Installation view, Pacific Place.
Swire Properties and United Talent Agency (UTA) Fine Arts
Announce Partnership
Swire Properties and UTA Fine Arts Launch Programme Celebrating Art, Architecture and Cultural Dialogue for Art Basel in Hong Kong 2016
Collaboration to feature a public exhibition of new work by American artist Larry Bell at Pacific Place, Swire Properties’ premier lifestyle destination in Hong Kong
Hong Kong (14 March, 2016) Swire Properties and United Talent Agency (UTA) Fine Arts today announced the formation of a partnership, which will see them launch a curated programme of art, architecture and talks at Art Basel in Hong Kong between 24-26 March 2016. Together, Swire Properties and UTA Fine Arts will present museum-quality exhibitions and interactive programming, introducing some of today’s most important international art world personalities to Hong Kong audiences. Events include: a public exhibition of new work by celebrated Light and Space artist Larry Bell to be shown at Hong Kong’s premier lifestyle hub, Pacific Place; a Lounge at Art Basel in Hong Kong designed by acclaimed Paris-based architect Hugh Dutton; and a series of panel discussions featuring art and fashion world luminaries including Tobias Berger, Derek Blasberg, Jeffrey Deitch, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Kulapat Yantrasast, among others. Swire Properties, a Hong Kong-based real estate developer with operations in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Miami, Florida, is a returning sponsor of Art Basel in Hong Kong.
The partnership stems from Swire Properties and UTA Fine Arts’ mutual desire to further the impact of contemporary art in the public sphere and provide access to diverse audiences. For more than four decades, Swire Properties has supported and hosted a broad range of arts and cultural events, performances, exhibitions and artwork commissions in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Los Angeles-based UTA Fine Arts shares in this commitment, helping visual artists maximise opportunities to pursue their individual creative visions and create high-impact projects that exist outside the realm of the gallery.
“Swire Properties has a long history of supporting the arts, and we have been proud to sponsor Art Basel, one of the world’s most influential art fairs, since its debut in Hong Kong in 2013,” said Guy Bradley, Chief Executive of Swire Properties. “This year we were delighted to engage in a creative collaboration with UTA Fine Arts to bring international talent and a vibrant arts programme to the city. We hope our events will inspire the public and the local cultural scene, and spark meaningful dialogue about contemporary art in Hong Kong and beyond.”
Josh Roth, head of UTA Fine Arts, comments, “United Talent Agency is pleased to work with such distinguished partners in Swire Properties, Larry Bell, and Hauser and Wirth. ‘Pacific Red’ is built off a commitment to bring museum quality artwork to a general public, allowing thousands of people to engage with Bell’s immersive, shimmering glass works. This exhibition, along with programming that brings renowned thought leaders, artists, curators, writers, directors, and architects together, illustrates a conviction to bring the best of art and culture to Hong Kong, culminating in a rich experience that will please art world aficionados and regular customers of Pacific Place alike.”
“Pacific Red” by Larry Bell
Larry Bell, Upper House.
An exhibition of new work by legendary American artist Larry Bell will be installed in the mall and The Upper House at Pacific Place, a contemporary lifestyle destination recently reimagined by Heatherwick Studio. One of the most significant artists associated both with Minimalism and the Light and Space movement, Bell’s “Pacific Red” will feature three large-scale reflective glass cubes—which first debuted in 1969—in red, advancing his narrative to turn air and light into an aesthetic object. Each will send a shimmering, immersive effect throughout the space and are completed as artworks when an individual interacts with them. This presentation of Bell’s work in Pacific Place capitalises on Swire Properties’ desire to bring art to audiences who may not otherwise have opportunities to experience it. The exhibition is free to the public, from 19 March to 17 April 2016.
Swire Properties Lounge at Art Basel Designed by Hugh Dutton
British architect Hugh Dutton will debut an installation for the Swire Properties Lounge at Art Basel in Hong Kong. Drawn from the design of his groundbreaking Climate Ribbon™ at Swire Properties’ Brickell City Centre development in Miami, Florida, Dutton’s structure echoes Swire Properties’ commitment to environmental sustainability by creating a floating ribbon in a figure eight, a symbol of infinity and continuity. The suspended ribbon consists of translucent fabric stretched on a lightweight frame. The Swire Properties Lounge at Art Basel will be located on the Level 1 Concourse opposite the Hall 1C entrance of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Wednesday, March 23, 11:00 AM
Temporary Architecture
Moderated by Georgina Adam, Editor at Financial Times
Panelists
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-director of exhibitions and programmes and director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery
Kulapat Yantrasast, Founding partner and creative director of wHY Architecture
Robbie Antonio, Collector, and founder of Revolution Pre-Crafted
Marisa Yiu, Director and founding partner of ESKYIU
Wednesday, March 23, 2:00 PM
Artist Larry Bell in Conversation with Architect Hugh Dutton
Moderated by Graham Steele, Senior Director at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel
Thursday, March 24, 11:00 AM
After Murakami: Artistic Disruption and Fashion
Moderated by Benjamin Eymere, Publisher of L’Officiel
Panelists
Jeffrey Deitch, Curator, art dealer, and advisor
Derek Blasberg, Fashion writer, editor and New York Times best-selling author
William Zhao, Independent curator, critic, and consultant
Diana D’Arenberg, Fashion and art critic and independent curator
Alexander Gilkes, Founder of Paddle8
Friday, March 25, 2:30 PM
Art in Malls: When Public Space Becomes the Institution
Moderated by Alexandra Seno, Development Director of Asia Art Archive
Panelists
Josh Roth, Head of UTA Fine Arts
Tobias Berger, Head of Art at Central Police Station
Aric Chen, Curator of Design and Architecture at M+
