MGM Discoveries Art Prize | Art Basel Hong Kong

MGM, with its core focus on art, culture, and entertainment, pioneers the development of cultural tourism. Through collaborations with artists from around the world, it offers an artistic platform and develops diverse paths with artistic originality, creativity, and innovation. This endeavor celebrates multicultural experience and establishment of unique international event brand in Macau.

Art Basel was launched in 1970 as a bold experiment in Basel, Switzerland, by local gallerists Trudl Bruckner, Balz Hilt, and Ernst Beyeler. Today, Art Basel stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, Paris and Qatar. 

Art Basel Hong Kong, showcase the best of contemporary art from leading galleries across Asia and beyond, alongside a diverse array of art programs. Among its key highlights is the Discoveries sector, which serves as an international platform for emerging artists, providing them with an opportunity to present their work on a global stage during the early stages of their careers.

MGM Discoveries Art Prize, a collaboration between MGM and Art Basel. This initiative celebrates the originality and innovative showcased in the “Discoveries” sector, shining a spotlight on the incredible talent of emerging artists from around the globe, as well as supporting in their exploration of art’s infinite possibilities. Learn more about Art Basel Hong Kong:  Art Basel Hong Kong | Art Basel.

Selected by jury of five international art experts, the winner receives a cash prize to further their artistic journey. They will be invited to Macau to immerse themselves in the city’s rich cultural heritage, engage with local art talents, and have the opportunity to present their works, foster creativity, and inspire new ideas.​

Join us in supporting these visionary talents as they explore the infinite possibilities of art! ​

A panel of 5 international jury members comprised of renowned art experts from around the world.

Antonia Carver
Director, Art Jameel, Dubai

Antonia Carver is Director of Art Jameel, overseeing the foundation's work across learning and the arts, plus its institutions: Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai's hub for contemporary arts and ideas, and Hayy Jameel, Jeddah’s home for the arts. Based in the UAE since 2001, Antonia was previously Director of Art Dubai (2010-2016); Editor/Projects Director at Bidoun (2004-2010); and in programming and development at Dubai International Film Festival (2004-2011), among other roles. Antonia has written extensively on Middle Eastern art and film; edited books and journals; curated, programmed and advised on exhibitions, commissions, film festivals and publishing and educational initiatives. Prior to moving to the UAE, Antonia was based in London, UK, where she served a number of roles, including as an editor at Phaidon Press; in development and projects at the Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva); and in publishing at G+B Arts International. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a Master's in Social Anthropology in 1994. 

Aaron Cezar
Founding Director, Delfina Foundation, London

Aaron Cezar is the Founding Director of Delfina Foundation, where he curates and develops its interrelated programme of residencies, exhibitions and public events. Under his tenure, Delfina Foundation has hosted nearly 450 artists, curators and collectors in residence, across dynamic programmes from Politics of Food to Collecting as Practice. Cezar has also curated external exhibitions and performances at Hayward Gallery Project Space, SongEun Artspace, and as part of the official public programme of the 58th Venice Art Biennale. Independently and through Delfina Foundation, he sits on numerous boards, committees, and advisory groups. 

Christopher K. Ho
Board Member, Asia Art Archive & Powerhouse Arts; Member, Design & Architecture Acquisitions Committee of M +, Hong Kong

Christopher K. Ho is an artist. From 2021 to 2025, he was Executive Director of Asia Art Archive, an independent non-profit dedicated to making materials on recent art in Asia accessible. He currently serves on the board of Asia Art Archive and Powerhouse Arts, and on the Design & Architecture Acquisitions Committee of M+.

Sam Seungho Park
Chairperson of the Board, PARKSEOBO FOUNDATION, Seoul

Born in Seoul in 1964, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Seoul National University of Art. He then received his Ph.D. from Tokyo University of the Arts and Kyushu University. After teaching at Ewha Womans University for 20 years, he gave up his tenure-track position and is now chairman of the PARKSEOBO FOUNDATION. He posts his free thoughts on art criticism on social media and is active in art collecting.

X Zhu-Nowell
Executive Director and Chief Curator, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai

X Zhu-Nowell is a curator, writer, and institutional leader with a dynamic presence in both Shanghai and New York, currently the Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) in Shanghai. Zhu-Nowell is renowned for an innovative curatorial approach emphasizing deep, collaborative engagements with contemporary artists. This is exemplified in the RAM’s 2023 program, which centers around solo exhibitions and new commissions from six artists from Asia and its diaspora, including WangShui, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Tosh Basco, Diane Severin Nguyen, Shubigi Rao, and Tan Jing. From 2014 to 2022, Zhu-Nowell was a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, where they earned critical acclaim for the exhibition Wu Tsang: Anthem, celebrated as the best exhibition of 2021 by The New York Times. In 2022, Zhu-Nowell co-organized the 6th Asian Art Council meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, for the Guggenheim, collaborating with artist Kandis Williams to explore themes of Afro-Asian diasporic connections, dispossession, and hybridity within curatorial practices.

Natsuko Uchino’s work combines ceramics, installation, and natural materials to explore the connections between people, nature, and everyday life. Drawing on plants, branches, and other organic materials collected in Hong Kong, she creates site-responsive environments that bring together craft traditions, local experiences, and experimental artistic practices.​

The jury particularly recognized her open and innovative approach to materials and mediums, as well as the spirit of collaboration, exchange, and community engagement reflected in her work. Through a distinctive and highly original practice, Uchino continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary art.​

Based in France, Uchino works with natural materials including clay, plants, wood, and natural dyes. Her interdisciplinary practice explores the relationships between people, land, and culture, while fostering meaningful dialogue through art and collective participation.​

Project Title: Ew! There is hair in the food!!​

Shin Min’s work examines the realities faced by women working in South Korea’s service industry and large corporations, drawing inspiration from her own experiences at Starbucks and McDonald’s. Her exhibited Semi series features sculptures incorporating familiar symbols of service work, such as hairnets and uniforms, highlighting the pressures and challenges encountered by female workers in their daily lives.​

Transforming often-overlooked labor experiences into compelling artistic expression, Shin Min offers a distinctive and original perspective on labor, gender, and class. Through the innovative use of everyday objects and industrial materials, her work invites audiences to reconsider the relationship between work, identity, and social structures, demonstrating the power of art to engage with contemporary realities and inspire dialogue.​

Born in South Korea in 1985, Shin Min graduated with a degree in Engineering of Mechanical System Design from Hongik University. Her multidisciplinary practice focuses on labor, gender, and class, exploring structural issues in contemporary society through sculpture, installation, and other media.​