2016.06.23 Thu, by
Ran Dian Design: Basel Pavilions

One of the main themes of Basel this year was “pavilions”. Actually, every year it’s a theme, but this year in particular. With so many Kunsthalle and museums, it is bound to be so. Fondation Beyeler is a pavilion. So is Art Basel itself, and certainly Art Unlimited is. And yet, what is a pavilion? A structure with a specific purpose  – sporting, decorative, sun shelter, play equipment. It can be temporary, a tent. An umbrella is a pavilion. The thing is a pavilion is always anthropomorphic: it needs a person to complete the equation. It is not only how you react in relation to it but how you yourself are seen in relation to it. With a pavilion, one is often both subject and object.

Below we look at some of the diverse examples, but there were plenty more we could have we could have added, including Marinus Boezem “Show IX – Curtain Room” (1965/2016), El Anatsui “Gli (Wall)” (2010; Jack Shainman Gallery), John McCracken “Six Columns” (2006; David Zwirner) and even Hans Op de Beeck‘s “The Collector’s House” (2016; Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York; Galleria Continua; Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna) and in the Messeplatz was Oscar Tuazon‘s “Zome Alloy”, an adaptation of Steve Baer’s “Zome House” (1972). We already mentioned Christo’s shop in our Art Unlimited article. And we could go on and on about the museums, such as the Schaulager, Basel Kunsthalle and Fondation Beyeler too.

Anyway, you get the picture. Whether machines for living or objects of desire, art, architecture and design are interchangeable, and popular design and advertising may be (getting) the better of part of art itself.

Hence Ed Ruscha‘s fascination with gas stations.

Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt “Irregular Tower” 1999 (Alfonso Artiaco)

Haegue Yang riffing on Sol LeWitt (and Art Unlimited) (Kukje Gallery, Seoul, and Tina Kim Gallery, New York)

Haegue Yang riffing on Sol LeWitt (and Art Unlimited) (Kukje Gallery, Seoul, and Tina Kim Gallery, New York)

Ai Weiwei ghost pavilion,

Ai Weiwei ghost pavilion, “White House” 2015 (neugerriemschneider, Berlin)

AA Bronson

AA Bronson “Folly” 2015 (Esther Schipper, Berlin)

Chiharu Shiota

Chiharu Shiota “Accumulation: Searching for Destination” 2014-2016 (Galerie Daniel Templon)

Vlassis Caniaris

Vlassis Caniaris “In Praise” 1993—political, Greek, Europe. (Galerie Peter Kilchmann)

Entrance to the great art tent, Art Unlimited, with Dan Graham's

Entrance to the great art tent, Art Unlimited, with Dan Graham’s “Two V’s Entrance-Way” 2016 (Lisson Gallery), with Thomas Bayrle’s “Flugzeug (Airplane), 1982/83 (Gavin Brown’s enterprise) in the background. (a similar work was shown at the last documenta in Kassel); and Jonathan Monk “Site/Specific/Pallet/Rock” 2013/2014 (Blondeau & Cie, Dvir Gallery, Lisson, Meyer Riegger)

Jim Hodges (Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco)

Jim Hodges (Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco)

Design Miami/Basel:

Design Miami/Basel:

Design Miami/Basel:

Design Miami/Basel:

Design Miami/Basel: Design Escurio

Design Miami/Basel: Design Escurio

Kader Attia

Kader Attia “The Culture of Fear: An Invention of Evil” 2013 (Galerie Nagel Draxler, Berlin)

Jean Prouvé at Design Miami / Basel

Jean Prouvé at Design Miami / Basel

Paulina Olowska scene at Simon Lee Gallery

Paulina Olowska scene at Simon Lee Gallery

Alicja Kwade

Alicja Kwade “Out of Ousia” 2016 (303 Gallery, König Galerie, kamel mennour)

Design Miami/Basel: Erastudio Apartment-Gallery, Milan

Design Miami/Basel: Erastudio Apartment-Gallery, Milan

Design Miami/Basel: Gallery ALL (Los Angeles & Beijing)

Design Miami/Basel: Gallery ALL (Los Angeles & Beijing)