June 16, 2013

Art Basel 44 / Art Unlimited

The final stop in this spring's art world merry-go-round of fairs and auctions is the granddaddy of them all, Art Basel.  Now in its 44th year, Art Basel reigns supreme over FRIEZE, The Armory Show, the Venice Biennale and the countless other events that get the art world's juices flowing.

Art Basel is for serious collectors.  VIP's arrive early on private jets with the intention on being first through the doors for a chance to buy a masterpiece.  The remaining 70,000 visitors come over the next few days - many just as spectators, but quite a few are looking to acquire a work of modern or contemporary art.  Of over 1000 applications only 304 galleries are lucky enough to get a booth at the fair.  The stiff competition and high cost of participation ensures that exhibitors bring the best that they have to offer and visitors are treated to a very exciting art experience.

One of the adjuncts to the main fair is Art Unlimited, held next door to the convention center in a 125,000 sq ft exhibition hall.  It is less crowded here, perhaps because these works are not generally for sale.  Often site-specific, these installations are frequently mammoth in scale and sometimes intended to exist only for the duration of the fair.  I love going to Art Unlimited.  It's like a giant playground for adults where one can rush from one project to the next and sometimes even go inside and participate.  Some are intense, some are funny, some are pretty, some I just don't get, but it's fun to see them all.

Here are some stand outs from this year's fair:

One of the first presentations is Brazilian artist Lygia Clark's massive aluminum sculpture entitled "Fantastic Architecture".  I don't think the colored flags had anything to do with the piece, but they looked nice!


American artist Matt Mullican painted this enormous (72' wide) painting done in 70 pieces.  Intended to "map a potential image of the human individual...from the body as a chemical product composed of atoms to the mind as the theatre of intellectual production" it is called "Untitled:  Two into One becomes Three"...


Also on the XL scale is "Open Wide" the creation of Polish-born Piotr Uklanski and comprised of dyed and sewn fabric representing the human oral cavity...


On an entirely different note, this installation of riot shields joined and suspended over a group of household objects rendered in clay, represents artist Michael Joo's take on issues of state authority and civil unrest and is titled "Indivisible"...


Another enigma, although somewhat more amusing, is Justin Matherly's "Sunrise".  Crafted of concrete with walkers, crutches and other ambulatory equipment, this work incorporates motifs discovered on a Hellenistic mausoleum in Turkey...


Something more ethereal is this hanging sculpture by British artist Antony Gormly.  This work, entitled "Drift I" is created of small pieces of fine stainless steel that move and reflect the light making an ever-changing mass...


This is one of the best video installations I have seen lately.  Produced by François Curlet, "Speed Limit" is a multi media event with an Jaguar E-Type sports car converted into a hearse parked in the video room while a film is projected onto a screen.  In the film, the artist is driving the Jaguar through rain-soaked countryside in search of something the audience never learns...


My favorite work at this year's Art Unlimited has to be the hauntingly lovely installation by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota entitled "In Silence".  The room is filled with a web of black yarn and inside the tangle are two rows of empty chairs and a charred grand piano.  It is a quiet but powerful piece and the one that has stayed with me the most vividly...


Finally, I will leave you on a cheerier note - American Rob Pruitt's project "Not Yet Titled".  The walls of this stand are filled with dozens of small scale color field paintings, each with a face sketched on.  Part Pop Art, part Conceptual Art, these rows of faces on brightly colored backgrounds, cover the full spectrum of emotions and bring a smile to everyone's face...
 

That wraps up my visit to Art Unlimited 2013.  It's been a fun few days and I've seen a lot of great art, but now it's time to move along to the next stop.  I hope you'll check back soon to continue the journey!

No comments: