On June 16, 2020, Art Basel 2022 officially opened to the public, and it remains on view till June 19. More than 200 galleries and over 4,000 artists from five continents participated in this international art feast. With Basel as the center, many high-quality exhibitions will be held simultaneously during the art fair to jointly create a regional art week.

As early as February this year, Art Basel has announced line-up of 289 of the world’s leading galleries for the 2022 edition in Basel to present artworks across diversified media including oil painting, sculpture, photography and digital works by artists ranging from early 20th-century Modern pioneers to cutting-edge contemporary practitioners. As far as the participating galleries are concerned, 19 galleries have joined the show for the first time, including two Africa galleries. It is reported that in recognition of the changing gallery landscape, the exhibitor application requirements were relaxed by the Basel Selection Committee, which were first introduced for the 2021 edition of the show in Miami Beach, to allow a broader range of International art galleries to participate in, thus enriching the diversity of the art fair.

Art Basel in Basel 2022, Courtesy Art Basel.

Earlier this year, Marc Spiegle, the global director of Art Basel, claimed his expectation in a statement to the first June show of Art Basel since 2019. In this year, it is glad to see the return of many international galleries that were not able to participate due to the impact of the pandemic last year, forming such a strong exhibitor line-up of this edition. While the quality and breadth of material are comparable to previous years, Spiegle stated that in terms of the galleries participating, it is more diverse than ever before.

Alicja Kwade, Koenig Galerie. Courtesy Art Basel

Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo) Balice Hertling, Francesca Pia, Barbara Weiss, Hannah Hoffman Gallery. Courtesy Art Basel

Regarding the specific contents of Art Basel 2022, the main sector “Galleries” features 234 of the world’s leading galleries, concentratedly showcasing multiple contemporary artworks. The “Feature” sector brings together 24 curatorial projects with 8 galleries participating for the first time. “Statements” sector is dedicated to emerging artists across the world, presenting 18 solo presentations in total. The “Edition” sector concerns the field of prints and editorial works, showcasing 11 projects collaborated by art publishers and artists. As a unique platform of Art Basel, the “Unlimited” sector is curated by Giovanni Carmine, Director of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, bringing together 70 creative projects which break the boundaries between different booths. In addition, the “Unlimited Night” was held for the first time in this year.  At the same time, other sectors such as “Parcours”, “Film”, “Conversations”, and “Exhibitions in Basel” all contributed to realizing interesting and intimate interaction and connection between art, the city, and the public.

Wang Tuo, The Second Interrogation, Two-channel video installation (color, sound, 4k), 24’28”, 2022. Courtesy WHITE SPACE.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the pandemic prevention measures and travel requirements of various countries have been in a state of change. In this context, the linkage between the digital platforms and the physical space of art exhibitions has shown an inevitable trend around the world. In the Art Basel this year, besides the offline art exhibitions and events, Art Basel Live amplifies onsite presentation to ensure the visiting opportunity and experience of those audiences who cannot reach the physical show, including the Online Viewing Room (OVR) and diversified social media broadcasts.

According to the reports by The New York Times, since 2019, Art Basel, which is usually held in Switzerland every June, has welcomed its first full-scale and in-person art fair. Although the global ecology is facing many difficulties such as raging wars, falling stock prices, inflation, and the collapsing of the crypto economy, judging from the sales at Art Basel this moment, it does not show signs of downturn. Art Basel 2022 saw numerous big-ticket items sell, including the large-scale sculpture “Spider” by Louise Bourgeois.

Find the Highlights of Art Basel 2022 Edition in Pictures

01 Selected Booths

Hauser & Wirth’s booth at Art Basel 2022, featuring Louise Bourgeois’s Spider from 1996. Photographer by Jon Etter, Courtesy the artists estates and Hauser & Wirth

On the first preview day, Hauser & Wirth sold the iconic steel Spider (1996) by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois for 40 million USD, which was a record sale in her history. “Louise Bourgeois spanned the 20th and 21st centuries, possessed a fiercely independent spirit in her life and work that defied simple categorization, and she changed the game not only for women artists but for art itself. She continues to exert enormous influence in the most positive way, and we felt this was an important moment to spotlight that power,” says Marc Payot, President of Hauser & Wirth.

Marian Goodman Gallery’s booth at Art Basel 2022, Courtesy Art Basel, Background: Gerhard Richter, 930-2 STRIP (2013). Digital print on paper mounted between Alu Dibond and Perspex (Diasec). 200 x 1,000 cm.

