#here chiurai

[joostjongepier]

Wat?   Femme en pleurs (1937) door Pablo Picasso, War (2003) door Paula Rego, Musée du Louvre (1989) door Thomas Struth, Lucy (2004) door Marlene Dumas en We Live in Silence XIIII door Here Chiurai

Waar?   Tentoonstelling Capture the Moment in Tate Modern, Londen

Wanneer?   7 augustus 2023

De tentoonstelling Capture de moment verkent de relatie tussen verfkwast en fotocamera. De tentoonstelling doet wat willekeurig aan. Het laat zien wat er met de schilderkunst gebeurt na de uitvinding van de fotografie. De fotografie hoeft nu niet langer de werkelijkheid weer te geven, dat kan de fotografie doen. De schilderkunst gaat op zoek naar nieuwe wegen. Ook zijn er fotografen die kunst fotograferen en fotografen die schilderkunst omzetten in foto’s. Weer andere schilders werken als fotografen: ze construeren een werkelijkheid zoals ook schilders dat doen. Kortom: de expositie wil misschien wel teveel in één keer.

Toch zijn er een aantal interessante werken te zien. Zo is er Huilende vrouw van Pablo Picasso, gebaseerd op een afbeelding van een vrouw met een dood kind in haar armen. Picasso gebruikt dit thema ook  in de muurschildering Guernica. Pablo schilderde beide werken tijdens de Spaanse burgeroorlog als reactie op het bombardement op het Baskische stadje Guernica. Het bombardement werd uitgevoerd door de Duitse luchtmacht ter ondersteuning van de Spaanse nationalisten. Er kwamen honderden burgers om. Model voor Huilende vrouw is kunstenaar en fotograaf Dora Maar. Toen ze later naar Picasso’s portretten van haar vroeg, zei ze: “Alle portretten van mij zijn leugens. Het zijn allemaal Picasso’s; er is niet één Dora Maar bij.”

Ook bij Paula Rego is het thema ‘Oorlog’ aan de orde. Haar schilderij War is gebaseerd op een krantenfoto van Irakese burgers na een bomaanslag. Rego was geschokt door een foto van een moeder die haar krijsende baby in de arm hield, met een klein meisje naast hen. Rego geeft de scène een vervreemdend effect door de slachtoffers maskerachtige konijnenkoppen te geven.

Thomas Struth fotografeert kunst in openbare ruimtes, zoals musea en kerken. Enkele dagen geleden zag ik in het Louvre het schilderij Het vlot van Medusa van Géricault. Struth fotografeerde dit werk, terwijl er een groep Aziaten naar staat te kijken. Het geeft een vreemd effect: het lijkt of de toeschouwers naar de gruwelen op het vlot staan te kijken en daar ook nog genoegen aan beleven. Ramptoerisme op zijn best!

Ook Marlene Dumas gaat uit van een bestaand kunstwerk voor haar schilderij Lucy. Het werk toont het hoofd van een vrouw, waarbij het ambigu is of het hier slaap, dood of seksuele opwinding betreft. Lucy refereert aan een detail van De begrafenis van St. Lucia door Caravaggio. Volgens de legende was de heilige op brute wijze gemarteld, verblind en uiteindelijk in de keel gestoken. Het werk suggereert de vlakheid van een foto in het lijkenhuis.

Een ander werk dat ik onlangs zag in het Louvre is gerecreëerd in een foto. Het betreft De onthoofding van Holofernes door Judith door Artemisia Gentileschi. Naast het Bijbelverhaal verwijst de foto ook naar een voorval uit de Britse koloniale geschiedenis. Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana werd veroordeeld omdat ze opdracht had gegeven tot onthoofding van een Europese commissaris.

[hibakhassan]

Data (culture)

Here I did a painting and crayon work inspired by an artist called Kudzanai Chiurai. This piece is something out of my comfort zone and it was time consuming but in the end it was worth it.

[tonguecheeks-blog]

The ultimate ( and very humble) guide for 10 amazing days in Cape Town is ready for you .

Here you will find some guidance about where to stay, what to do, what to avoid, the must-sees and dos , based on a couple vacation in December.

1/ Where to stay :

Clifton beach : If you are looking for peace and tranquility , amazing ocean views and be close to everything this exciting city has to offer – this is the neighbourhood for you.

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Best sunsets are also seen from Clifton beach:

  I would personally avoid Camps Bay which can get very busy and noisy, with lots of traffic and people.

