Art Basel Hong Kong 2026
In March 2026, Katerine Niedinger, one of the ANTHROFUTURE PhD students, travelled to Hong Kong to conduct pilot fieldwork at two contemporary art fairs: Art Basel Hong Kong and the parallel fair Art Central. In her doctoral research, Niedinger is interested in how digital art and technologies are encountered at international art fairs, with particular attention to the sensory and imaginative dimensions of these increasingly hybrid environments. At Art Basel Hong Kong, Niedinger focused on the fair’s Asia debut of the new Zero 10 sector, dedicated to “art of the digital era.” She observed and spoke with artists, exhibitors, and visitors about their experiences of digital artworks and infrastructures. Alongside the fairs, she attended talks and events across the city, including South Korean digital artist DeeKay Kwon’s large-scale public animation DeePle the People, projected onto the façade of the Hong Kong Club Building in Central. And somewhere between fieldwork and curiosity, she bought her first NFT!
Hong Kong skyline as seen from near Art Basel Hong Kong
Art Basel’s digital advertisement displayed through screens
A hive of activity as visitors wait for Art Basel Hong Kong to open
Art Basel Hong Kong’s new sector Zero 10, making its debut in Asia
Various digital payment methods available when purchasing an NFT
Minting Seal # 20 at the stand of Onkaos, showing Robert Alice
Visitors engaging with interfaces (Jonas Lund’s Network Maintenance series) at OFFICE IMPART
“A new way to collect art / Generate never-seen-before art”
Visitors engaging with interfaces (Jonas Lund’s Network Maintenance series) at OFFICE IMPART
Interactive floor plan of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with exhibitor stands, accessed via the Art Basel app
View of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Art Basel takes place each year in March
Beyond the fair: DeePle The People by digital artist DeeKay Kwon, projected onto the Hong Kong Club Building
Katerine on a nighttime walk in Hong Kong