Recap: Art Basel Unlimited

Art Basel has come and gone, but I wanted to take a couple of posts to recap my experiences in image and word. 

Of all the Art Basel sections, I was truly impressed by the works in the Art Unlimited area. This element of Art Basel began in 2000 and has since then focused on exhibiting works that “transcend the classical art-show stand- including video projections, large-scale installations, massive sculptures and live performances.”*

And boy did they transcend. I was blown away by the sheer mass of some of the works. It was also delightful to be able to interact with and touch works such as Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Labirinto e Grande Pozzo (1969/2010) and Agnes Varda's La cabane sur la plage (qui est aussi une cabine de projection), 2010. In Pistoletto's work I was not only trying to find my way through the massive cardboard maze to the central ‘well,’ but I was dealing with other viewers as they passed me or stood in my way. As we all focused on reaching the central point and then moving towards the opposite exit I became aware that this interaction with the other viewers was perhaps more important that the giant mirrored ‘well’ that reflected our images.

Yayoi Kusama’s Aftermath of the Obliteration of Eternity (2008) was an interesting work that the viewers got to enter (3 at a time). The most basic explanation for it was that the space was a lightshow set on a timer. This was due to the hundreds of floating candles. But it was much more than that. The space was moving, and the pattern of the flickering lights was an intense experience that called upon memories of searching for, stumbling to light, and holding candles after a major catastrophe.


There were so many installations that clearly intended to capture and hold the audiences attention. I highly recommend you taking some time to enjoy the images and video of  below. These were just a few of the works that interested me. But don't worry if you aren't drawn to anything here, this is just the tip of the Basel iceberg. Many more gallery, artist, fair reviews are coming soon!

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Labirinto e Grande Pozzo, 1969/2010 

Galleria Continua, It-San Gimignano/CN-Beijing/FR-Le Moulin

Glen Rubsamen, A Fever Dream, 2010

Mai 36 Gallery & Annemarie Verna Galerie, CH- Zurich; Alfonso Artiaco, IT- Naples 

Yayoi Kusama, Aftermath of the Obliteration of Eternity, 2008

Gagosian Gallery,US- NYC

Ugo Rondinone, Clockwork for Oracles II, 2008

 Gladstone Gallery, US-NYC

Zhang Huan, Hero No. 1, 2009

The Pace Gallery, US- NYC

Doug Aitken, Frontier, 2009

303 Gallery, US- NYC & Regen Projects, LA; Presenhuber, CH- Zurich; Miro, GB- London

* Description from the Art Basel website: see the link for Art Basel Unlimited. To find out more about these works and others, consult this webpage.

Gallery and Exhibition Review: Palermo, Sicily

Art should not always be a planned event. Nor can it be. Sometimes you stumble on to something and it's just wonderful. Last weekend was one such circumstance. It seemed like the universe understood that I was too stressed to go visit a gallery, so it brought one to me.

As happens every Sunday, I headed to the local church here to spend a little time away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to retreat into my own thoughts. I was pleasantly surprised by an impromptu gallery exhibition taking place in the parish community center. A non-profit organization, the Religiosi Camilliani of Palermo, was fundraising by selling photographs by Marina Scardavi. The exhibition, Bimbi del Mondo (Children of the World), portrayed  just that. 

As we shuffled from the nave of Maria Ss. Assunta in Mondello-Valdesi to the small gallery space in a back room, the program director stated "you aren't in church anymore, feel free to discuss the work." I smiled, but noticed no one took the words to heart. For once, Sicilians were left speechless. This was most likely due to the nature of the images. To say that the photographs were touching would be understating their value. Scardavi was able to create a relationship between the viewer and the "Bimbi" without being trite. She didn't ridicule the children by focusing solely on their poverty. In fact, most of the images did not even reference this lack of wealth. Images of happiness were juxtaposed next to those of suffering. 


I knew I was in a different space, no longer in the sacred confines of the church, but I thought that choosing this location was very appropriate. The emphasis of the photographs lay in their ability to show innocence, happiness, tranquility, and quiet suffering. The audience was a group of people who had been sitting in quiet meditation for the better part of an hour. Upon viewing the images, I was already at a prime place to begin contemplation, undisturbed by the chaos of the outside world. It was thought-provoking and moving.


This was a happening in every sense of the term. The exhibition was pure in its intensions and did not fail to pleasantly surprise.