Following the fair's first Qatar event in February, Art Basel Hong Kong returns from March 27 to 29, with preview days on March 25 and 26, bringing together 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories.
Considered Asia's largest art fair, the annual event, which began in 2013, draws artists and audiences from across international art scenes.
“The 2026 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong is a celebration of the city’s status as Asia’s global hub for culture," says Angelle Siyang-Le, director of Art Basel Hong Kong. "Art Basel Hong Kong is more than an art fair – it is a living ecosystem where creativity and culture drive a vibrant, resilient art market.”
Here are some of the key Mena-linked names to look out for:
Film and moving image
Lawrence Abu Hamdan
The British-Lebanese artist will be presented in the film programme with 45th Parallel (2022), a five-act monologue performed by filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel. The work draws on the Hernandez v Mesa case concerning a cross-border shooting.
Ayoung Kim
As part of the film programme curated by Hong Kong-based media artist Ellen Pau, South Korean artist Kim will present Al-Mather Plot 1991 (2025), a film combining personal narrative and archival research to examine oil, geopolitics and urban transformation in Riyadh.
Emerging artists
Roksana Pirouzmand
Beijing-based Spurs Gallery will present the Iranian-American artist in the discoveries sector. Her presentation, On my mother’s lap, draws on her personal history, including her move to the US at 21 through the HIAS refugee programme, exploring memory, ancestry and displacement.
Ozgur Kar
London-based contemporary art studio Emalin will present a new project by the Turkish artist, created for the fair. The installation comprises video sculptures housed in modified flight cases, featuring looping black-and-white animations of solitary figures accompanied by sound.
Youssra Raouchi
The Moroccan artist will be shown through a joint presentation by New York City's Catinca Tabacaru Gallery and Berlin's Nome. Her work incorporates elements of Amazigh culture within surreal, often darkly comic compositions.
Gallery presentations
Mona Hatoum
International gallery White Cube will show works by Hatoum at this year’s fair. Born in Beirut to a Palestinian family, she is known for sculptures and installations that transform familiar domestic objects into unsettling forms.
Nadia Ayari
The Tunis and London-based Selma Feriani Gallery is participating in the fair, with Tunisian artist Ayari among the those associated with its programme. Her paintings draw on the flora and landscapes of North Africa, reimagined through abstraction.
Talks and wider programme
Saeb Eigner
The Arabic art-focused collector and author – and former chairman of the Dubai Financial Services Authority – will take part in the conversations programme, joining a discussion on the role of the collector as a cultural diplomat. He has contributed to the British Museum’s Word into Art publications.
