The first work visitors will see within ‘As The World Turns’, this year’s edition of Encounters at Art Basel Hong Kong, will be impossible to miss. Set against a theatrical backdrop of shocking pink and yellow fabric, with a purple vinyl floor, the late Pacita Abad’s three abstract ‘trapunto’ works – enormous painted, quilted, and embroidered textiles – are over five-meters tall.

In the Kabinett sector, Silverlens (Manila, New York) will present ‘Cloud Seed (Rain Window)’ (2020) by James Clar. In this series of works, Clar immerses viewers in a recreation of rain and fog. Each piece displays a generative video on a 4K screen, acting like a window to a simulated outdoor space. The viewer can see themselves in the screen as raindrops collect and streak down the surface in real time, blending the natural and virtual worlds to bring attention to our influence and control of the environment.

With her solo exhibition, Membranes, artist Nicole Coson lends tactility to hollowed objects. By fleshing out the contours of empty spaces, she captures the essence of things. The aftermath lingers like sillage or a phantom limb. It rouses the yearning to touch, taste, smell, and feel, if only to emphasize the cold, hard truths distilled within.