HONG KONG.- The inaugural edition of Art Central will open on 14th March 2015 (Preview 13th March) welcoming an international audience of collectors, curators, art enthusiasts and Hong Kong public to view museum quality work. Art Central is the first satellite fair of international standards to be staged in Hong Kong.

The fair is timed to coincide with Art Basel in Hong Kong and the growing popularity of Hong Kong Art week, which now annually attracts in excess of 65,000 visitors - Art Central positions the city firmly within the first rank of art destinations.

Art Central is launched by Tim Etchells, Sandy Angus and Will Ramsay - the founders of ART HK which was subsequently acquired by Art Basel. Charles Ross who was Managing Director of ART HK is overseeing Art Central. In combination they deliver a wealth of experience and a thorough understanding of the demands of staging a sophisticated art fair.

Art Central has appointed Co-Directors; Eve Share Banghart and Maree Di Pasquale. Eve was most recently Gallery and Project Manager for Art Basel, and joined the ART HK team in 2009. Maree's most recent role was Assistant Director on Melbourne Art Fair, having previously worked on the launch of Sydney Contemporary.

Co-Fair Director, Maree Di Pasquale comments; The launch of Art Central is hugely exciting. It provides further reason for collectors to come into town during Hong Kong Art Week and the fair will compliment Art Basel by offering collectors and art-lovers access to the next generation of talent, alongside some of the most established contemporary galleries from across the world.

Art Central will feature over 70 galleries from Asia Pacific and the West and will present contemporary work from both established artists and a range of newer talent. The fair has a dedicated emerging section entitled Rise which will showcase both solo and dual artist presentations from spaces launched in the last 5 years.

Di Pasquale and Share Banghart have appointed an impressive selection committee comprised of Ethan Cohen of Ethan Cohen Fine Arts, New York; Conny Dietzschold of Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney and Cologne; Angela Li of Contemporary by Angela Li, Hong Kong; and Christa Schübbe of Schübbe Inc., Düssledorf.

Art Central Hong Kong will be staged on the new Central Harbourfront, conveniently situated less than 2km from Art Basel. The specially commissioned 10,000 square metre temporary structure is the largest ever of its kind to be erected in Hong Kong and has been designed by Michael Stiff of award winning London architecture practice Stiff & Trevillion. Stiff previously worked with the ART HK team in the final edition of the fair.

The fair experience for Art Central Hong Kong will be completed by an ambitious programme of talks and panel discussions devised and presented by The Asia Society Hong Kong Centre. Staged daily, the programme will provide a means for visitors to directly engage with some of the leading artistic trends and curatorial practices of contemporary art in Asia and beyond.

Full Details of exhibitors and the supporting programme will be announced in early 2015.