Waterkant : if like us you have a late overnight flight, I would advise you to spend the last night in Waterkant which is the perfect base  to have a lovely” city break” day before flying ( beautiful walks, leaving the car behind, a museum stroll for instance) and offer amazing views of the Table Mountain .

2/ What to do :

-Being active 

As you know, the Atlantic sea is cold and unless you are on the Indian ocean side of South Africa, swimming can be challenging as the water is around 4/5 degrees in the summer time. So a dip in the ocean can be super fun and a challenge for many- you can still paddle , use a surf board to play with the waves, or just have sunbathes .

Cape Town offers many amazing hiking trails , as well as climbing .

The ones I did : Lions Head , Table Mountain which I advise you hike to the top and then take the cable car down.

But the very best hike I recommend is spending the whole day or two days with an overnight stay at the Table Mountain national park by Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope but also visit Kirstenbosh National Botanical Gardens,the tree canopy is an absolute must see

  -Wine tastings : Visit the vineyards of Stellenbosch , Franschhoek and Swartland 

In Stellenbosh , I absolutely recommend to visit the Babylonstoren estate and have lunch at Babel (reservations required)and a visit of their back ( secret) medicinal garden, a real sacred place.

My second suggestion in Stellenbosh , is the Mullineux and Leeu wine estate: a peaceful vineyard and hotel ( with a great restaurant) completely away from the beaten track . Honest wines, art , sculpture and great hospitality.  Absolute HEAVEN !

Haven’t had the chance to visit Swartland , unfortunately as it is the place where the so-called Swartland Revolution wine producers are. Next time for sure !

– Art : visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa – recently opened in september 2017

Architecture delight , in my opinion competing with the biggest museums out there : a marvel of shape , form , views and upcoming new young Contemporary African artists .

 Kudzanai Chiurai was a great discovery . I loved the fact that curators’offices were incorporated in the museum itself , first time I see that, you can see the people behind the exhibitions during their day-to-day at the museum – awesome !

– Restaurant scene in Cape town:

*Breakfast spots : Cape town is, as any modern cities, following the big healthy , organic trend

A big favorite is the Kauai (“Naturally”) , although it is a chain, it offers fantastic healthy breakfast and smoothies options ( both in Camps Bay and on Kloof Street )

In Sea Point, I loved going to Scheckter’s RAW Gourmet, with great and sometimes weird but tasty vegan options.

Matcha Latte

Weird (but yummy hotdog)

Another option , just opposite Raw, is Kleinsky’s Delicatessen if you are fan of Jewish food and like pastramis and bagels.

*Dining :One thing to know is that restaurants and bars close early in Cape Town- kitchens close around 9pm ( sometimes even earlier) and bars/clubs at 2am . Also, most of best restaurants in town, especially during the high season, require advance booking.

For me the best diner experience I had in Cape Town was in Constantia ( a must see neighbourhood with its scenic views and vineyards ) at Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia . This lovely restaurant does not require advance booking which came handy. The views are magnificent, the service knowledgeable, and food very good. Only Beau wines available here , which is a shame for natural wine seekers like myself .

Views from the bar

The Amphitheatre

The Vineyards

Constantia

The bar overlooking Constantia

The restaurant

The Menu

The Menu

Another very good experience was at Ash on Church Street, which shares the same floor space than the wine bar Publik, which offers the best wine options in town . The food at Ash was very satisfactory , and again if you come a little early, the staff which is very nice, will try to help you with a table if you don’t have a booking.

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For vegetarians or fish lovers, I recommence Sea Breeze Fish and Shell on Bree Street, love the outdoor area and the secret Rum bar at the back !

Kingklip local south african fish to try

the rum bar !

For Japanese food, try Shio in Waterkant which offers excellent japanase food with a twist.

*Inside of the Cape of Good Hope National Park, I highly recommend having lunch at the restaurant there called Two Oceans , although touristy, it serves delicious food and great service:

  *Bars : outside of the famous Silo Rooftop bar , I highly recommend The Gin Bar, secret entrance through a chocolate store called the Honest Chocolate café  , it’s a great place to go before in the late afternoon and stay in the lovely courtyard or late at night in the intimate bar as the bar remains open late although the door is closed 😉 best speak easy bar I have been for a long time, great selection of gins and a great great music !!

