Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Art Basel
June 18–21, 2015, 11am–7pm
Unlimited, Art Basel’s unique platform for artworks that transcend the traditional art-fair stand, will this year present 74 projects from galleries participating in the show. Curated for the fourth consecutive year by Gianni Jetzer, curator-at-large at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC, Unlimited will showcase a strong selection of works by renowned international artists including Ai Weiwei, Kenneth Anger, John M. Armleder, Ed Atkins, Kader Attia, Julius von Bismarck, Martin Boyce, Martin Creed, Olafur Eliasson, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Dan Flavin, Gilbert & George, John Gerrard, Shilpa Gupta, Jeppe Hein, Pierre Huyghe, Robert Irwin, Jannis Kounellis, Ryan McGinley, Bruce Nauman, Roman Ondák, Pedro Reyes, David Shrigley, Gary Simmons, Lorna Simpson, Sturtevant and Zhang Enli.
Since first introduced at Art Basel in 2000, Unlimited has become a key element of the show, providing galleries with an opportunity to showcase large-scale sculptures, video projections, installations, wall paintings, photographic series and performance art which could not be exhibited in a gallery booth.
Highlights of Unlimited will include Ai Weiwei’s Stacked (2012), created out of 760 symbolic Forever Bicycles, the most widely used bicycles in China, presented by Galleria Continua. Presented by Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Sturtevant’s Gonzalez-Torres Untitled (Blue Placebo) (2004) is a repetition of the most iconic conceptual work by the Cuban-born American artist who died of AIDS in 1996. Lisson Gallery will present Pedro Reyes’ Disarm (Mechanized) ll (2014), part of his ambitious international project in which confiscated firearms are used to fabricate musical instruments. Kader Attia’s large-scale installation Arab Spring (2014), presented by Galleria Continua, addresses the failure of the revolution that swept across the Middle East in early 2011. Presented by Luciana Brito Galeria, Héctor Zamora’s installation of eight suspended parachutes OG-107 Scenery (2012) challenges the limits of gravity as well as commenting on political structures. Stephen Friedman Gallery will show David Shrigley’s participatory work Life Model (2012) in which a three-meter-high sculpture will be displayed in a traditional life class drawing room, with visitors invited to draw what they see. Tanya Bonakdar Gallery will present Olafur Eliasson’s Your space embracer (2004), a historically significant work in his practice using light as both tool and subject. John Gerrard’s Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada) 2014 (2014), presented by Thomas Dane Gallery, is a computer simulation of a power plant surrounded by 10,000 mirrors which adjust themselves in real time with the weather.
Julius von Bismarck’s Egocentric system (2015), presented by Marlborough Fine Art, is a live performance by the artist on a rotating paraboloid, spanning the entirety of the show. Also on a stage, Gary Simmons’s Recapturing Memories of the Black Ark (2014), presented jointly by Simon Lee Gallery, Metro Pictures, Anthony Meier Fine Arts and Regen Projects, is a sculptural installation intended for live music performances. Inspired by Brazilian indigenous traditions OPAVIVARÁ!’s Formosa Decelerator (2014), presented by A Gentil Carioca, is an interactive installation where visitors can rest in hammocks and create their own tea blends. Wu Tsang’s video installation DAMELO TODO // ODOT OLEMAD (2010–11/2014) combines fiction with documentary to address the subject of “safe spaces.” The film is based on a short story by Raquel Gutierrez and on Tsang’s own experiences. The work will be presented by Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi.
For the full gallery list for Unlimited, please visit artbasel.com.
Art Basel is taking place June 18 to June 21, with two preview days on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 16 and 17 (by invitation only). This year, 284 premier galleries from 33 countries will present works ranging from the modern period of the early 20th century to the most contemporary artists of today.
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