Art Basel Hong Kong 2023: CUI BONO

 

The title of our booth exhibition stems from Roman orator and lawyer Cicero’s phrase Cui Bono (to whose benefit), still used in modern legal arguments to determine who benefits by a crime, and therefore who might have committed it. Rather than seeking change through apportioning blame, the focus of our presentation is on introspection, encouraging humanity to recognize the weaknesses within all of us. Only then, will we be in a better position to be a dispassionate and fair advocate of change.

 

Whilst musing on the foibles that make us human, there is surprisingly great room for hope. The selection of ten artists, three of whom (Sophie Cheung, Henry Chu and Joseph Tong) are showing for the first time with Ora-Ora at Art Basel Hong Kong strikes an upbeat, positive tone. In the words of Ora-Ora CEO and Co-founder Henrietta Tsui-Leung: “There’s optimism in the air in 2023. Art Basel Hong Kong is a time of unity, when we welcome friends, collectors and visitors from all over the world.” On the subject of the show and artist selection, Dr Tsui-Leung summarized: “Our choice of nine international artists is a colourful weaving of the varied strands of the human experience.”