Basel | ArtRegion: Basel - Oberrhein

Messe Basel

Art Basel 2023

Hall 1 (Unlimited) / Hall 2 (Galleries, Statements, Feature, Kabinett, Edition)

15. – 18. Juni 2023

Art Basel will take place at Messe Basel and across the city from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 June 2023 (preview by invitation only: Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June). It will again adopt a hybrid physical and digital format, so audiences worldwide can join online as well. The 2023 edition of Art Basel will feature 284 leading galleries from 36 countries and territories across the globe – slightly fewer than in the previous year. They will present artworks across all media, from painting and sculpture to photography and digital works, focusing on modern and contemporary artists. 21 galleries are participating for the first time, including three galleries entering directly into the main Galleries sector of the show: blank projects from Cape Town, Empty Gallery from Hong Kong and Offer Waterman from London. 18 galleries will join the fair for the first time in the Feature and Statements sectors.

The main sector, Galleries is once again located in Hall 2. It features 240 of the world’s leading galleries, showcasing painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video, digital, and editioned works of the highest quality. Kabinett, Art Basel’s sector for thematic presentations within galleries’ main booths known from the Hong Kong and Miami Beach shows – will be introduced in the Basel edition for the first time, presenting exhibitors the opportunity to showcase concisely curated installations within their main booths. The sector will debut in Basel with 13 projects presented by 14 galleries

The Feature sector has shifted its focus entirely to art-historical projects and will feature curated presentations from 16 galleries, including 8 first-time exhibitors. The Statements sector is dedicated to emerging artists from across the globe and will feature 16 solo presentations including 10 new entries. Up to two artists exhibiting in Statements will be awarded the 24th Annual Baloise Art Prize. Spread across both floors of Hall 2, the Editions sector will feature 10 leading alleries in the field of prints and editioned works.

Unlimited in Hall 1 is a special sector and unique platform for projects that transcend the dimensions of a traditional art-fair stand. It provides galleries the opportunity to showcase expansive installations, monumental sculptures, vast wall paintings, extensive photographic series, and video projections. This year, 76 large-scale artworks will be presented, many by artists whose perspectives were long marginalized in the art world. Art Basel’s Unlimited Night will return on Thursday, 15 June, providing visitors the chance to experience the sector alongside special performances during extended opening hours.

Outdoors, the Messeplatz will once again be activated with a site-specific intervention. Moroccan, Swiss-based sculptor and installation artist Latifa Echakhch, who represented Switzerland at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, has a long traditio of working with deconstructed stages – the symbol of wreckage and ruins – to uncover the hope and possibilities that lie within them. A sprawling superstructure situated in the Messeplatz will act as the backdrop for a series of live concerts and performances organized in collaboration with Luc Meier, Director of La Becque Artist Residency. Beyond the performances, the various islands and stage settings will be available for the public to sing, recite poetry, share knowledge, or simply come to rest.

Parcours features 24 site-specific installations and performances around the Münsterplatz and Basel’s city center. This year’s Parcours will be presented under the theme ‘Word of Mouth’ and reflect on the current state of artmaking as a means of expression that translates social and political communication. Access to all sites is free to the public. Parcours Night, a convivial evening with extended opening hours, special performances and more, will return on Saturday, 17 June.

Art Basel Live, the new digital platform first established in 2020, will return again. The program includes Online Viewing Rooms, virtual walkthroughs, and social media broadcasts. Unlimited and Parcours presentations will be featured in dedicated Online Viewing Rooms developed to give additional insight into these large-scale projects.

Art Basel’s renowned Film program will be screened at the Stadtkino Basel from Monday to Saturday. It showcases a selection of the most important artists worldwide working with moving images, and will this year feature a special program on sci-fi and magical realism..

Finally, the talk series Conversations offers a platform for the exchange of ideas on topics concerning the global contemporary art scene. It will bring together leading artists, gallerists, collectors, curators, museum directors, and critics – over 50 international speakers across 12 panels. This edition will focus on the subjects of care, collectivity, and connectivity and will feature panels focusing on artist-led spaces on the African continent, parenthood in the arts, the more inclusive architecture of museums in the future, and the ethical and artistic implications of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. The program will run from Wednesday to Saturday in the Auditorium in Hall 1. All events are free to the public and will also be streamed on Art Basel’s Facebook channel.