What to see at this year’s Art Basel in Basel
Planning to peruse the booths and shows of Art Basel in Basel this year? Here’s a few that caught our eye.
One of Switzerland’s most charming cities has been bathed in bright sunshine this week as the art world arrived for Art Basel in Basel. Amid a testing time for the art market, the fair has returned with new sectors and initiatives that have revitalised the programme and re-engaged collectors old and new. Here are a few snippets from Monocle’s rundown of the booths and museum shows not to miss if you’re stopping by the Messeplatz or strolling around town.
Hauser & Wirth
One of the most expensive pieces at this year’s fair is a surprise addition to the booth of Swiss gallery Hauser & Wirth. Mark Rothko’s 1962 painting “No. 6/Sienna, Orange on Wine” is rarely seen and was missing from the gallery’s preview materials, which makes seeing it in person all the more dramatic. The painting is well worth seeking out if you’re feeling up for a blast of the abstract painter’s big blocky colours. And if it puts you in the mood to see more, head up the road to stop in at the Kuntsmuseum’s permanent exhibition to see “No. 16 (Red, White and Brown)”.
Messeplatz, Gallery sector, C10
Edel Assanti
One of the new initiatives at this year’s fair is the Premiere sector, in which galleries present work created in the past five years. London-based gallery Edel Assanti has brought a colourful solo show by US artist Lonnie Holley. His paintings and unusual sculptures made from salvaged materials invite closer inspection. Head to the Unlimited sector for more Holley in the form of his 2019 film, I Snuck Off the Slave Ship. In it, Holley performs an improvised score, accompanied by a blend of real and re-enacted moments from his life. The combination of gorgeous music and moving visuals makes for a captivating, poignant work.
Messeplatz, Premiere, P3
‘Steve McQueen, Bass’, Laurenz Fondation Schaulager
The bustle and busyness of Art Basel in Basel makes for an energising but at times exhausting experience. Take a breather by hopping on the tram to Laurenz Fondation Schaulager for Steve McQueen’s Bass exhibition. The UK artist and filmmaker has taken over the cavernous space with an immersive light-and-sound experience. More than 1,000 LED tubes have been installed throughout Schaulager that slowly change colour over time. As they bathe the space in colourful hues, deep bass frequencies reverberate around it from subwoofers and speakers suspended in the air. The elements combine to create a mesmerising, calming experience.
‘Steve McQueen, Bass’ is open at Laurenz Fondation Schaulager until 16 November
Jahmek Contemporary Art
Sometimes the first thing that strikes you about a booth is the sign outside telling you where the gallery is based. So it will be for many visitors passing by Jahmek Contemporary Art, which hails from Angola’s capital, Luanda. Inside, heavy topics of conflict are brought to life in a haunting but beautiful exhibition. Zimbabwean artist Felix Shumba’s gentle soundscape and paintings of ethereal beings are not to be missed.
Messeplatz, Statements sector, M4
Julian Charrière, ‘Midnight Zone’, Museum Tinguely
At Museum Tinguely, French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière’s new exhibition Midnight Zone ponders the relationship between people and the earth – specifically as a world of water. Here, often in near-total darkness, visitors are invited to take a different perspective, whether that’s through lying down to watch films beamed onto the ceiling or by exploring parts of the ocean we’d never normally see. Many of the images of watery landscapes, both moving and still, are extraordinary and, on closer inspection, so too are the lengths to which Charrière has gone to capture them. Accompanied by a mesmeric soundscape, Midnight Zone is captivating, if at times unsettling. Dive in with an open mind.
Julian Charrière. ‘Midnight Zone’ is open at Museum Tinguely until 2 November
