Art Basel back in Switzerland

Art Basel is coming back to its origin with its traditional June dates this month (16-19 June) with full scale programming across the city of Basel. The number of galleries this year at Art Basel has taken a leap from 272 to 289 compared to the previous year and expects to see a surge in the visitors figure too.

There is a long list of first-time galleries, among them Jahmek Contemporary Art from Luanda, Angola and OH Gallery from Dakar, Senegal; Athr Gallery, with exhibition spaces in Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah, Al-Ula and Jeddah; Mariane Ibrahim, with spaces in Paris and Chicago; and Proyectos Ultravioleta from Guatemala City, which is bringing a project by the Mayan artist Edgar Calel. The galleries will present works from across all media, from rare and historical masterpieces to new works by today’s emerging artistic voices.

Unlimited- curated by Giovanni Carmine, Director of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen; Art Basel’s public sector Parcours- curated by Samuel Leuenberger, founder of Swiss non-profit exhibition spaces SALTS in Birsfelden are some of the show highlights for the 2022 edition. Adding to the shows, Art Basel also do include its renowned Film program which will be screened at the Stadtkino Basel from June 13 and Basel’s Messeplatz will feature a participatory floor installation titled \’Out of Sight\’ in homage to American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner, creating a space for public gathering and reflection.

In a statement quoted by The Art Newspaper, Marc Spiegler, Art Basel’s global director says, “Unlimited, which will feature 70 large scale works this year is unprecedented in its diversity, offering our broadest ever range of artists, many with perspectives that were long marginalized in the art world.”