Hong Kong’s ‘boothless’ Pavilion art fair invites visitors to contemplate and connect
The collaborative Asian art fair will feature 25 galleries from around the world, including New York’s 47 Canal, London’s Norito and Seoul’s S Angheeut.
Gallerists Ysabelle Cheung and Willem Molesworth specialise in the unexpected. Their contemporary art gallery, Property Holdings Development Group (PHD Group), is hidden away on the top floor of a commercial building in Wan Chai. The space itself – a 1970s rooftop clubhouse and former gentleman’s club – is a testament to the duo’s sense of adventure. Now the couple are applying that same bold spirit to a new art fair with a twist: Pavilion.
Alongside Art Basel Hong Kong, Pavilion takes place from 25 to 28 March (with VIP previews on 23 to 24 March) and follows the success of an inaugural January 2026 outing in Taipei. Instead of isolated spaces for each gallery, Pavilion is what Cheung and Molesworth dub “boothless” – encouraging exhibitors to interact with each other, collaborate and share space. “In Hong Kong everything is compact and resources aren’t consistent,” says Cheung. “People naturally want to help each other and that’s not always the case in major art cities.”
Pavilion in Hong Kong will bring together approximately 25 galleries, including New York’s 47 Canal, London’s Norito and Sangheeut from Seoul. The fair will occupy two floors of H Queen’s in Central, where the gallerist duo aims to create a fair that’s, by and large, environmentally sound. Beau Architects’ design prioritises the use of sustainable materials that will be repurposed in schools and similar institutions after the fair is dismantled. A key component is the creative use of modular and easily adaptable shelving. From experience on other projects, Cheung and Molesworth have found that there are always recipients eager to reuse them. “In Hong Kong, in the material-reuse group we have, people go crazy when there’s a shelf available,” says Molesworth.
Top of mind when organising the fair has been the opportunity it will provide gallerists and visitors to get to know each other. “We’re trying to challenge the notion of art being a speedy sales pitch,” says Molesworth. “Pavilion will have an atmosphere in which you can spend your time looking at art, chatting and building relationships, as opposed to the relentless pace of other art fairs.”
Pavilion’s founders are also keen to create an event that’s accessible to those not yet au fait with the scene. “At the end of the day, an art fair is an experience,” says Cheung. “You come to look at artwork and to speak to people. I hope that this feeling of intimacy and openness – and an invitation to slow down – stays with people.” Molesworth’s one-line pitch is almost as compelling a reason to visit: “It will be very cool.”
The inaugural edition of Pavilion Hong Kong takes place between 23 and 28 March at H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central.
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