‘Making Publics for Art’ brings together international and local participants for conversational exchanges addressing deep divisions within Hong Kong’s cultural ambitions. If we perceive Hong Kong as our city, a place where we all live, work, and play, then we must ask what are our shared values. If one of Hong Kong’s goals is to become a creative and cultural hub, under what conditions is this likely to happen? Where are the already existing publics as well as local artists, architects, curators, designers, and others willing to extend the dialogue between private interests and public benefit? Are there new modes of cultural contribution yet to be established which put greater emphasis on belonging and sharing, to augment currently prevailing commercial exchanges and property ownership? What might art and culture in the public realm look like in the urban context of Hong Kong’s land scarcity, high rents, slow community regeneration, limited public funding, and paucity of critical practice? What role can international fairs like Art Basel play in such a context?