Basel | ArtRegion: Basel - Oberrhein

Messe Basel

Art Basel 2016

The premier international art show for Modern and contemporary works

16. – 19. Juni 2016

Art Basel is the premier international art show of its kind for Modern and contemporary works, bringing over 300 leading galleries from around the world to the heart of Europe. The exhibition includes the highest-quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works.

Art Basel embraces different sectors:

• Galleries, the main sector of the show, will feature 220 galleries presenting the highest quality of painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video and editioned works. A strong list of returning exhibitors is joined by six galleries who will exhibit within the sector for the first time, having previously shown in Statements or Feature: ApplicatPrazan (Paris), Borzo (Amsterdam), Karma International (Zurich, Beverly Hills), Jack Shainman Gallery (New York, Kinderhook), Stevenson (Cape Town, Johannesburg) and Barbara Wien (Berlin). The Galleries sector will also include two completely new exhibitors: joségarcía, mx (Mexico DF) and Pace/MacGill Gallery (New York).
• The Feature sector presents galleries with precise curatorial projects, showing both historical and contemporary work. This year’s expanded sector will feature 32 galleries of which eight galleries are new to the show.
• In the Statements sector, Art Basel presents exciting new solo projects by young, emerging artists. Each year, two outstanding artists in this sector are awarded the Baloise Art Prize. The Baloise Group also acquires works by the award-winning artists which it donates to important European art institutions.
• The Edition sector, dedicated to prints and limited-editioned works, will bring together 16 specialists in the field.
• Unlimited, Art Basel’s unique platform for projects that transcend the limitations of a traditional art-fair stand, will be curated for the fifth year by Gianni Jetzer, Curator-atlarge at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC, with over 70 works ranging from large-scale sculptures and paintings to video projections, installations and live performances. Further details will be announced in the coming months.
• Parcours, a series of site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances by renowned international artists and emerging talents, presented by Art Basel galleries, will be curated for the first time by Samuel Leuenberger, founder of the not-for-profit exhibition space SALTS, in Birsfelden, Switzerland. Parcours this year will again take place around Basel’s Münsterplatz area. Parcours is open to the public and free of charge. Further details will be announced in the coming months.
• At the Magazines sector art publications from around the world display their magazines in single-magazine stands or the collective booth. Editors and publishers often attend the show and many magazines contribute presentations to Salon, the afternoon series of lectures and discussions by prominent members of the artworld. The sector will be in the entrance area in Hall 1 welcoming viewers with a cozy bar and a café.
• Screened at Stadtkino Basel, Art Basel’s Film program, which features films by and about artists, will be curated for the second time by Cairo-based film curator and art lecturer Maxa Zoller.

 

In addition, Art Basel features two talks series, which are both open to the public and free of charge. The morning Conversations series offers a platform for dynamic dialogs between prominent members of the international artworld, each offering their unique perspective on producing, collecting and exhibiting art. Conversations are held daily from Wednesday, June 15 to Sunday, June 19 in Hall 1 of Art Basel. Panel discussions take place between 10am and 11am, followed by 30 minutes of questions from the audience. The afternoon Salon program is an open platform for short presentations – often informal – such as artist talks, panels, lectures and performances with a range of speakers including artists, curators, academics, collectors, architects, art lawyers, critics and other cultural players.