Another good bar is at Kloof House on Kloof Street,it has a nice courtyard garden nested in this old colonial house, and a both a restaurant and a bar. The food is basic but the atmosphere is cool .

*Another institution to visit during your stay is the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel , build in 1899 in English Colonial Style, an afternoon (ice) tea in its beautiful garden with views on the Table Mountain is worth a visit

Can’t end this post without talking about the nature and wild nature found in Cape Town – from Elephants, to Lions but also African Penguins !

  Thank you Cape Town for a fabulous holiday – until next time !

Cape Town: The Mother City The ultimate ( and very humble) guide for 10 amazing days in Cape Town is ready for you .

[xhosabits]

“The Revolution Will Not Be Instagrammed” Self-exiled in South Africa, graduating from the University of Pretoria with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts, and subsequently art(iculating) his way across the globe, Kudzanai Chiurai, is an African artist of note; narrating his comprehension of the political, economic, socially disrupted and psychologically displacing scenes of modern times through his contemporary works of art. . . . With a string of both Group and Solo exhibitions, Kudzanai is also adorned with a variety of accolades, awards and nominations. . . . Pictured here: The Revelations Series (part of, 2011) - a series of mocking portraits of African leaders. 1. Revelations I 2. Revelations III 3. Revelations V 4. Revelations VI 5. Revelations XI . . . #KudzanaiChiurai #BlackArtists #ContemporaryArtists #ArtinFact #Art #AfricanArt #Revelations #GoodmanGallery #joburgartfair (at LockDown) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7I6HDjtOg/?igshid=1u2n9m6hq2gcy

[heywhereartthou]

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in Cape Town is the largest museum to open among African countries in a century. According to the museum’s designer, Thomas Heatherwick, this is the first institution, much like the Tate in London, that showcases the contemporary art of South Africa and other African countries. 

But an institution of this nature, established and designed by a mostly White team, begs the question: can it also reach South Africans, who are living in post-apartheid aftermath?

Art created by Black artists (and mostly curated by Black curators) fill the majority of its 80 galleries, surrounded by spiraling walls (pairs of old grain silos in Cape Town’s harbor serve as its foundation). Cape Town, though, is a complicated city, a hot spot for European tourists and affluence, inaccessible to the townships and communities that encircle it. Despite this complexity, @thaniapetersen (whom we featured in Episode 4) says ZeitzMOCAA is a great start for artists of color, to help them be visible and their voices heard. “‘What is important is that we are here now, and we are changing it,’” she said, according to @globeandmail. “‘The only way we can change it is actually by being present in these spaces. If everything is kept outside, how will we ever be able to change it?’” (Photos via @zeitzmocaa on Instagram. Photo 1 features @lungiswa_gqunta's “Divider” (2016) in the front and @sthemse's “Signal Her Return” (2016) in the back. Photos 2 and 3 showcases works from Kudzanai Chiurai and @nandiphamntambo)

[braithwaitehilton]

From Justin Dingwall to Kudzanai Chiurai.

[ornella3d-blog]

Mariane Ibrahim Gallery is pleased to present We Live in Silence, a solo exhibition of new works from Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai Chiurai. Running from September 13 until October 29, the exhibition presents the final moment of a longstanding trilogy from the artist, recounting narratives from past, present, and future colonies.

Drawing from the previous series – Revelations (2011) and Genesis [Je n’isi isi] (2016) – as well as Mauritanian director Med Hondo’s seminal piece of cinema Soleil O (1969), the film-based works present an introspective journey into colonialism at the dawn of independence.

Incorporating religious and populist iconography, Chiurai’s work emancipates symbols from pre-existing propagandist values – previously used to serve and democratize colonialism and racism – to re-stage a Black experience indoctrinated by religious fundamentalism and political corruptions. This re-appropriation of codified aesthetics works to create an uneasy environment which compels the viewer to become less an observer, more a participant, within the space.

Referencing Med Hondo’s cinematic masterpiece, Chiurai’s intersecting narrative positions race and colonization against the backdrop of migration, religion, and gender. The film presents a compelling narrative and visceral imagery of “colonial futures,” with Chiurai particularly revisiting the contributions made by women in early post-colonial struggles. Within the works, Chiurai reflects on the role of Nationalist figures in the emancipation of women during liberation, and the statement by revolutionary Thomas Sankara that ”There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.

