Art Basel, Hong Kong 2016: Exploring the strangeness in art

A woman walks behind the artwork "Cloison a lames reflechissantes" created by Argentina artist Julio Le Parc at Art Basel in Hong Kong. Asia's biggest exhibition of modern and contemporary art brought together 239 galleries from 35 countries and territories in Hong Kong, which has emerged as the region's top art trading hub. (Source: AP)

Organisers of Art Basel Hong Kong, which closed Saturday, shrugged off concerns about whether China's slowdown and a shaky world economy are dampening global art demand. A man walks beside an artwork "Transfuser" created by British sculptor Antony Gormley. (Source: AP)

"Maybe I think collectors will ask a lot more questions before they agree to a sale, but I think ... it just feels like everyone is very excited about the art world," said Adeline Ooi, Art Basel's Asia director. The show is an offshoot of the annual contemporary art fair in Basel, Switzerland. In this picture, a man looks at an art installation "Face To Face" created by Taiwan artist Peng Hung-chih. Gold-plated metal cubes, tapestries embroidered by unknown North Korean artisans and bales of cardboard waste were among the highlights of the Art Basel Hong Kong fair. (Source: AP)

The show began in 2008 as ART HK and was bought three years ago by the same group that runs the Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach fairs. It's the biggest of a week of art-related events in Hong Kong that has attracted celebrities and billionaires from around the world. Here, two men chat next to an artwork "Whale" created by Irish artist Dorothy Cross. (Source: AP)

Galleries from India showcased a mixed bag of veteran and new artists at the 4th edition of Art Basel, Hong Kong with leading contemporaries like Ravinder Reddy, Atul and Anju Dodiya being represented alongside newer names of Faig Ahmed, Ayesha Sultana and Rathin Barman. In pic: An artwork "Black Milk" created by Israeli sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru. (Source: AP)

The extravagant fair which kicked off amid rainy weather and was attended among others by Oscar winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, featured 239 galleries drawn from 35 countries. Vadehra Art Gallery (VAG) which had on display artworks symbolic of India's rich history, particularly from the British era was visibly flooded by art connoiseurs and sold Atul Dodiya's rendition of "The Garden Party – February 1925" which was organised by ruler of Rajkot in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, within hours of the show's private opening on March 22. In pic: A man stands near artwork "Man with monkey head", right, created by German artist Stephan Balkenhol. (Source: AP)

Riyas Komu's portrait of Mahatma Gandhi looking dapper in his black barrister uniform holding a plate with the date - 9/11/1906 - signifying the non-violence movement launched by British Indians in South Africa, was another immensely popular work at the gallery. In pic: A man walks beside an artwork at Art Basel in Hong Kong. (Source: AP)

"Cloison a lames reflechissantes" created by Argentina artist Julio Le Parc is dismantled after the exhibition closing at Art Basel in Hong Kong. (Source: AP)

An artwork created by Indonesian artist Tintin Wulia is displayed at the art fair "Art Basel" in Hong Kong. Wulia's collection of cardboard bales is the result of her yearlong investigation into a recycling micro-economy involving scrap collectors and Filipino migrant domestic workers who spend their days off in the heart of Hong Kong's financial district. She said the project examines how the material links seemingly unrelated groups in Hong Kong society and also symbolizes the city's widening wealth gap. (Source: AP)

A boy falls as he steps on an artwork "Turbulence (black)" created by Lebanon artist Mona Hatoum at the art fair "Art Basel" in Hong Kong. A set of gold-plated metal cubes, tapestries embroidered by unknown North Korean artisans and bales of cardboard waste are among the highlights of the Art Basel Hong Kong fair opening this week. (Source: AP)

A woman walks beside an artwork by Argentina artist Tomas Saraceno at Art Basel in Hong Kong. (Source: AP)

A woman using a black crystal fragment scratches onto the surface of the '18 Cubes' installation created by Chinese artist Zhang Ding. Ding attracted curious visitors with his "18 Cubes" installation, which consists of 18 large steel boxes plated with 24-karat gold to give them a mirror-like finish. In a twist, Zhang invited fairgoers to scratch whatever they wanted onto the surface, using anything they are carrying with them, or black crystal shards provided for the purpose. (Source: AP)

A man using a black crystal fragment scratches onto the surface of the '18 Cubes' installation created by Zhang Ding. (Source: AP)

A woman walks past an artwork "Chandeliers for Five Cities" created by South Korean artist Ham Kyungah. Ham presented "Chandeliers in Five Cities," the latest in her series of embroidered works crafted with the help of unidentified North Korean workers. Ham settled on chandeliers as a reference to political power after she noticed one in a picture of world leaders meeting to divide the Korean Peninsula into north and south at the end of World War II. (Source: AP)

A woman looks at an installation artwork created by Chinese artist Stella Zhang at Art Basel in Hong Kong. (Source: AP)