summer Academy at the Zentrum Paul Klee Bern (Switzerland), as well as for The Prix Pictet (Switzerland).

Li Zhenhua was a member of the international advisory board for the exhibition 'Digital Revolution' held at the Barbican Centre in London from July to September 2014. As artistic director, he recently curated 'The 3rd Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale' and is currently overseeing the opening exhibition of A4 Art Museum in Chengdu (China) taking place in April 2017.

Upcoming Art Basel shows
Hong Kong, March 23-25, 2017
Basel, June 15-18, 2017
Miami Beach, December 7-10, 2017

Media information online
Media information and images can be downloaded directly from artbasel.com/press. Journalists can subscribe to our media mailings to receive information on Art Basel.For the latest updates on Art Basel, visit artbasel.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/artbasel or follow @artbasel on Instagram, Google+, Twitter, Weibo and Wechat.