Among the art bazaars happening in Asia this year, Thailand’s recent Hotel Art Fair 2014 won’t set any records in terms of attendance or sales. But the lively event clearly succeeded at tapping into the easy-going verve and quirkiness of the local art scene. 

At this year’s Art Dubai, journalists, collectors and art enthusiasts were invited to press their lips against history and breathe life into it, using art as a means for review and reflection. “When we resuscitate someone it’s somewhat disrespectful,” said Payam Sharifi a member of Slavs and Tatars, the artist collective who curated the Marker Section, which this year was devoted to works from Central Asia and the Caucasus. “They didn’t ask you to put your lips on theirs,” he cautioned.