ArtBasel announced the exhibitors to its second art fair in Hong Kong, the first under the ArtBasel brand. Here are the highlights:

• May 23-26, so just before Venice Biennale and then ArtBasel itself – May/June’s going to be very busy!
• 245 galleries from around the world, over 50 percent of galleries coming from Asia and Asia-Pacific
• Over 3,000 artists
• 28 galleries with exhibition spaces in Hong Kong (well, that includes Gagosian, White Cube,…)
• 48 galleries new galleries
• Four, well, the PR material describes them as sectors (like Berlin pre-1989): Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters.
• The Insights sector, sited at the heart of both floor levels (like last year, and good to see its return) will present 47 galleries from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region with curatorial projects developed specifically for the show.
• The Discoveries sector will present solo and two-person exhibitions by emerging contemporary artists from across the world with an accompanying 25,000 USD Discoveries prize, which will be awarded to one artist in the sector.
• The Encounters sector will “provide visitors with the opportunity to see artworks on an institutional scale” – so this is the “ArtUnlimited” section from Basel.
• Selection Committee includes gallerists David Maupin (Lehmann Maupin, New York); Urs Meile (Beijing & Lucerne); Massimo De Carlo (Milan); Zhang Wei (Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou & Beijing).
• The experts for the Discoveries sector are Atsuko Ninagawa, Take Ninagawa, Tokyo, and Finola Jones, mother’s tankstation, Dublin.
• Asia Art Archive will also be staging an independent parallel program of talks, taking place onsite daily during the fair. Also collaborations with M+ an Para/site.

Image: A rhino in a China shop? – Sun Yuan & Peng Yu special project at ArtBasel Hong Kong 2012 (randian 燃点, 2012)