Within We Live in Silence, Chiurai intentionally presents ideas which blur the lines between past, present, and future. Immersing the viewer into a non-linear experience of being, the artist employs this trans-generational perspective to explore the persisting effects of colonial dominance. Here his black protagonists dissolve their inferiority by enslaving and enchaining the ‘other’, to satisfy a dominant stature.

source: http://marianeibrahim.com/artists/kudzanai-chuirai/kudzanai-chiurai-we-live-in-silence-sept-13-oct-29-2018

[caveartfair]

Completely Revamped Art Basel in Miami Beach Sees Upswing in Early Sales

Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

What happens when you take dozens of the world’s most important collectors, line them up on an 82-degree day in Miami’s famous sunshine outside of a convention center that’s mid-renovation, and change up the layout so their favorite dealers aren’t where they last saw them?

Turns out, they still buy art.

The 16th edition of Art Basel in Miami Beach opened on Wednesday morning to VIP guests with a newly renovated interior that adds 10% more space to the Miami Beach convention center and a complete reshuffle of every gallery on the map. The new layout offers dealers more room to spread out their wares, and gives visitors wider halls to walk along and a pair of large plant-filled plazas in which to sit, talk, or even exercise: In one, a fairgoer in bright purple sneakers sat doing his morning stretches. But the changes meant some people were a bit spun around, players in an art-fair game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Installation view of David Zwirner’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

“I think people are having a hard time finding what they used to find, and there were some complaints about getting in as it was quite a long wait,” said David Zwirner, who had a booth near the entrance where VIPs picked up their passes. “But once people are in here I think they’re very happy.”

Zwirner adjusted to the new layout and the delayed entry by updating his normal rules: Instead of the typical one-hour window he allows for collectors in Miami to decide whether to pull the trigger, they were given two to locate his booth, see the works in person, and make a decision. At 12:15, just over an hour into the fair, he lacked his usual ebullience. But an hour later, the cloud had lifted, and he reeled off something like a dozen sales (a large share of them to Americans, he said) in one breath.

They included a Neo Rauch painting that went for $1.2 million, Josef Albers’s red Homage to the Square (1957) for an undisclosed sum, a Yayoi Kusama painting, Standing at the Flower Bed (2013) for $1 million, a Franz West sculpture for $800,000, a Donald Judd sculpture for $850,000, a Brice Marden for $700,000, and three works by Wolfgang Tillmans (Central Nervous System, 2013; river bed​, 2017; and moonrise October, 2017) for $95,000 each.

Installation view of Lehmann Maupin’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

As we know in the art world, appearance is (kind of) everything. The cosmetic changes were largely applauded by dealers, especially those with booths on the east side of the convention center, closest to the entrances. David Maupin of New York gallery Lehmann Maupin said the changes had gotten rid of visual disruptions like electrical boxes, making the fair “much smoother, more elegant.”

“It’s much more comprehensible to the visitor,” Maupin said. “The new layout is definitely an improvement.”

His booth, on the east side of the building, was buzzing with collectors on Wednesday, and he called it a “great day,” with an improvement in sales from last year. Two recent paintings by Chinese artist Liu Wei sold for between $200,000 and $250,000, as did two woven glass bead works by Liza Lou: the smaller Relief 2 (2017) for between $115,000 and $125,000, and the larger Relief 3 (2017) for between $130,000 and $140,000, which went to a trustee of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. Lou’s first New York show in a decade will open Lehmann Maupin’s new 24th Street location next year.  

Maupin said that while the fair’s new look certainly helped, it was attention from institutions and curators that are the biggest factor in driving sales for his artists. One example was Mary Corse, who is due to open two shows in the spring, including a presentation at Dia:Beacon and a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Two large paintings from her 2017 “DNA” series sold for between $250,000 and $300,000.

“These things really drive the interest, whether it’s museum exhibitions or curatorial interest, it’s very important to these artists’ careers, that kind of validation or endorsement,” Maupin said.

Installation view of Lisson Gallery’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

Lisson Gallery, which has outposts in London and New York, had not moved dramatically from its usual location, and was still near the B entrance. But Alex Logsdail, Lisson’s international director, said the layout had pushed more people towards his booth than in prior years.

“The number of people we’re getting through, because there are only two entrances rather than four, is just overwhelming,” Logsdail said.

