Utopia And Fragile Democracy At Art Basel Fair
This year's Art Basel, the world's top contemporary art fair, paints a portrait of a troubled planet, with works embodying the relentless pursuit of happiness and the fragility of democracies.
The four-day event in the northern Swiss border city of Basel, which closes on Sunday, features more than 280 galleries presenting works by around 4,000 artists.
The monumental works section features an 85-metre-long installation entitled "The Voyage -- A March To Utopia".
Created by the studio of Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout, it features 80 large sculptures forming a procession of absurd objects, where "everybody walks in the same direction... on their way to a happy place", the artist told AFP.
The journey begins with a team of oxen, followed by all means of getting to that better world, including a walking stick, a cart, a toilet on wheels, a wheelchair and a mobile surgical theatre for those struggling to keep up.
Next come objects representing everything the convoy is carrying, followed by sculptures of ghosts symbolising those who didn't make it to the end.
It ends with machines set to destroy the road behind them, so that "there's no going back", the artist explained.
A stone's throw away, Spanish artist Jaume Plensa presents a work composed of 21 aluminium doors engraved with the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
Entitled "Forgotten Dreams", it invites viewers to contemplate collective aspirations and not forget the horrors of the past.
Vietnam-born Danish artist Danh Vo has installed a huge US flag made from hundreds of logs and 13 steel stars, referencing the first version of the flag from 1777.
Reconstructed at Art Basel, "In God We Trust" was first created in 2020, during the presidential election campaign between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
The logs were removed one by one and burned in fireplaces, gradually causing the flag to disappear.
The work serves as an allegory of the fragility of US democracy.
Art Basel is above all a commercial event, where artists and galleries come to meet wealthy collectors.
But the fair is also very popular with art lovers who come for the simple pleasure of browsing the works on show.
Its "Unlimited" section brings together monumental pieces intended for museums and major collections.
It includes recent as well as older works, including a performance created in 1991 by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, a US artist from Cuba who died of AIDS in 1996.
Called "'Untitled' (Go-Go Dancing Platform)", it features a man dressed in silver shorts dancing on a podium for a few minutes, twice a day.
"It's an interesting moment to revisit it," said the "Unlimited" section's curator, Giovanni Carmine, recalling that the artist created the performance shortly after the death of his partner from AIDS, "in a context that was also very reactionary".
Gonzalez-Torres responded with "a very political gesture" with a performance that is "a celebration of life".
The "Unlimited" hall features 67 works, including three angels by German sculptor Thomas Schutte, which foster "a certain ambivalence", said Carmine.
With "their wings resembling razors", are they "protective angels or angels of the apocalypse?", he asked.
Japanese artist Izumi Kato brings a touch of poetry with his stone structures, painted with enigmatic faces, drawing on the Japanese tradition that each stone contains a spirit.
US artist Arlene Shechet plays on contrasts, with a heavy orange abstract sculpture designed to give an impression of lightness despite its weight.
"The current political situation is dark and so bringing light and colour and joy and spirit and art is very meaningful," she told AFP. 'In God We Trust', by Danish contemporary artist Danh Vo, is on show in the 'Unlimited' section AFP An Art Basel visitor has a close look at part of 'The Voyage -- A March To Utopia', by Atelier Van Lieshout AFP The 'Unlimited' section of Art Basel features 'Testimoni' by the Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker Mimmo Paladino AFP A visitor walks past 'Gobbler' by Caroline Achaintre at Art Basel AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
7 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Utopia And Fragile Democracy At Art Basel Fair
This year's Art Basel, the world's top contemporary art fair, paints a portrait of a troubled planet, with works embodying the relentless pursuit of happiness and the fragility of democracies. The four-day event in the northern Swiss border city of Basel, which closes on Sunday, features more than 280 galleries presenting works by around 4,000 artists. The monumental works section features an 85-metre-long installation entitled "The Voyage -- A March To Utopia". Created by the studio of Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout, it features 80 large sculptures forming a procession of absurd objects, where "everybody walks in the same direction... on their way to a happy place", the artist told AFP. The journey begins with a team of oxen, followed by all means of getting to that better world, including a walking stick, a cart, a toilet on wheels, a wheelchair and a mobile surgical theatre for those struggling to keep up. Next come objects representing everything the convoy is carrying, followed by sculptures of ghosts symbolising