Art Basel 2016: Salon

Art Basel‘s stimulating program of Conversations & Salon talks allow audiences to deepen their knowledge of artistic practice, the international artworld, and the art market.

Salon is an open platform for dozens of short, often informal presentations, such as artist talks, panels, lectures and performances with a range of speakers representing many different aspects of the artworld.

Conversations & Salon is programmed by Mari Spirito.

Highlights from the afternoon Salon program, an open platform for shorter presentations, include Tobias Rehberger in conversation with Theodora Vischer, Senior Curator, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, on the occasion of Rehberger’s public art project “24 Stops”, which connects the Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra Campus. Sound practices will be explored in a discussion with artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, moderated by Marcella Lista, Chief Curator, New Media Collection at Centre Pompidou, Paris. Another highlight will be a discussion on the “Architecture of Compassion” with Berlin-based artist Róza El-Hassan, Barnabás Bencsik, Curator and Founding Director, ACAX, Budapest; and Anders Kreuger, Editor of Afterall and Senior Curator at M HKA, Antwerp. On Saturday, Lithuanian-American artist Jonas Mekas will be in conversation with Bernd Scherer, Director, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. Also on Saturday, there will be a presentation on Salvatore Scarpitta’s seminal The Speed of Speed with Luigi Sansone, author of “Salvatore Scarpitta – Catalogue Raisonné”; James Harithas, Director, Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston; and Not Vital, moderated by art historian Mirta d’Argenzio. As part of Art Basel’s Salon series on the art market, the publisher of Baer Faxt and art advisor Josh Baer will discuss “Collecting: A Cultivated Risk?” with Paul Schimmel, Co-Founder, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, Los Angeles.

Additional highlights include Melissa Berman, President and CEO, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, New York; Stephen Reily, Chair-Elect, Creative Capital Foundation, and Trustee, New Museum, New York/Louisville; and Simon Castets, Director, Swiss Institute Contemporary Art, New York, debating venture philanthropy and its setbacks, moderated by Scott Stover, President, Global Art Development, Los Angeles/Paris. Moderated by Sabine Breitwieser, Director, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, with artists Sam Durant and Tracey Rose, will discuss race and justice as part of the Parcours Talk. Coinciding with Alison Knowles’ performance work in the Unlimited sector of the show, on Friday there will be a discussion titled “Creating Art in Community” with Knowles and Tim Rollins, alongside artist Davide Balula; Angel Abreu, artist, curator and member of K.O.S., New York; and Rick Savinon, artist and member of K.O.S., New York, moderated by Gianni Jetzer, curator of Art Basel’s Unlimited sector and curator-at-Large, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.

The Saturday Salon talks will see Dutch artist Jacqueline de Jong; New York-based independent curator and writer, Alison M. Gingeras; Katja Weitering, Artistic Director, COBRA Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen; and Bonnie Clearwater, Art Director and Chief Curator, NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale, Florida discuss the important legacy of European avant-garde art movement COBRA. Giovanna Amadasi, head of Cultural and Institutional Programs at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, will examine Milan’s quickly developing art scene with Barbara Casavecchia, Contributing Editor at Frieze and lecturer at Brera Academy, Milan; Alessandro Rabottini, Artistic Director, miart, Milan; and Chiara Repetto, Co-Owner, kaufmann repetto, Milan/New York, moderated by Stefano Cernuschi, Co-Owner, kaufmann repetto, Milan/New York. Celebrating 100 years of Dada in 2016, artist Jonathan Meese will be in conversation with Adrian Notz, Director, Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich, about this historical moment in art history. On the final day of Salon, Haro Cumbusyan, Director, collectorspace, Zurich; Carlos Durán, Founding Co-Director, LOOP, Barcelona; Marek Claassen, Director, ArtFacts, London/Berlin and Basim Magdy, artist, Basel/Cairo will be discussing the evolution of video collections. Finally, to close this year’s Basel talks there will be a discussion on African Art in Contemporary Collections with Joost Bosland, Director, Stevenson, Cape Town; Mercedes Vilardell, Collector, London and Robin Rhode, artist, Berlin moderated by the Johannesburg-based independent curator Andile Magengelele.