Art Basel in Hong Kong 2026, March 28

Conversations | Chan Wai Lap on art, memory and communal spaces

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Presented in partnership with UBS 
Chan Wai Lap, Artist, Hong Kong Elaine Choi, Art Collection Manager, APAC, UBS, Hong Kong Takahashi Mizuki, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT), Hong Kong 
Moderator: Louiza Ho, Associate Curator, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong 
  
The panel explored the evolution of Chan Wai Lap’s artistic practice, from his early interest in Hong Kong school uniforms and memories of his high school years, to his longstanding engagement with swimming pools as both motif and social space. The discussion examined Chan’s view of memory as a social construct, and how communal facilities shape collective and personal experience, revealing the tensions and overlap between public and private realms. At the fair, Chan Wai Lap’s interactive installation, Mimimomo Pool, was open to the public in the UBS Art Studio.  
  
Chan Wai Lap’s creative practice primarily involves paintings, drawings, and art installations, which are often inspired by his personal experience, memories, and everyday happenings. In recent years, Chan has documented public swimming pools, investigating the concept of power dynamics – between public and private, self and others, and the interrelationship of these notions.   
Elaine Choi is UBS Art Collection Manager for the Asia-Pacific region, based in Hong Kong. Since joining UBS in 2017, she has overseen the acquisition, activation, and display of the UBS Art Collection across the firm’s headquarters, branches, and activation spaces in APAC. She leads multiple artist commission projects and serves as the collection’s spokesperson, sharing UBS’s collecting strategies and fostering public engagement with contemporary art.   
Takahashi Mizuki completed her MA in History of Art at Waseda University, Tokyo and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Prior to her current role at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile in Hong Kong, Takahashi served as a founding curatorial member at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo and as senior curator at the Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito. She is the co-curator of the Japan Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale.  
Louiza Ho is the associate curator at Tai Kwun Contemporary, where her practice explores curatorial approaches at the intersection of visual arts and live art. Her recent collaborative and experimental projects include BOOKED: Hong Kong Art Book Fair (2018–2024), as well as initiatives such as 55 Squared (2020–2023), Artist Walk (2021–2022), Art After Hours (2021, 2025), and Artist’s Night (2024, 2026). Recent curated exhibitions include ‘Maria Hassabi: I’ll Be Your Mirror’ (2023), ‘Alicja Kwade: Waiting Pavilions’ (2024), and ‘Alicja Kwade: Pretopia’ (2025). 

Stage furniture by Porro and B&B Italia, courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano

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