Art Basel Hong Kong and Frieze LA face pandemic postponements and cancellations

Art Basel Hong Kong has been postponed from March to May due to Hong Kong's strict 'Zero Covid' policy and recent government lockdown measures that closed museums and entertainment venues. Adeline Ooi, Art Basel's Asia director, stated that moving the fair to May was the right decision given current guidelines. Art Fair Philippines has also been postponed from its planned late February opening, with organizers citing the impact of the country's strictest lockdown measures on participating artists and galleries, despite government forecasts to reopen leisure venues at 50% capacity and allow vaccinated foreigners. Frieze Los Angeles, scheduled to open in just over two weeks, has canceled its sculpture park at Beverly Gardens Park due to pandemic-related shipping delays and labor shortages, though the main fair at the Beverly Hilton hotel continues. These disruptions follow Art Basel's recent announcement of a new Paris event, highlighting ongoing challenges for the art fair business during the pandemic.