Art Basel and BMW are delighted to present the next artist shortlist and to continue their joint initiative to recognize and support emerging artists from across the world. The BMW Art Journey can take artists almost anywhere in the world to develop new ideas and envision new creative projects. Today, an international expert jury announced Ali Kazim, Zac Langdon-Pole and Gala Porras-Kim as the shortlisted artists showing in Discoveries, the sector for emerging artists at Art Basel’s show in Hong Kong.
Ali Kazim at Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai
Ali Kazim lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan. He received his Master of Fine Arts from the Slade School of Fine Art, London. Ali Kazim forms multi-layered compositions to create uniquely textured paintings that include elements of narrative and fantasy. He works meticulously in watercolor and graphite, using techniques acquired from studying the watercolor wash and miniature painting techniques of the Bengal and Mughal schools. At this year’s Art Basel show in Hong Kong, the artist presents an immersive installation that draws a primary inspiration from the landscape around his hometown of Lahore. Kazim will participate in the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, opening in November 2018 in Brisbane.
Zac Langdon-Pole at Michael Lett, Auckland
Zac Langdon-Pole lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He studied at Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland and at the Städelschule, Frankfurt. In his work he uses Paper Nautilus Shells, fragile egg-case-shells, made by the genus of Octopedes known as Argonauts, and unique fragments of Meteorite handcrafted to fill the shell’s aperture. At this year’s edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong, Langdon-Pole is presenting an installation of new sculptures that form a poetic exploration of identity and belonging. In 2017, he was awarded for the Ars Viva Prize for young artists living in Germany. Recent exhibitions include Between Bridges, Berlin, Ars Viva 2018, Berlin, S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent and Kunstverein München, Munich.
Gala Porras-Kim at Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles
Gala Porras-Kim lives and works in Los Angeles, United States. She received a Master of Fine Arts from California Institute of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from University of California, Los Angeles. Her work questions the social and political contexts that influence the manifestation and interpretation of language and history. Her artistic approach comes from a research-based practice that aims to reconsider how intangible subjects have been represented in the fields of linguistics, history, and conservation. At this year’s Art Basel show in Hong Kong she is presenting a group of artifacts that reconstruct and reimagine ambiguous historical fragments from various ethnographic institutions. Her work was displayed at solo exhibitions at Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles and LABOR, Mexico City. Recently she has been included in group exhibitions at Seoul Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
The three shortlisted artists are now invited to develop a proposal for their ideal journey, with the winner to be announced in early summer 2018.
For further information, please visit artbasel.com or bmw-art-journey.com.
