In the midst of the frenzy of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, there’s one section of the premiere art fair that offers an unexpected command: slow down.

Welcome to the world of Chan Wai-lap. The Hong Kong born-and-raised artist has spent years documenting the sterile, yet deeply human architecture of public swimming pools — a common gathering ground in the city he calls home. His latest installation “Mimimomo Pool (2026),” which is on view at this year’s Basel alongside the likes of Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, and Wayne Thiebaud, is more than just an invitation to sit down. It’s a linguistic wink to Chan’s Hong Kong roots; drawn from the Cantonese phrase 「靡靡摩摩」(mi-mi-mo-mo), it serves as a tongue-in-cheek descriptor for someone who is dawdling or taking their time. Further anchoring this local identity is a flickering neon sign hovering over the space. The quintessential visual shorthand for Hong Kong’s street life is traditionally used to lure customers into shops. Here, it serves as a welcome beacon, paying homage to Hong Kong’s vibrant, albeit exhausting, energy.

“I chose ‘Mimimomo Pool’ for its distinctly Cantonese sound and local character. Even locals may use the phrase without knowing it can be written as 「靡靡摩摩」— I only learned that through research,” Chan tells Hypebeast just days ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong’s opening. “That gap between everyday speech and its ‘proper’ form is a playful entry point. The title frames slowness with humour, inviting visitors to relax, slow down, and share a lighter, unhurried mood.”

The seeds of “Mimimomo Pool (2026)” were planted in “Dreaming of Swimming Pools 12 (2024-25),” one of Chan’s earlier works that reimagined the world as a circular, mosaic-tiled basin. Rather than framing the piece on a wall, however, the artist instead chose to print the work onto a sprawling carpet, effectively erasing the distance between the viewer and the art. This evolution from paper to a physical environment was made possible through a strategic partnership with the UBS Art Collection. Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection, explains the significance of this growth, “The commission of Mimimomo Pool exemplifies how the UBS Art Collection builds long-term relationships with artists. When we first acquired the drawing by Chan Wai-lap, we were drawn to the conceptual world he has created. Commissioning this work allowed us to support the evolution of that idea from an intimately-scaled drawing into a large-scale installation that invites public participation.”

Chan explains that the transition is more than just about size, “You step onto the artwork instead of looking at the artwork as an image on a wall.” He explains, “Installing the drawing as floor and environment makes the encounter physical — scale, texture, movement, and duration become part of the work, along with decisions about materials, colour, lighting, and entry points.”

“I share the belief that art can emerge from ordinary life — not only from museums and white-cube spaces.”

For Chan, the swimming pool provides more than the aesthetics of leisure. Through his work, he analyzes the subtle power dynamics that occur when strangers take up the same space. The public swimming pool becomes a microcosm, governed by rules, proximity, and even shared breath. Putting that into the context of a city as densely populated and fast-paced as Hong Kong, he notes, “Slowness and breathing space can feel like luxuries.”

“This work turns my observations into a lived experience — creating a pause within the art fair where viewers, especially strangers, experience space together,” he continues, “and where ‘self and others’ is felt through shared time and presence.”

As guests kick off their shoes to rest their weary feet against the texture of the “pool” floor, it’s evident that “Mimimomo Pool (2026)” serves as a new chapter for the artist. The Art Basel Hong Kong highlight is a work that values accessibility and as much as it does technical precision. “It’s a significant step into immersive, participatory work,” Chan reflects. “It expands my practice from depiction to environment, building a shared experience people can inhabit.”

The inclusion of “Mimimomo Pool” in the Beyond Pop: Art of the Everyday exhibition is a powerful curatorial choice, with Rozell noting the bridge Chan builds between the local and the universal. “What makes Chan Wai Lap’s work compelling in the context of Beyond Pop: Art of the Everyday is the way it anchors universal themes in a specific local experience. While artists like Ed Ruscha and Wayne Thiebaud examine the visual language of everyday life and consumer culture, Chan looks at shared spaces such as public swimming pools, diving into the personal and social significance that may be overlooked by residents,” she states. “Through this lens, Chan transforms a familiar urban environment into a reflection on memory, community, and the rhythms of daily life. His vibrant work connects the particularities of Hong Kong’s cultural landscape with broader questions about how ordinary spaces shape collective identity.”

In a city that famously values time and efficiency, Chan Wai-lap has managed to do the impossible: he’s built a place where everyone is allowed to be a little bit mimimomo.

Hypebeast: What was the creative process like when transitioning the two-dimensional work of “Dreaming of Swimming Pools 12 (2024-25)” into an immersive, physical space?

The drawing imagines the globe as a circular, mosaic pool. The installation brings that image into the body: a carpet printed with the drawing, mosaic surfaces, seating with massage rollers, and parasols that heighten a leisure atmosphere. It’s less an enlargement than a choreography — how people enter, pause, and stay — forming a calm pocket inside the busy art fair.

“Mimimomo Pool (2026)” features a diverse array of elements, including mosaic structures, built-in massage rollers, and parasols. How do these specific objects function together to transform a standard art fair environment into a playful communal space?

They’re familiar signals of rest and public leisure. Together they shift the work from “look at” to “spend time in”: sit, linger, share space. I’m interested in the choreography that emerges, how people gather, move, and navigate boundaries, so the installation becomes a small commons rather than a static display.

As an artist born and based in Hong Kong, how does this installation reflect the vibrant culture of the city while simultaneously offering a “respite” from its pace?

My work comes from observing Hong Kong’s streets and how people use public space. “Mimimomo Pool” carries that urban energy through its materials and references to shared leisure infrastructure, but it slows the tempo, offering a brief, communal pause inside the city’s intensity.

Your work is being featured alongside global icons of the “Pop” and “Everyday” movements, such as Andy Warhol and Ed Ruscha. How do you see your exploration of “quotidian objects” differing from or aligning with these international traditions?

I’m honored to be shown alongside these artists, and I share the belief that art can emerge from ordinary life — not only from museums and white-cube spaces. My focus is on observing and transforming everyday situations, especially those shaped by unspoken rules, access, intimacy, and power as they’re subtly negotiated in daily life.