LTArt Visits Art Basel 2024
Art Basel, the world's largest contemporary art fair, returned to its Swiss hometown for its annual event, marking the 2024 edition of Art Basel in Basel. From June 13th to 16th, with VIP previews on the preceding two days, Messeplatz in Basel hosted 285 galleries from 40 different countries, including 22 galleries making their debut. The main section, Galleries, featured both established and emerging galleries, while other curated sections included Unlimited, showcasing over 70 large-scale artworks, Kabinett, a curated selection of artworks displayed by galleries in a separate part of their booth, and Statements, presenting solo exhibitions of emerging artists eligible for the Baloise Art Prize.
This year, the fair extended its reach beyond the confines of Messeplatz with the Parcours section, curated by Stefanie Hessler, Director of Swiss Institute in New York. This section featured 20 site-specific public art installations displayed throughout Basel's Old Town. A part of the Unlimited sector was already visible from outside the Messeplatz entrance, with a 17-meter truck by Emilio Isgrò, covered in the artist’s signature erasures, symbolically carrying a single ant. La formica vagabonda (The Wandering Ant), presented by Tornabuoni Art, traveled from San Pier Niceto in Sicily, across the entire Italian peninsula, to Basel, linking the artist’s hometown to the prestigious contemporary art fair.
Emilio Isgrò presented by Tornabuoni Art at Art Basel Unlimited
The rest of the Unlimited section was displayed on the ground floor of Messe Basel, presenting a wide array of monumental artworks. These ranged from iconic pieces, like Yayoi Kusama’s polka dot pumpkins and Keith Haring’s stick figures, to the most innovative creations. One of the installations that received significant attention was "The Extended Line" (2023-2024) by Chiharu Shiota. This 16 x 9 meter installation, was made of hundreds of kilometers of red rope hanging from the ceiling above the artist’s open arms, featuring papers seemingly flying out. Presented by Templon Gallery, the artwork draws from Shiota’s personal experience as a cancer survivor, posing universal questions such as “what does it mean to be human?” and connecting her personal journey with the audience’s experience.
Chiharu Shiota presented by Templon Gallery at Art Basel Unlimited
Among the most innovative works in Unlimited was "Premium Economy" (2023) by Anna Uddenberg. This creation, presented by Meredith Rosen Gallery and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, was one of the few performances presented in the fair. Featuring futuristic airplane seats activated by performers dressed as flight attendants, the piece roughly illustrated the total submission of human bodies to technology, represented by a provocative interaction between the performers and the hybrid machines.
Anna Uddenbergh presented by Meredith Rosen Gallery and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler at Art Basel Unlimited
Among the mega galleries, Perrotin’s booth was particularly eye-catching, both for the artwork’s selection and for the dimension of the exhibition. Indeed, the gallery decided to significantly expand its booth this year, participating at the Kabinett section, with a solo-exhibition of Jean-Michel Othoniel and a second floor displaying a wide selection of artists from Iván Argote to Takashi Murakami. The rest of the fair, especially the Galleries section, appeared to be less prone to experimentation, focusing instead on displaying high-quality works that ensured more secure sales. This balance between innovation and tradition provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of contemporary art market.
Perrotin’s booth displaying Jean-Michel Othoniel at Art Basel Kabinett
Some particularly innovative booths were showcased in the Statements section, featuring solo exhibitions by emerging artists. This year, the Baloise Art Prize, awarded to two artists in this section, was won by filmmaker Tiffany Sia, presented by Felix Gaudlitz, and Ahmer Umar from OSL Contemporary, both galleries participating for the first time as exhibitors in Art Basel. Another Statements project that caught the eye of visitors was Wooson’s booth, another gallery making its debut at the Swiss fair this year, with an exhibition by Omyo Cho. The artist represented the fragility of human memory in an installation made of mirrors and glass sculptures in the shape of jellyfish, creating an oneiric space within the fair.
Wooson’s booth displaying Omyo Cho’s solo-exhibition at Art Basel Statements
In general, Art Basel 2024 demonstrated a more cautious approach, less prone to risks and experimentation compared to previous years. Perhaps, this quieter attitude reflects the current state of the art market, which, after a period of exceptional sales, is now returning to its pre-Covid balance. Nevertheless, the fair did not lack significant million-dollar sales, demonstrating once again Art Basel’s supremacy in the contemporary art landscape.
