![]() ![]() Lubaina Himid, A Fashionable Marriage, 1986.In the context of an art fair, it takes on even greater resonance. Still, the work can be treated as a commentary on rampant capitalism more general. It’s unlikely that Bijl was thinking of this conspiracy theory, considering he began the work in 2003 and currently works in Belgium. There is almost enough verisimilitude to an actual mattress store, and just enough grift-a cardboard cutout of a salesperson is here, and paper signs have been haphazardly affixed to the wall. When walking into Guillaume Bijl ’s Matratzentraum, you get the sense that this work could have potentially initiated that theory. In some corners of the internet, there is a conspiracy theory that a certain mattress store in the US might not actually be in the business of selling mattresses: its stores always seem empty, and there are too many close together. Guillaume Bijl, Matratzentraum, 2003–23.The work can be admired more seriously, too, as an expressive study of color, destabilizing whatever notions about hues and tonality one may have walking in. ![]() ![]() It’s all reminiscent of the children’s game of trying to stop a ball from hitting the ground. In a room filled with strobing lights that mimic this artist’s well-known Op art are several very largely blown-up white balloons that can be tossed into the air. Carlos Cruz-Diez, Environnement Chromointerférent, Paris 1974/2018.No notes, 10 out 10.Ĭorrection: An earlier version of this article misstated the presenting galleries. There’s something to be said about going out of your way to avoiding someone you might spot further down the aisle at an art fair. It seemed almost serendipitous that when I walked into the black box screening Christian Marclay’s Doors when clips of Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox running from Ghostface (of Scream franchise fame) appeared. They have been inherited, passed down from one generation to the next, perhaps. Those details, reproduced with painstaking precision, have now been passed down to He’s tiny seats, the suggestion being that these are the chairs’ wounds. The artist collected these from various schools, carvings, doodles, and all. But there’s something more sinister going on in this work, titled Inherited Wounds. It was only when I looked down that I saw that these 24 chairs, arranged in three diagonal lines, had been reproduced at miniature scale. A second installation about chairs? Now, that’s a gimmick. I’ll admit I let out a groan when I first walked into the room displaying He Xiangyu’s Inherited Wounds (2022–23). A label reveals that this is, in fact, a work by West. They face a stage where a public program might take place. Upon first entering the hall, these might seem like ordinary chairs. Some 99 white chairs (despite the title’s suggestion that there are 100) have been installed in the middle of the hall. This edition of Basel has added another option, courtesy a 1998 installation by Franz West. Seating can vary vastly by fair-sometimes there are benches in the aisles, while other times you may need to resort to a spot at the café or furniture lent by a design brand. If you’ve ever spent long enough at an art fair, especially one of Art Basel’s scale, you’ll be on the lookout for somewhere to sit at a certain point. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |