ART FAIRS:Art Basel 2018,Part I
The first Art Basel, was held in Basel, Switzerland in 1970 and the concept of the Founders, Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt, was to bring together gallerists, collectors and art professionals to see the best art works of 20th century from around the world. Art Basel has been described as the “Olympics of the Art World” (Part II).
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Art Basel 2018 Archive
The 49th Edition of Art Basel in Basel features 290 Galleries from 35 countries, 16 galleries are participating for the first time that present Modern and Contemporary works by around 4,000 artists. The anchor of Art Basel’s show is its Galleries sector, the main sector of the show, features 227 of the world’s leading galleries with a reapplication rate of 99% for the sector, this year’s strong selection of returning exhibitors is complemented by 10 galleries participating in Galleries for the first time. The Edition sector presents of prints and editioned works by 14 exhibitors. Projects from established and historical artists are precisely curated by gallerists in the Feature sector. Projects may include solo presentations, juxtapositions, and thematic exhibits from artists representing a wide range of cultures, generations, and artistic approaches. This year’s sector boasts a particularly ambitious selection of 31 precisely curated projects. Among the is a series of images of the civil wars in Lebanon and Palestine by Fouad Elkoury, a new 4-channel video installation by Elizabeth Price, and a wide selection of rare and unseen photographs by Irving Penn, which were captured in the late 1930s and early 1940s in New York and the American South. The Statements sector presents 18 solo projects by emerging artists and will include ten first-time galleries. The artists are eligible to receive the prestigious Baloise Art Prize. The Baloise Group acquires artworks by the award-winning artists, which it then donates to important European art institutions. The 20th Baloise Art Prize will be awarded to up to two artists exhibiting in with recipients being announced during the show. This year’s show introduce a new site for the Unlimited sector, taking place for the first time on the upper floor of Hall 1. This year’s edition of Unlimited consists of 72 large-scale projects, presented by galleries participating in the fair. Curated for the 7th consecutive year by Gianni Jetzer, the sector features a wide range of presentations, from seminal pieces from the past to work created especially for Art Basel. For Unlimited in 2007, Daniel Buren transformed the escalators leading to the upper floor of Hall 1 into a kinetic sculpture titled “Passage de la Couleur, 26 secondes et 14 centièmes”. The work was bought by Messe Schweiz and today forms an integral part of the exhibition hall. With Unlimited this year taking place on the upper floor of Hall 1, Buren’s work from 2007 will form part of the entrance area for this year’s edition. Further highlights include: Polly Apfelbaum’s strips of textile that are combined to form a colorfully woven painting; Rashid Johnson’s tropical enclave containing various unexpected elements from sculptures made with shea butter to video portraits; Katherine Bernhardt’s monumental painting with tropical birds, cuddly robots and cigarette stubs, which at once editorializes and summarizes modern culture and the artist herself and an interactive multimedia installation by Nedko Solakov comprising nine sofas in the shapes of the nine Chinese characters constituting the phrase “I miss Socialism, maybe”. Parcours, a sector presenting site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances by international artists and emerging talents, presented by Art Basel galleries, returns for its 9th edition to the old city of Basel, and presents 23 site-specific artworks displayed throughout Basel’s historic center. On June 16, Parcours Night once again presents a specially curated program of live performances with extended opening hours of Parcours and of some of Basel’s leading museums. Parcours this year reflects on the political potentials of storytelling, seeking to investigate what stories can tell us about our lives. Titled “Telling Stories for the Future”, the exhibition encompasses presentations in civic and private locations that are open exclusively for Parcours as well as collaborations with Basel’s museums; Screened at Stadtkino Basel, Art Basel’s Film program, features films by and about artists, and is curated for the 4th consecutive year by Maxa Zoller. In addition, Marian Masone, selected a feature film for a special screening during the show week. Conversations, the program of panel discussions which accompanies the gallery presentations in Basel, offers audiences access to first-hand information on the international art world. The panels take place in the auditorium, which this year, alongside the Unlimited sector, has been relocated to the upper floor of Hall 1.
Info: Art Basel Art Fair, Messe Basel, Messeplatz, Basel, Private Days: (by invitation only): Tue-Wed (12-13/6/18) 11:00-20:00, Vernissage (by invitation only): Wed (13/6/18) 16:00-20:00, Public Days: Thu-Sat (14-16/6/18) 11:00-19:00, Sun (17/6/18) 11:00-19:00, Admission: Day ticket: CHF 60, Evening ticket, after 17:00: CHF 28. Two-day ticket: CHF 100, Permanent ticket: CHF 140, Reduced day ticket for Students/Seniors: CHF 45, Combination ticket for Art Basel and Design Miami: CHF 85, www.artbasel.com
