For its 2023 edition in Basel, Art Basel will bring together 285 leading international galleries to present the highest quality artworks across all media – from painting and sculpture to photography and digital works – by artists ranging from early-twentieth-century Modern pioneers to contemporary practitioners. A strong line-up of galleries from across Europe will be joined by new and returning exhibitors from around the world.
The 2023 edition will feature 21 first-time participants, including three galleries entering directly into the main Galleries sector of the show: blank projects from Cape Town, Empty Gallery from Hong Kong and Offer Waterman from London. 18 galleries will join the fair for the first time in the Feature and Statements sectors.
Messeplatz
Art Basel will also stage a site-specific presentation by Moroccan, Swiss-based sculptor and installation artist Latifa Echakhch on the city’s Messeplatz, curated by Samuel Leuenberger, Curator for Parcours, Art Basel’s sector for site-specific works. Echakhch, who represented Switzerland at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, has a long tradition of working with deconstructed stages – the symbol of wreckage and ruins – to uncover the hope and possibilities that lie within them. A sprawling superstructure situated in the Messeplatz will act as the backdrop for a series of live concerts and performances organized in collaboration with Luc Meier, Director of La Becque Artist Residency. The musical acts interrogate the fundamentals of sound and music-making as a shared experience between the artist and the audience. Beyond the performances, the various islands and stage settings will be available for the public to sing, recite poetry, share knowledge, or simply come to rest.
In addition, the fair will host compelling presentations across its special sectors.
“Our Basel fair will once again reaffirm its pre-eminent position as a platform for discovery and encounters that drive the art world.”
Noah Horowitz, CEO Art Basel
Noah Horowitz, CEO, Art Basel, says: ‘I am incredibly excited to welcome the international art community to Basel in June for another premier edition of our show and my first as the organization’s CEO. Ranging from bold contemporary positions to rare presentations by 20th-century icons, our Basel fair will once again reaffirm its pre-eminent position as a platform for discovery and encounters that drive the art world. The extraordinary breadth and quality of material within the halls will be accompanied by vibrant programming throughout the city and across its leading cultural institutions, underlining Basel’s singular appeal and
the show’s resonance at the heart of the global arts agenda.’
Vincenzo de Bellis, Director, Fairs and Exhibition Platforms, says: ‘With 21 newcomers, and 12 galleries newly entering the principal sector of the fair, this year’s show feels particularly invigorated and rich in discoveries. I am truly awed by the scope and ambition of the presentations by exhibiting galleries, once again demonstrating the exceptional quality for which our show is known. Additionally, I am thrilled that internationally renowned artist Latifa Echakhch will take over the city’s Messeplatz with her ambitious, interdisciplinary installation, inviting fair-goers and passers-by to rediscover the public dimension of the square.’