Sales were brisk, too, including two Mary Corse paintings from the gallery’s Miami inventory, although a shimmering silvery-white Corse painting in the booth, Untitled (White Inner Band, Beveled) (2012), was still on reserve as of Wednesday evening, with an asking price of $325,000 (Lisson represents her in London). Lisson also sold a red untitled acrylic and aluminum Carmen Herrera floor sculpture Untitled Estructura (Red) (1962/2015), created as a monument to her deceased brother, for $500,000; Anish Kapoor’s Glisten (Organic green Satin) (2017) for £600,000; a Rodney Graham for $180,000; a Shirazeh Houshiary for $125,000; a Pedro Reyes for $55,000; a Stanley Whitney for $100,000; and a Daniel Buren for €130,000. Overall prices in the booth ranged from the mid-five figures to over $1 million.

Art Basel in Miami Beach locates itself at a key connection point between the North, Central, and South American art markets, and Logsdail said many of his sales were driven by Latin American collectors. He cited Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia as countries from which his collectors hail, although some of them may be based in Miami. He said the gallery has been cultivating relationships with the continent for years, doing SP-Arte in São Paulo and Zona Maco in Mexico City.

Installation view of Galerie Thaddaues Ropac’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

Thaddaeus Ropac, owner of the eponymous gallery with outposts in Salzburg, Paris, and London, said North American and, to a lesser degree, European buyers were his strongest clients on opening day, with Latin American and local Miami collectors even less of a factor for his sales. Those included a James Rosenquist, Coenties Slip Studio (1961), for $2.7 million; a John Chamberlain painted steel wall sculpture, Sashimi Mendoza (1979) for $1.35 million; and an Alex Katz painting of Calvin Klein models, CK 21 (2017) for $550,000. He said nearly the whole booth was sold or on hold by midday.

The redesign meant that some galleries on the western side of the building were a little farther away from front-of-the-house action. Many of the booths focused on secondary market sales, which were furthest away from the entrances but directly at the entrance to the VIP lounge, were a little quieter than their contemporary peers.

Installation view of Goodman Gallery’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

Elizabeth Callinicos of South Africa’s Goodman Gallery, which represents artists from across Africa as well as international artists, said her booth’s new location felt to her “a bit hidden.”

Still, she said she was having a lot of conversations with institutions, and within the first hour had sold out all available paintings by young Zimbabwean artist Misheck Masamvu. The gallery also sold all three editions out of five that it had on offer of African-American artist Hank Willis Thomas’s lenticular All or Nothing/Nothing at All (2017), in which the two phrases blur into each other as you walk past.

The gallery also sold works by two other Zimbabwean artists, Gerald Machona and Kudzanai Chiurai, by the end of the day. Goodman’s owner, Liza Essers, said in a statement she was pleased to see collectors “engaging with work that speaks to a diversity of global perspectives.”

Installation view of Salon 94’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2017. Photo by Alain Almiñana for Artsy.

Just next to the entrance, New York’s Salon 94 showed a selection of four large paintings, each around six feet by eight feet, by Aboriginal painter Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, who partner and director Alissa Friedman said first showed at Art Basel in Miami Beach three years ago, soon after he joined the program. Tjapaltjarri also had a show at the gallery in the fall of 2015. Two out of the four untitled works from this year on offer had sold within the first half hour.

The location was new for Salon 94—and newly prominent.

“We are front and center in a way that we haven’t been before,” Friedman said, calling the atmosphere “slightly frenzied” in the fair’s early hours.

“But,” she said, “it feels like good energy!”

from Artsy News

[caveartfair]

The 20 Best Booths at Art Basel in Basel

After a marathon six-week circuit—spanning the Venice Biennale, documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel, and the once-a-decade sculpture projects in Muenster—the art world arrives for Art Basel, the Swiss mega-fair whose 48th edition opened to VIPs this morning.

This year’s fair brings together 291 galleries from 35 countries, including newcomers from Egypt and New Zealand who are among a slew of promising first-time exhibitors. As ever, many galleries have made a concerted effort to bring their best to Basel—from standout solo presentations by emerging artists to historic showings of rare work that hasn’t been seen in decades. Below, we highlight 20 booths you should be sure not to miss as you make the rounds.

Galleries Section, Booth L20

Sadie Coles HQ

With works by Urs Fischer

Installation view of Sadie Coles HQ’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

If you weren’t among those who carefully re-sculpted (or carved your name into) Urs Fischer’s clay replica of Aristide Maillol’s La Rivière (1938) last summer at New York’s JTT Gallery, you have a second chance to get your hands dirty. At Art Basel, London gallery Sadie Coles HQ presents another iteration of Fischer’s malleable sculpture: a rendition of Auguste Rodin’s steamy The Kiss (1889), in which the two enduring lovers are now at the mercy and imaginations of fairgoers.

