Art Basel 2018: 5 works we loved

Here we are again, just like every year, Art Basel, perhaps the best fair for modern and contemporary art opens in the city of Basel to welcome collectors from around the world and present artworks from 291 galleries. And if many, if not most, of the works at the fair are masterpieces in their own right, we’ve decided to show you 5 works you absolutely need to see before you leave. Art Basel’s “Unlimited Sector” especially brings together museum worthy artworks that can’t be contained by a traditional booth. You’ll find monumental works, video, immersive installations and much more…

Cerith Wyn Evans, Artcube Gallery, Unlimited Sector

Inspired by the choreography from traditional Japanese theatre, Cerith Wyn Evans creates neon artworks that suggest movement. The fine and subtle lines of lights drawn in space almost seem like a single drawing animated by a flow of energy.

Carlos Cruz-Diez, Galeria Raquel Arnaud, Unlimited

Carlos Cruz-Diez, an important figure in Op Art, surprised visitors to Art Basel with his work “Translucent Chromointerferent”, a work where Op art meets Kinetic art meets Interactive Art. Movement could be triggered moving mobiles ad the actions of the audience. Colours appear here in terms of space and time, this ever-changing colour prism pushes the viewer to question the knowledge acquired by humanity and the very notion of truth because it demonstrates that nothing is fixed. Like this spectrum of light, knowledge is not necessarily what we think it is, or at least it can hide complex truths that we are not aware of …

Elmgreen & Dragset, König Gallery

Artists Elmgreen & Dragset, a cheeky and humorous duo, were also on display at Art Basel with their work “Statue of Liberty”, a section of the Berlin Wall which has been fitted with a cash machine. According to the artists, the Berlin Wall has become a tourist attraction much like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. This work tells the story of Berlin and its gentrification in a minimalist style. 

Barbara Bloom, Gisela Captain Gallery in collaboration with Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Milan, and David Lewis Gallery, Unlimited Sector

The first steps you take in Barbara Bloom’s work may seem very strange. As you get to the centre you’ll find a small round table illuminated by circular light, reminiscent of a porthole, on which are placed porcelain plates bearing the logo of the Titanic. On the ceiling, a sculptural frieze represents the objects thrown or lost in space listed as by NASA. The American conceptual artist shows lets the objects speak for themselves…

Rashid Johnson, Hauser & Wirth Gallery, Unlimited Sector

Behind the all scaffolding, the American artist Rashid Johnson has created a highly organised ecosystem using neons, video monitors and even a piano. This accumulation of harmoniously displayed objects is both unexpected and very satisfying experience for the viewer. The work truly comes to life when the pianist Antoine Baldwin plays a floating and intoxicating melody.