Art Basel 2022–The highly successful return of the event to June editions

Art Basel 2022 was an outstanding hybrid art exhibition held between 16.06.2022 and 19.06.2022. It received 70,000 attendees, including 289 galleries from 40 countries. There were, furthermore, over 300 attending museums and institutions. Forty-six leading expert speakers also visited the event. The presented artworks spanned all media. These ranged from rare historical masterpieces to works created by emerging voices. The event featured several alternations in its event format. Among them were exhibitor criteria changes and the absence of strict Covid-19 measures. Many leading sub-events, such as Unlimited, returned as highlights. A novel sub-event also debuted during the rendition. Art Basel 2022 exceeded the expectations of the participants.

Art Basel 2022 took place as a hybrid event and incorporated a few format changes. It comprised a live exhibition and the digital platform Art Basel Live. One of the changes was the absence of strict Covid-19 safety measures at Messe Basel. This was because of the improved pandemic situation in Switzerland. Another format change was the easing of the strict exhibitor application requirements. These included the minimal exhibition number galleries must host per year. Another lessened criterion was the rule for the permanent exhibition space. Organisers likewise eased the minimal number of operation years a gallery must fulfil. Such changes enabled a broader range of international exhibitors to attend.

Art Basel 2022 featured several highlights. These included the Galleries, Statements, Feature, Edition, and Unlimited sectors. Likewise, they incorporated the Parcours and the “Out of Sight”. Attendees could also attend the Film schedule and the Conversations. The Parcours Night and the novel Unlimited Night were also among the highlights. So were the coinciding Design Miami/Basel and Basel exhibitions.

The Unlimited sector was one of the notable features of Art Basel 2022. Giovanni Carmine curated the sub-event, which featured 70 large-scale art installations. These varied from monumental sculptures to extensive photographic series. The highlights of the location included:

• “Environment S.FILKLINIC.DEATHS.F” (2006) by Stano Filko, presented by Layr.
• “Moments Contained” (2022) by Thomas J Price, presented by Hauser & Wirth.
• A large-scale painting from the “Lampblack” series by Mary Lovelace O’Neal, presented by Jenkins Johnson Gallery
• “Untitled (Drawings for SDI)” (1986). A series of 21 individual signed drawings by Gerhard Richter, presented by Sies + Höke.
• “By means other than the known senses” (2022). A large-scale suspended hanging sculpture by Kennedy Yanko, presented by Vielmetter Los Angeles.
• “A-Z Personal Uniforms, 2nd Decade: Fall/Winter 2003–Spring/Summer 2013” (2003-2013). Seventy-six hand-crafted ensembles designed by Andrea Zittel, presented by Regen Projects.

Accompanying the sub-event was a limited edition catalogue published by Hatje Cantz. It featured descriptive text and images of each presented artwork. The area was also part of the Online Viewing Rooms. They showed the pieces using curator contextualised audio guides. A novel sub-event debuted during Art Basel 2022 as part of the Unlimited. It was held on 16.06.2022 under the name Unlimited Night. It consisted of an extensive programme that featured Ari Benjamin Meyers, Nora Turato and Chance the Rapper.

The Parcours sub-event was also among the highlights of the art fair. It featured the adage ‘How to Grow in Times of Change” and 21 site-specific installations. Its curator was Samuel Leuenberger and was held across civic and private spaces. It was furthermore hosted within new venues in Basel’s city centre. The highlights of the Parcours included:

• “Edible, Beautiful, Untamed’ (2022) by Anna Hulačová, presented by hunt kastner
• “SIÈGE DU MONDE” (2022) by Alicja Kwade. Eight bronze sculptures, presented by König Galerie.
• “River” (2022) by Matthew Lutz-Kinoy. Presented in the Lichthof by Mendes Wood DM, kamel mennour, and Fitzpatrick Gallery.
• “Silent Autumn (AB Aur b/M+M)” (2021) by Tomás Saraceno. It was displayed in the garden of Haus zum Raben by Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.

Like the Unlimited area, Parcours was also featured on Art Basel Live. The presentations took place in the form of dedicated Online Viewing Rooms. These provided further insight into the displayed works using contextualised curator audio guides. Accompanying the Parcours was the Parcours Night. It occurred throughout Basel’s city centre on 18.06.2022. It comprised live performances at various venues, with free access for the public. The programme featured performers such as:

• Antonio Jose Guzman
• Va Jankovic
• Atelier GF Workstation
• Jan Vorisek
• Ellie Ga. Museums

One of the notable features of Art Basel 2022 was the “Out of Sight” installation at Messeplatz. It consisted of a large-scale floor installation created by Lawrence Weiner. It honoured the artist, who passed away in December 2021. The original hopscotch grid-work has been adapted to be presented as a floor installation that engages the audience. It creates a space for contemplation and public gathering. It enables the audience to follow the pathway created by the work's words. Thus, they can gain empowerment and inspiration for self-discovery.

The Film programme was also among the distinguished sub-events of Art Basel 2022. Like the previous rendition, its curator was Filipa Ramos, Founding Curator of Vdrome. The programme took place at Stadtkino Basel between 13.06.2022 and 18.06.2022. It presented some of the most prominent worldwide artists who work with moving images. It achieved this by showing a selection of surveys and short film projections. The highlights included Sky Hopinka, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Tala Madani’s surveys.

The Conversations were also one highlight of Art Basel 2022. They comprised a series of conversations distributed in 12 panels. They featured 46 international speakers. These included leading artists, collectors, curators, gallerists, critics, and museum directors. They discussed diverse issues. Such featured the collectors' changing roles and responsibilities within the NFT art market. They also incorporated the challenges museums encounter when addressing climate change. Another discussed topic was ecological life in collaboration with the 12th Berlin Biennale. Emily Butler was the curator of Conversations. The highlights of the programme were:

• Representing France and Switzerland at the Venice Biennale 2022.
  • A Conversation between Zineb Sedira, Latifa Echakhchin and Zoe Whitney. They discussed the artists’ pioneering practices, common interests and shared companionship.
• Contributing to the local art scenes in Istanbul and Dallas
  • A Conversation between Füsun Eczacıbaşı, Marguerite Hoffman and Jane Morris
• The Artists Influencers
  • A Conversation between Manthia Diawara, Ellen Gallagher and Hans Ulrich Obrist

The Conversations took place between 15.06.2022 and 18.06.2022 in Hall 1’s Auditorium. They were live-streamed on Art Basel’s Facebook channel.

The Edition section of Art Basel 2022 was one of the main highlights of the art fair. It comprised an event space distributed between Hall 2’s two floors. It featured 11 leading prints and editioned work galleries. The presented galleries were:

• Borch Editions
• Cristea Roberts Gallery
• mfc-michèle didier
• Gemini G.E.L.
• Galerie Sabine Knust
• Carolina Nitsch
• Paragon
• René Schmitt
• Susan Sheehan Gallery
• STPI
• Two Palms

The Galleries section, Art Basel’s primary sector, also served as a notable highlight. It featured 234 leading galleries, including newcomer Mariane Ibrahim. They presented the Blue Notes exhibition. The exhibition featured a selection of artworks. These emulated water from a cultural, symbolic and philosophical perspective. They also simulated elements, sounds, and bodies. The title referred to the renowned music label and the natural smoothness of jazz music. The artists whose works were displayed by Mariane Ibrahim included:

The Galleries also featured several exhibitors that had been exhibited as part of the Feature or Statements. The group included:

• Balice Hertling
• The Breeder from Athens
• Ben Brown Fine Arts
• Jenkins Johnson Gallery
• JTT
• Galerie Max Mayer
• Vedovi Gallery

The Feature section featured solo and dual presentations from twenty-six galleries, including eight newcomers. The highlights of the area included the joint booths of the galleries:

• Altman Siegel and Bridget Donahue with works by Lynn Hershman Leeson
• Daniel Marzona and Gallery Sofie Van de Velde with works by Guy Mees

Further highlights from the sector included:

• Ceysson & Bénétière presented works by the abstract artist Nancy Graves
• Galerie Knoel's retrospective exhibition of works by Meret Oppenheim
• Galleria d'Arte Maggiore G.A.M.’s solo exhibition of works by Giorgio Morandi on the theme of landscape
• Mignoni’s solo booth presentation of artworks by Sol LeWitt;
• Galería RGR’s exhibition of abstract works by Oswaldo Vigas.

The Statements section featured the works of emerging artists. It featured eighteen solo presentations and ten new entries. The highlights included:

• Jan Kaps with the novel site-specific installation by Kresiah Mukwazhi
• Château Shatto with a solo presentation of works by Aria Dean
• OH Gallery with an exhibition of Aliou Diack’s evocative installation

Various exhibitions located in Basel’s leading museums coincided with Art Basel 2022:

• Fondation Beyeler
  • “Passages – Landscape, Figure, and Abstraction”
  • “Mondrian Evolution”

• Kunstmuseum Basel
  • “Picasso – El Greco”
  • “Brice Marden. Inner Space”

• Museum Tinguely
  • “Anouk Kruithof. Universal Tongue”

• Vitra Design Museum
  • “Plastic: Remaking Our World”
  • “Precious Plastic”
  • “Colour Rush: An Installation by Sabine Marcelis”

The Design Miami/ Basel 2022 also coincided with Art Basel 2022. It is the premier venue for discussing, exhibiting, collecting and creating collectable designs. The event was held between 14.06.2022 and 19.06.2022, with a Preview Day on 13.06.2022. The hosting location for the event was Hall 1 Süd in Messeplatz with curator Maria Cristina Didero. Over 40 exhibitors presented historical and contemporary designs. Like Art Basel 2022, Design Miami/Basel 2022 was a hybrid event. This included the works being available for viewing on a specialised virtual platform. The theme for the edition was “The Golden Age: Rooted in the Past”. The exhibitors were distributed in three categories. These were Gallery, Curio, and the novel Podium.
Art Basel 2022 signified the outstanding return of the art fair to hosting June editions. It featured an attendance of 70,000 attendees. This included 46 speakers, 289 galleries, and over 300 museums and institutions. The artworks spanned all media, from paintings and sculptures to photography and digital works. The artists ranged from the early 20th century to contemporary practitioners. The exhibiting galleries represented the continents Europe, Asia, the two Americas and Africa. The 19 newcomer galleries were:

As mentioned, over 300 institutions and museums attended, including:

Exhibitors were pleased to return to Basel for face-to-face networking. This included meeting new attendees and renewing old connections. According to the exhibitor group, the fair exceeded expectations.