Galleries, Booth R16

Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi

With works by Anne Imhof, Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys, Oscar Murillo, Stephen G. Rhodes, Aldo Mondino, Symonds, Pearmain, Lebon, Anthony Symonds, Betty Woodman, Yuri Ancarani, Wu Tsang

Installation view of Isabella Bortolozzi’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Aldo Mondino, who once famously crafted a likeness of Marcel Duchamp using 70 kilos of chocolate, takes center stage at Isabella Bortolozzi’s booth. The late Italian artist’s giant facade tiled with sugar, Muro del Pianto (Wailing Wall), 1988, resembles an urban cinderblock wall, complete with sprouting weeds. The work was first mounted at Villa Pignatelli in Naples; at press time it was on reserve for €130,000.

Galleries, Booth K8

neugerriemschneider

With works by Ai Weiwei, Pawel Althamer, Billy Childish, Olafur Eliasson, Andreas Eriksson, Mario García Torres, Sharon Lockhart, Renata Lucas, Michel Majerus, Mike Nelson, Jorge Pardo, Elizabeth Peyton, Tobias Rehberger, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Pae White

Installation view of neugerriemschneider’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

The relationship between man and nature is the focus here for Berlin gallery neugerriemschneider, whose booth features both Rirkrit Tiravanija’s 3D-printed bonsai tree and a pair of Ai Weiwei’s twisting, cast-iron tree root sculptures. Installed across booth floors and walls that are painted a dramatic matte black, the installation seems to suggest a universe in which all of these entities are infinitely connected.

Galleries, Booth R4

Buchholz

With works by Anne Imhof, Wolfgang Tillmans, Michael Krebber

Installation view of Buchholz’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

With a giant painting by Venice Biennale star Anne Imhof and a series of photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans, who’s just mounted a solo at Basel’s Fondation Beyeler, Berlin’s Buchholz stokes the momentum of two artists currently receiving well-deserved accolades. Don’t miss the gorgeous crushed and folded abstract works by Tillmans which open the booth, on offer for $60,000 apiece and representing a rarer, but extremely influential, aspect of his practice.

Galleries, Booth H13

David Nolan Gallery

With works by Barry Le Va, Jorinde Voigt, Jim Nutt

Installation view of David Nolan Gallery’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

In the late 1960s, with the swipe of a sledgehammer, Barry Le Va created a sculpture from a stack of glass that would reimagine the idea of what a sculpture could be. This seminal work, On Corner, On Edge, On Center Shatter - Two Layers at a Time (Within the Series of Layered Pattern Acts) (1968–71/2017), is an easy highlight of David Nolan’s booth, where it’s on offer complete with the artist’s instructions.

Galleries, Booth G14

Anthony Meier Fine Arts

With works by Donald Judd, Gerhard Richter, Jim Hodges, Donald Moffett, Sigmar Polke, John Chamberlain

Installation view of Anthony Meier Fine Arts’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Judd’s signature stacks are a mainstay of art fairs, but this rare work will stop you in your tracks. On offer for $18.5 million, the large, 10-unit sculpture is the only one ever created in this colorway, combining green plexiglass with panels of radiant copper.

Galleries, Booth R7

Victoria Miro

With works by Milton Avery

Installation view of Victoria Miro’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

A series of paintings and works on paper by influential American master Milton Avery mark Victoria Miro’s debut exhibition of the artist. It’s a rare opportunity to peer into the practice of the late artist, whose paintings were prefaced by study drawings and watercolors that are lesser-known but equally beautiful. Particularly notable: a small sketch made with oil crayon in 1953 (Sand, Sea & Sky), revealed as inspiration for two 1958 paintings that also picture three-part seascapes depicting the horizon, ocean, and shore. Milton made these works during summers spent in Provincetown, Cape Cod, amongst artist friends like Mark Rothko.

Statements, Booth N1

Magician Space

With works by Wang Shang

Young Chinese artist Wang Shang also happens to be a certified gemologist, so it’s little surprise to find that his abstract sculptures, which reimagine traditional motifs of Chinese gardens and landscape paintings, appear to feature a multitude of rocks. However, despite their geological forms, the sculptures are actually rendered from stainless steel that has been printed with high-resolution digital images of marble textures. They’re hypothetical markers for a very contemporary meditation zone.

