This years, Art Basel taking place from June 13 to 16, 2019 will host 290 leading international galleries presenting works of over 4,000 artists ranging from the Modern period of the early 20th century to the most contemporary artists. While galleries from Europe continue to be strongly represented, the show also features returning and new exhibitors from across the globe, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa. Art Basel is introducing a sliding-scale pricing model across all its shows, designed to benefit galleries with smaller stands.

The program of exhibitions, conversations and events//

Galleries//

The show’s main sector will comprise 232 of the world’s leading galleries, showing painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video and editioned works of the highest quality. Additionally, the Galleries sector will be rejuvenated by seven galleries joining the sector for the first time, having previously exhibited in Feature or Statements. This June, Galerie Pietro Spartà from France; Peres Projects, Société and Wentrup from Germany; Hollybush Gardens and Sprovieri from the United Kingdom; and P.P.O.W from the United States will enter Art Basel’s prestigious main sector, showcasing the full range of their programs. Beginning this year, Art Basel will provide new entries to the main sector upstairs a 20 percent reduction on the square meter price for the first year, and a 10 percent reduction on the square meter price for the second year.

19 galleries are participating for the first time, including: Barro Arte Contemporáneo from Argentina; Tommy Simoens and Vedovi Gallery from Belgium; Galeria Jaqueline Martins from Brazil; Temnikova & Kasela from Estonia; Galerie Crèvecoeur and Galerie Christophe Gaillard from France; Jahn und Jahn, Klemm’s and Daniel Marzona from Germany; SpazioA from Italy; Vadehra Art Gallery from India; Marfa’ from Lebanon; Travesía Cuatro from Spain; Galerie Knoell from Switzerland, Project Native Informant from the United Kingdom; and Commonwealth and Council, Durham Press and David Lewis Gallery from the United States. For the full gallery list, please visit artbasel/galleries

Unlimited//

Unlimited, Art Basel’s unique platform for large-scale projects, provides galleries with the opportunity to showcase towering installations, monumental sculptures, vast wall paintings, extensive photographic series, video projections, and performance art that transcend the traditional art fair stand.Taking place again on the upper floor of Hall 1, Unlimited, is curated for the eighth and final year by Gianni Jetzer, Curator-at-Large at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC.

75 large-scale projects by renowned and emerging artists, including: Larry Bell, Huma Bhabha, Andrea Bowers, Jonathas de Andrade, VALIE EXPORT, Alicia Framis, Coco Fusco, Abdulnasser Gharem, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Kapwani Kiwanga, Daniel Knorr, Jannis Kounellis, Lawrence Lek, Zoe Leonard, Sarah Lucas, Kerry James Marshall, Rivane Neuenschwander, Hélio Oiticica, Jacolby Satterwhite, Joan Semmel, Do Ho Suh, Fiona Tan, Franz West, and Pae White.

Several presentations from this year’s exhibition address and comment on political upheavals and sociopolitical tensions, lending them a lasting presence. ‘Bataille’ (2017) by Rivane Neuenschwander is a partial freestanding interactive installation that explores the power of words taken from protest banners and placards in France. For ‘RYTHM MASTR Daily Strip’ (2018), Kerry James Marshall created comics featuring African- American superheroes. Alicia Framis’ ‘LifeDress’ (2018) consists of a clothing line made of airbag materials designed to protect women from harassment. Andrea Bowers’ installation ‘Open Secret’ (2018) documents the development of #MeToo and Time’s Up, international movements against sexual harassment and assault, which spread virally following the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017.

The sector also once again brings in younger voices from diverse regions. Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga, whose family has Tanzanian origins, and Angolan-born Kiluanji Kia Henda both explore Africa’s colonial history in their presentations. Indonesian artist Fiona Tan presents ‘Elsewhere’ (2018), a new filmic meditation on urban dystopia, while Korean artist Do Ho Suh invites visitors to life-size textile version of his former home with ‘Hub, 260-7 Sungbook-Dong, Sungbook-Ku, Seoul, Korea’ (2017). Two artists incorporate Virtual Reality into their works: German artist Lawrence Lek’s newly recast ‘Nøtel’ (2016-2019), an installation built around fictional luxury hotels, is accessible via VR headsets and game controllers, and African-American artist Jacolby Satterwhite, who was featured in Statements last year as an emerging artist, continues the evolution of his singular aesthetic built in VR.

