Sheng Tianhong, Lust Caution, 2011, Acrylic on Canvas

Last year the point of comparison for Hong Kong’s art fair was Tokyo, this year it is Basel.

Kudos to Magnus Renfrew, who built the event in just four years.

Last night the opening seemed more of a “people fair” than art fair, but a few pieces caught my eye.

Coincidentally, two were by the same artist exhibited in different galleries. Sheng Tian Hong’s work attracted me due to both the density of the painting composition and colors, as well as the subject: Lust Caution, qi pao and women. Shen’s brush stroke, especially in the Young Asian Lady with a Deer, echoes Gauguin.

Sheng Tian Hong, Young Asian Lady Hugging Deer, 2010, Acrylic on linen

The Tree hut in Pompidou series by Tadashi Kawamata (below), mixes wood and painting. His other works include tree houses made of recycled materials, in urban settings. He notably installed tree houses on the Pompidou Center in Paris, bringing Nature to the most postmodern metallic building in Paris. Not only does he bring nature to the city, but tree houses evoke childhood and a place to sit and dream.

Tadashi Kawamata, Tree hut in Pompidou, no47, 2010 at Kamel Mennour