Marian Goodman Gallery has participated in Art Basel Switzerland since its inception, and this year they show the full breadth of its program including works by the gallery's first artist, Marcel Broodthaers, alongside the newest addition to the programme, Tavares Strachan. The 11-metre 930-2 STRIP (2013) by Gerhard Richter is one of the largest works presented by Marian Goodman Gallery at the fair, which belongs to a series of works where Richter brings painting into the digital world.

Cardi Gallery’s Booth at Art Basel 2022, Courtesy Ocula. Photo: Charlie Hui.

Cardi Gallery, Milan presents Untitled (1998) by Jannis Kounellis for Art Basel 2022, which is a monumental example of the Arte Povera artist’s wall reliefs, reflecting a poetic reflection on industrial materials.

Kate MacGarry’s booth at Art Basel 2022, Courtesy Art Basel.

Kate MacGarry from London presents works by four women artists, among which Goshka Macuga's new tapestry Who Gave Us a Sponge to Erase the Horizon? (2022) is the third in her series of 3D tapestries that respond to environmental and political issues.

Alberto Giacometti, Figurine, Bronze, 10.7 x 3.4 x 4.2 cm, Edition 2 of 8, 1969。Photo by NEL-OLIVIA WAGA

Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) needs no more introduction in the art world. Figurine, a miniature version of his famous sculptures, is exhibited by Gallery Kamel Mennour at Art Basel 2022.

carlier | gebauer’s booth at Art Basel 2022, Courtesy Art Basel.

As for the visual attraction, carlier | gebauer offers an experience that can’t be beat. Asta Gröting’s giant polyurethane lilypads brings a refreshing look at the entrance. The center of the show, are the works by Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost. This Means (2019) shows her light-hearted side with a glass fountain that’s part octopus, part bosom, spouts water in the center, while on an adjoining wall, a octopod floats across the surface of a pastel-hued oil painting.

Vitamin Creative Space’s booth at Art Basel 2022, Courtesy Art Basel.

In his installation at Vitamin Creative Space’s booth, ARKEN Art Prize–winning artist Danh Vō brings together his longstanding work dealing with colonialism and his family’s history with his more recently embraced lifestyle.

02 The Best of Unlimited

Folkert de Jong, The Shooting….1st of July (2006). Courtesy Sofie Van de Velde.

Huang Yong Ping, American Kitchen and Chinese Cockroaches (2019). Courtesy Kamel Mennour.

Andrea Zittel, A-Z Personal Uniforms, 2nd Decade: Fall Winter 2003–Spring/Summer 2013. Courtesy Regen Projects.

Liu Wei, Dimension (2021). Courtesy Art Basel.

Kennedy Yanko, By Means Other Than the Known Senses (2022). Courtesy Vielmetter Los Angeles.

Isabella Ducrot, Omaggio a Mishima (Homage to Mishima) (2016). Courtesy Galerie Gisela Capitain.

A work by Leonardo Drew at Art Basel Unlimited, Courtesy Goodman Gallery.

Jim Shaw, Not Since Superman Died (2014). Photo by Dorian Batycka.

Antonio Molinero, Sans Titre (Vivasse) (2022). Courtesy Galerie Christophe Gaillard.

Browsing the OVR via: https://artbasel.com/ovr/show

News Roundup on Art Basel 2022 by CAFA ART INFO. Edited by Sue & Emily

References:

1. Art Basel: https://www.artbasel.com；

2. Forbes: The Best Of Art Basel 2022

https://www.forbes.com/sites/neloliviawaga/2022/06/16/the-best-of-art-basel-2022/?sh=33b8969b7c1f

3. Bloomberg: At Art Basel, Sales Boom Even as Economic Woes Loom https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-15/at-swiss-art-basel-sales-boom-in-face-of-global-economic-woes

4. Ocula: Art Basel in Basel 2022: Seven Sublime Booths

https://ocula.com/magazine/art-news/art-basel-in-basel-2022-seven-sublime-booths/

5. Artnet: In Pictures: See the Best of Art Basel Unlimited 2022, From a Painting Made of Hardware-Store Finds to a Shipping Container-Turned-Sculpture

https://news.artnet.com/market/in-pictures-see-the-best-of-art-basel-unlimited-2022-from-a-painting-made-of-hardware-store-finds-to-a-shipping-container-turned-sculpture-2129414

6. The New York Times: Sales at Art Basel Fair Don’t Show Signs of Downturn

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/arts/design/art-basel-fair-sales-louise-bourgeois.html