El Zorro: Art Basel 2015.1

Art Central was organized by those who previously organized Art HK, now replaced by Art Basel, whether in competition or complementary to the latter, I have no idea. Art Basel 2015 follows close at the heels of Art Central (just concluded on 16th March) at the Convention Centre.

The entrance to Hall 1 of the Art Basel HK 2015, full of huge cartoons above and a painted floor picture below in the shape of various spirals filled with what looks like scales or coins at the end of which appears a human figure painted gold with a pine cone for his head and a box in his hands. Here we find people busily taking photos under the huge hung posters.

A painting done like an unfolded traditional Chinese ink painting on rice paper depicting how the path of Qi (氣) runs through the body not of man but of a penguin (!) in 1995 by Guo Fengyi (郭鳳怡) ( 1942-1995) a self-taught artist who learned Qi kung because of her illness and then painting.

Bamboo 1995, same artist with what looks like a man and a woman at opposite end joined together inside, symbolizing yin and yang

Plein (Full) 1990 by Thomas Hirschhorn, a Swiss artist working in Paris: some 40 printed papers, cardboards, tapes and markers in all sorts of patterns in mock child-like style dominated by red and rectangles as its principal motifs.

A shiny metallic shoe-wearing and bear-like sculpture of a human being

A green patch found on part of the body of that metal sculpture with what looks like grit and wood splinters embedded inside: its link to Nature?.

Intermission (Halloween Afghanistan VI) 2014 by Jennifer Allora (b. 1974) & Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971) living and working in Puerto Rico : 4 color separation woodcut print on linen. Their art of often subversive as they intend to call attention to the disruptive forces of globalization: its imperialism and consumerism.

Head, 2007 in bronze by Mexican sculptor Gabriel Orozco (b. 1972) working on drawing, photography, sculpture, painting and installation.

"A computer (chinese transliteration "electronic brain") is controlled by a pig's brain, 2014 #2 by Cheng Guogu (鄭國谷) oil on canvas

Brain nerves (Carl Gustav Jung) 2015 by the same artist: oil on canvas

Brain nerves of Mother Teresa of Calcutta 2015 by the same artist

A yellow oval mirror with what appears a wire ball inside

Totem 1971 in bronze by Joan Miró

Another sculpture by him

a different view of the same

Miró's Untitled III 30th June, 1964 : gouage, watercolor, watercolor crayon, pastel and collage on black paper.

His Personnage 1949: oil on canvas

His Personnages, oiseaux 22 July, 1979 in Indian ink, pastel crayon, oil on torn paper

His Oiseaux 7th January 1976 in Indian ink, wax crayon, pastel crayon on grey cardboard

Mother's !!! (Tree) 2008 by Lin Tinmiao (林天苗), known for her thread winding technique which she uses to express the social role of women.

Seeing Shadow 49, 2010 in C-print on canvas, silk and cotton threads by the same artist

A mobile sculpture

same but different

To be Honest with You 2015 in oil, wax, flour on linen by Robert Janitz

The Cool Moment 2015 in the same kind of material by the same artist

Days of Hand 2014, same material, same artist

various sketches

Waulked Triangle MT02/MT01 2013: undyed wool from two black sheep, a strand of wool dyed with boletopsis ( a kind of mushroom), cork, cedar by American sculptor Helen Mirra (b. 1979)