those who didn't make it to the end. It ends with machines set to destroy the road behind them, so that "there's no going back", the artist explained. A stone's throw away, Spanish artist Jaume Plensa presents a work composed of 21 aluminium doors engraved with the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. Entitled "Forgotten Dreams", it invites viewers to contemplate collective aspirations and not forget the horrors of the past. Vietnam-born Danish artist Danh Vo has installed a huge US flag made from hundreds of logs and 13 steel stars, referencing the first version of the flag from 1777. Reconstructed at Art Basel, "In God We Trust" was first created in 2020, during the presidential election campaign between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The logs were removed one by one and burned in fireplaces, gradually causing the flag to disappear. The work serves as an allegory of the fragility of US democracy. Art Basel is above all a commercial event, where artists and galleries come to meet wealthy collectors. But the fair is also very popular with art lovers who come for the simple pleasure of browsing the works on show. Its "Unlimited" section brings together monumental pieces intended for museums and major collections. It includes recent as well as older works, including a performance created in 1991 by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, a US artist from Cuba who died of AIDS in 1996. Called "'Untitled' (Go-Go Dancing Platform)", it features a man dressed in silver shorts dancing on a podium for a few minutes, twice a day. "It's an interesting moment to revisit it," said the "Unlimited" section's curator, Giovanni Carmine, recalling that the artist created the performance shortly after the death of his partner from AIDS, "in a context that was also very reactionary". Gonzalez-Torres responded with "a very political gesture" with a performance that is "a celebration of life". The "Unlimited" hall features 67 works, including three angels by German sculptor Thomas Schutte, which foster "a certain ambivalence", said Carmine. With "their wings resembling razors", are they "protective angels or angels of the apocalypse?", he asked. Japanese artist Izumi Kato brings a touch of poetry with his stone structures, painted with enigmatic faces, drawing on the Japanese tradition that each stone contains a spirit. US artist Arlene Shechet plays on contrasts, with a heavy orange abstract sculpture designed to give an impression of lightness despite its weight. "The current political situation is dark and so bringing light and colour and joy and spirit and art is very meaningful," she told AFP. 'In God We Trust', by Danish contemporary artist Danh Vo, is on show in the 'Unlimited' section AFP An Art Basel visitor has a close look at part of 'The Voyage -- A March To Utopia', by Atelier Van Lieshout AFP The 'Unlimited' section of Art Basel features 'Testimoni' by the Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker Mimmo Paladino AFP A visitor walks past 'Gobbler' by Caroline Achaintre at Art Basel AFP
Int'l Business Times
7 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
In New York, Vermeer Show Reveals Art Of The Love Letter
In a special exhibit featuring just three paintings, the Frick Collection in New York is inviting viewers to contemplate the age and the art of seduction by the written word. The show brings together a trio of paintings by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer: the Frick's own "Mistress and Maid," "The Love Letter" on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and "Woman Writing a Letter with her Maid" from the National Gallery of Ireland. They are three of six paintings by Vermeer (1632-1675) that focus on the reading and writing of letters. They also depict interactions between women of different classes. Each painting features a woman and a female servant who has likely become a confidante and an intermediary as her mistress conducts a romantic relationship, said exhibit curator Robert Fucci. "While the contents of the letters in Vermeer's paintings are not made clear, they are most likely amorous," he said. "Courtship and love letters were an important part of the artist's social context and a prevalent artistic theme." In Vermeer's era, women had increasing autonomy in choosing their life partners, Fucci noted. "Servants played a crucial role. Employers entrusted them with delivery, especially when messages needed to be shared covertly," he added. "Vermeer's Love Letters," on view until the end of August, is the first show on offer since the Frick reopened its doors in April following a top-to-bottom, $330-million renovation. The 20th century mansion filled with paintings, sculptures, and decorative pieces dating from the Renaissance to the 19th century now has 10 new galleries on its second floor, in what used to be the Frick family's private quarters. Two of the Vermeer paintings -- worth a fortune today -- helped the artist's wife, Catharina Bolnes, settle a debt with a baker after she was widowed with 11 children. The show is the first of the Dutch master's works in New York since 2001. The intimate offering is in sharp contrast to the sprawling Vermeer retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in 2023. Featuring 28 of his 35 known paintings, that was the largest collection of Vermeer's work ever assembled in one place, and drew thousands of art lovers. "Vermeer certainly continues to compel people and to inspire people today," said Aimee Ng, another curator at the Frick. A visitor takes a picture of 'Woman Writing a Letter with her Maid' at the Frick AFP 'The Love Letter' is the third of Vermeer on view at the Frick AFP