Galleries, Booth S17

A Gentil Carioca

With works by João Modé, Vivian Caccuri, Maria Nepomuceno, Arjan Martins, Rodrigo Torres

Installation view of A Gentil Carioca’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

This tropical-inflected installation by Rio de Janeiro-based gallery A Gentil Carioca is, in fact, conceived to counter the idea that Brazilian culture is all about its landscape. Instead, amongst tropical foliage and a wooden path constructed by artist João Modé, a series of artworks is installed to represent the country’s meaningful artistic output, as varied as the country itself, which boasts 274 languages.

Galleries Section, Booth R12

Goodman Gallery

With works by Nolan Oswald Dennis, Misheck Masamvu, Kudzanai Chiurai, Tracey Rose, Kendell Geers, Gerhard Marx, Sue Williamson, Ghada Amer, William Kentridge, Alfredo Jaar, David Goldblatt

Installation view of Goodman Gallery’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

This mural by 29-year-old South African artist Nolan Oswald Dennis takes Western perspective and flips it on its head. The artist, who grew up in exile in Zambia and is currently studying art, science, and technology at MIT, has created a site-specific work that reimagines astrological zodiac constellations, typically designed from a northern perspective, through a Southern view. Constellations (Black Liberation Zodiac) sold to Jean Pigozzi, keeper of the world’s largest private collection of African art, for 20,000 euros on the fair’s opening day.

Statements, Booth N15

Galerie Emanuel Layr

With works by Cécile B. Evans

Installation view of Galerie Emanuel Layr’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Climb the steps of a Brutalist-inspired architectural sculpture to experience Cécile B. Evans’s new film, Amos’ World: Episode One (2017), in a truly immersive way. Inside, the video installation screens an episode of a television show Evans created that chronicles an architect (named Amos) as well as the tenants of a housing project he’s built. (Soon enough, you’ll realize that you’re one of them, too.)

Galleries, Booth F13

Tornabuoni Art

With works by Lucio Fontana

Installation view of Tornabuoni Art’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Spotting an iconic Lucio Fontana slashed-canvas painting at an art fair isn’t uncommon. But in this solo booth by Tornabuoni Art, four of the Italian artist’s extremely rare “Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio (Spatial Concepts, The End of God)” paintings warrant a considerable pause. They’re among only 38 such shaped paintings created over the course of two years between 1963–64. They are the most expensive among Fontana’s works, with an example from the series having reached an auction record of $29 million in 2015. Be warned: The works here are priced even higher than that.

Features, Booth J12

James Cohan Gallery

With works by Nam June Paik

Installation view of James Cohan Gallery’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Video art is once again on the rise, evidenced by strong showings in Muenster and a flurry of excellent installations across Unlimited. This solo booth is a timely reminder of the father of the medium himself: Nam June Paik. Works on view span from 1973 to 1994, including a television-gazing Buddha (TV Buddha,1992; $375,000) and a shrine that conflates worship with television (Portable God,1989; $550,000). “He was a sage,” says the gallery’s senior director David Norr. “He saw what was to come.”

Galleries Section, Booth B15

Sprüth Magers

With works by Kaari Upson, Louise Lawler, Otto Piene, Jenny Holzer, Thomas Demand, John Baldessari, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Andreas Gursky, Otto Piene, Pamela Rosenkranz, Rosemarie Trockel, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Thomas Scheibitz, Llyn Foulkes, Thomas Ruff, Craig Kauffman, George Condo, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Gary Hume, Sterling Ruby

Installation view of Sprüth Magers’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

This stunning photograph by Andreas Gursky sees a bed of solar panels overpopulating a rolling landscape in France. Les Mées (2016) foregrounds the intersection of nature and technology; while not intended as a political statement, it’s an image that finds even greater resonance in the wake of Trump’s abandonment of the Paris Agreement.

Galleries, Booth B7

Peter Freeman, Inc.

