Shock and awe: first impressions of Art Basel Hong Kong 2017

We are in a very different world today than we were a year ago, but that may not be immediately apparent at Art Basel Hong Kong 2017. There’s still plenty of visually stunning and enticing art on show (though less bling bling than, say, a couple of years ago); the big installations, big sculptures and big names (Takeshi Murakami, Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor, William Kentridge, and Cai Guoqiang to name the few) are all back. But you have to look hard to find art that makes any kind of political, social or economic statement. Art Basel Hong Kong is a commercial art fair, after all.