Among the many historical works present, Austrian artist VALIE EXPORT’s 1983 video ‘Syntagma’ explores female identity in relation to body image, while Hélio Oiticica, the seminal artist of Brazilian Tropicalismo, returns to Basel with the installation ‘Penetrável Filtro’ (1972). Octogenarian American painter Joan Semmel will bring to Basel her newest and largest canvas, which explores the body as landscape.

Full list of artists presented in Unlimited, please visit artbasel.Unlimited

Feature//

Featuring 24 projects this year, the sector will present ambitiously curated exhibitions by both historical and contemporary artists, with 11 galleries completely new to the show. Highlights from the sector include: a two-person show by US artists Allyson Strafella and Helen Mirra at Galleria Raffaella Cortese; Croy Nielsen’s presentation of work by Austrian artist Elke Silvia Krystufek, who during the 1990s became known for her often provocative performances, videos, photographs and paintings, many of which address the identity of the female artist in a patriarchal society; a solo show of Wallace Berman at galerie frank elbaz, with exceptional artworks and historical archival documents from the late 1940s to the 1970s; a focus on Cameron Rowland’s ‘Rental Project’ at Essex Street; a selection of never-before-exhibited, spectacular relief paintings by British artist Frank Bowling from the mid-1980s at Hales Gallery; a solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Carl Cheng at Philip Martin Gallery; and a presentation of unpublished works by Hudinilson Jr., one of the pioneers of Xerox Art in Brazil, at Galeria Jaqueline Martins. For the full exhibitor list for Feature, please visit artbasel.feature

Statements//

Welcoming six galleries to the Basel show for the first time, the sector will comprise 18 solo presentations by emerging artists, presented by young galleries from across the world. Highlights from the sector include: a new commission by Rose Salane at Carlos/Ishikawa; EJ Hill at Commonwealth and Council; Argentine artist Ad Minoliti at Galerie Crèvecoeur; a new body of work encompassing sculpture, drawing and painting by Bangladeshi artist Ayesha Sultana at Experimenter; Sable Elyse Smith, an interdisciplinary artist and writer who focuses much of her work on the American carceral state, at JTT; Kuwaiti artist Saba Innab at Marfa’; and a body of new work by Farah Al Qasimi looking at domestic traditions of hospitality and interior decor across public and private spaces in the Gulf states, presented by The Third Line. For the full exhibitor list for Statements, please visit artbasel.statements.

Edition//

The sector presents 14 global leaders in the field of prints and editioned works: Niels Borch Jensen Gallery and Editions, Alan Cristea Gallery, mfc – michèle didier, Atelier- Editions Fanal, Gemini G.E.L., Sabine Knust, Lelong Editions, Carolina Nitsch, Paragon, Polígrafa Obra Gràfica, Susan Sheehan Gallery, STPI, Two Palms and Durham Press, who participates in the Art Basel show for the first time. In addition to its stand presentation, mfc – michèle didier is selected to present ‘Colby Sign’ by Allen Ruppersberg on the Spotlight wall facing the Rundhof, which forms part of the Edition sector. For the full exhibitor list for Edition, please visit artbasel.edition.

Parcours//

Featuring site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances presented by Art Basel’s exhibitors, Parcours will return for its tenth edition to the old city of Basel. The sector is once again curated by Samuel Leuenberger, founder of the non-profit exhibition space SALTS in Birsfelden, Switzerland.

Film//

Screened at Stadtkino Basel, the Film program will for the final year be curated by Maxa Zoller, director of the Dortmund I Cologne International Women’s Film Festival. In addition, Marian Masone, New York-based film curator, will select a feature film for a special screening during the show week.

Conversations//

The Conversations program offers audiences access to first-hand information on the international art world and will be programmed for the first year by the Berlin-based artist Julieta Aranda. The panels will take place in the auditorium.

Messeplatz project//

For the Art Basel 2019 Messeplatz project the artist and choreographer Alexandra Pirici will show a new installation of her work Aggregate (2017-2019) on Basel’s iconic Messeplatz for Art Basel 2019.

www.artbasel.com