With works by Franz Erhard Walther, Mel Bochner, Catherine Murphy, Dove Allouche, Lucy Skaer, Jan Dibbets, Michael Heizer, Richard Pettibone, Richard Serra, Mel Bochner, Thomas Schütte, Robert Filliou, Alex Hay, Dimitrije Bašičević Mangelos, Silvia Bächli, Richard Tuttle, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Sigmar Polke, David Adamo, Josephine Halvorson

Installation view of Peter Freeman’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Peter Freeman presents a large canvas wall sculpture by Franz Erhard Walther, on the heels of his Golden Lion win at the Venice Biennale. The German artist, who also shows with Berlin’s KOW, has pioneered interactive and performative sculpture since the 1960s. Indeed, like many of his works on view in Venice or in his ongoing retrospective at Spain’s Museo Reina Sofía, this piece is designed to be touched. Offering an assortment of canvas elements to play with—from a jacket you can slip on, to a cone you can step into—Modellsammlung (1983) is only fully activated once the viewer chooses to oblige.

Galleries, Booth H6

Galerie 1900–2000

With works by Johannes Baargeld, Hans Bellmer, Victor Brauner, André Breton and Arshile Gorky, Salvador Dalí, Nicolas De Staël, Óscar Domínguez, Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Al Hansen, Jacques Herold, Hannah Höch, Marcel Jean, Ray Johnson, Tetsumi Kudo, Wifredo Lam, Man Ray, Wolfgang Paalen, Richard Pettibone, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Roy, Yves Tanguy, Raoul Ubac, Robert Whitman, Wols  

Installation view of Galerie 1900–2000’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Within a booth perfectly jam-packed with a who’s-who of Dada and Surrealism—from Hans Bellmer to Marcel Duchamp—one small painting by Picasso shouldn’t be missed. Gifted to André Breton in 1941, the painting was Picasso’s attempt to help his friend out financially during the war—but Breton kept it instead. The 1939 painting, priced between €5 million and €10 million, is titled Portrait de Dora Maar, after Picasso’s lover and muse. It has never before been on the market and comes to Art Basel directly from Breton’s family.

Statements, Booth N12

Antenna Space

With works by Guan Xiao

Installation view of Antenna Space’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

Guan Xiao’s latest installation was created in the dark of winter in Beijing, when the up-and-coming Chinese artist was in his studio dreaming of spring. Titled Air Freshener, Spray (2017; $48,000), it assembles artificial materials into a synthetic landscape—complete with a lightbox sunset foregrounded by characters constructed from plastic plants, projectors, car exhaust pipes, among other things. It’s work like this that has landed the 34-year-old artist at this year’s Venice Biennale.

Galleries, Booth S1

Esther Schipper

With works by Tino Sehgal, Pierre Huyghe, Roman Ondak, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Gabriel Kuri, Tomás Saraceno, David Claerbout

Installation view of Esther Schipper’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

One of the fair’s best presentations is also one you might miss: Behind an unmarked door in Esther Schipper’s booth, Tino Sehgal presents Ann Lee and Marcel (2016), a performance first shown at Palais de Tokyo in 2016 in which a young boy and girl enact the characters of Marcel Duchamp and Ann Lee (Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno’s conceptual manga character) respectively. Listen as the children chat about alternative dimensions or their love of chess—and don’t be surprised if they turn a question your way.

Statements, Booth N18

ChertLüdde

With works by Zora Mann

Installation view of ChertLüdde’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

This solo presentation by British artist Zora Mann, the just-announced winner of the Baloise Art Prize, beautifully collides fragmented aspects of the artist’s life. The mixed-media installation examines her nomadic childhood—Mann traveled between Europe, Africa, and the U.S. thanks to her parents, members of the Rajneesh spiritual movement—as well as her 11-year-long modeling career and drug use. Step through a plastic-bead curtain, fashioned from recycled flip-flops by Kenyan artisans, and you’ll discover a giant psychedelic painting covering two of the booth’s walls. At its center, a mandala made from eyes and hands invites the viewer into a meditative and reflective state—helped along by giant, eye-shaped cushions scented with mint and lavender.

Galleries, Booth P16

Sies + Höke

With works by João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva

Installation view of Sies + Höke’s booth at Art Basel, 2017. Photo by Benjamin Westoby for Artsy.

If you do a double take on this installation by masters of illusion João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva, their mission has been accomplished. The Portuguese duo has long turned the tables on reality and visual perception, and here, they combine a handful of sculptures to greatly amusing effect. In addition to playing cards that shoot from the wall and a hanging rope that could pass for a snake, the strongest work (Washing Machine with Leopard, 2013) stuffs a leopard suit into a spinning front-loading washing machine.

—Molly Gottschalk

from Artsy News