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Monsters And Memes: Labubu Dolls Ride China Soft-power Wave
Small, fuzzy and baring sharp teeth, Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's Labubu monster dolls have taken over the world, drawing excited crowds at international stores and adorning the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Cher. Beijing-based Pop Mart is part of a rising tide of Chinese cultural exports gaining traction abroad, furry ambassadors of a "cool" China even in places associated more with negative public opinion of Beijing such as Europe and North America. Labubus, which typically sell for around $40, are released in limited quantities and sold in "blind boxes", meaning buyers don't know the exact model they will receive. The dolls are "a bit quirky and ugly and very inclusive, so people can relate", interior designer Lucy Shitova told AFP at a Pop Mart store in London, where in-person sales of Labubus have been suspended over fears that fans could turn violent in their quest for the toys. "Now everything goes viral... because of social media. And yes, it's cool. It's different." While neighbouring East Asian countries South Korea and Japan are globally recognised for their high-end fashion, cinema and pop songs, China's heavily censored film and music industry have struggled to attract international audiences, and the country's best-known clothing exporter is fast-fashion website Shein. There have been few success stories of Chinese companies selling upmarket goods under their own brands, faced with stereotypes of cheap and low-quality products. "It has been hard for the world's consumers to perceive China as a brand-creating nation," the University of Maryland's Fan Yang told AFP. Pop Mart has bucked the trend, spawning copycats dubbed by social media users as "lafufus" and detailed YouTube videos on how to verify a doll's authenticity. Brands such as designer womenswear label Shushu/Tong, Shanghai-based Marchen and Beijing-based handbag maker Songmont have also gained recognition abroad over the past few years. "It might just be a matter of time before even more Chinese brands become globally recognisable," Yang said. Through viral exports like Labubu, China is "undergoing a soft-power shift where its products and image are increasingly cool among young Westerners," said Allison Malmsten, an analyst at China-based Daxue Consulting. Malmsten said she believed social media could boost China's global image "similar to that of Japan in the 80s to 2010s with Pokemon and Nintendo". Video app TikTok -- designed by China's ByteDance -- paved the way for Labubu's ascent when it became the first Chinese-branded product to be indispensable for young people internationally. Joshua Kurlantzick from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) told AFP that "TikTok probably played a role in changing consumers' minds about China". TikTok, which is officially blocked within China but still accessible with VPN software, has over one billion users, including what the company says is nearly half of the US population. The app has become a focus of national security fears in the United States, with a proposed ban seeing American TikTok users flock to another Chinese app, Rednote, where they were welcomed as digital "refugees". A conduit for Chinese social media memes and fashion trends, TikTok hosts over 1.7 million videos about Labubu. Cultural exports can "improve the image of China as a place that has companies that can produce globally attractive goods or services", CFR's Kurlantzick told AFP. "I don't know how much, if at all, this impacts images of China's state or government," he said, pointing to how South Korea's undeniable soft power has not translated into similar levels of political might. While plush toys alone might not translate into actual power, the United States' chaotic global image under the Trump presidency could benefit perceptions of China, the University of Maryland's Yang said. "The connection many make between the seeming decline of US soft power and the potential rise in China's global image may reflect how deeply intertwined the two countries are in the minds of people whose lives are impacted by both simultaneously," she told AFP. At the very least, Labubu's charms appear to be promoting interest in China among the younger generation. "It's like a virus. Everyone just wants it," Kazakhstani mother-of-three Anelya Batalova told AFP at Pop Mart's theme park in Beijing. Qatari Maryam Hammadi, 11, posed for photos in front of a giant Labubu statue. "In our country, they love Labubu," she said. "So, when they realise that the origin of Labubu is in China, they'd like to come to see the different types of Labubu in China." A visitor poses for a picture at the Pop Land them park AFP Shoppers browse for Labubu dolls at a Pop Mart pop-up store in in Bangkok AFP The Labubu dolls have taken the world by storm, and a Beijing auction house sold one four-foot-tall sculpture of the viral plush toy character for more than $150,000 AFP
