VOLTA13 BASEL'S ART FAIR FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS 6/12-17

VOLTA13 BASEL'S ART FAIR FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TEENAGE RISING – VOLTA13 OPENING DAY Basel, Tuesday, June 13: Within the current global society of stress and strife, the possibility of art as means of social change, of balm to misunderstanding and beacon for the marginalized, is a very real and powerful thing. Assembled under Markthalle’s cupola dome was perhaps the most mature VOLTA Basel edition yet, with 70 galleries assembling their international artist retinue, many of whom harnessed the challenge to inform and educate as seriously as to soothe and complement. The bustling preview crowd answered with concerted attendance, thoughtful dialogue, and many sales. “At thirteen we are not fully-fledged adults yet, and VOLTA was always intended to be a contrast to the hyper-bustle, well-heeled, blue-chip offerings across town,” noted Amanda Coulson, VOLTA’s Artistic Director. “So while we have reached a level of polish expected with the longevity of our presence here, nonetheless we still maintain the air of surprise and spirited independence. With the level of appreciation we experienced today, it appears this quality is extremely valued.” image: Hubertus Hamm’s “fingerprint portrait” reflects upon his Galerie Kornfeld’s (Berlin) booth, featuring further experimental portrait photography by the artist as well as new paintings by Franziska Klotz on the far wall. Galerie Kornfeld (Berlin) kicked off with an ambitious two-artist booth featuring Hubertus Hamm’s large-format experimental photography and recent research into “selfie culture”, contrasted by Franziska Klotz’s gestural paintings of fight or flight and fear, with their glaze-like impasto surfaces. Catching himself reflected in Hamm’s Portrait VII (48 Mobiles), an array of 48 blank-screen smartphones, dealer Alfred Kornfeld took in the past hours, noting sales of a Klotz and a Hamm “fingerprint” lambda print between glass plates (18,000 EUR together, approx). “You have to be here to present it,” he said of his team’s efforts during the day, gesturing toward the cupola. The gallery further secured a commission for a 6-meter molded mirror by Hamm, priced at 100,000 EUR. Veteran VOLTA dealer Galerie Heike Strelow (Frankfurt am Main) recorded sales for Starsky Brines’ intense and colorful compositions of cultural conflict within his native Venezuela, which were augmented and reflected back at visitors via Winter/Hörbelt’s massive Pixelbild wheel. Meanwhile, newcomers Galerie T&L (Paris) sold a large-scale diptych from their solo project Tindar’s Migrations series, created by the Italian artist in collaboration with refugees in Calais during Tindar’s months-long relief mission there, to a collector new to the gallery. “We are very happy with the response we have had to Tindar!” proclaimed gallery co-owner Léopold Legros, while co-owner Tancrède Hertzog noted that a portion of artworks from the series are being auctioned off to benefit a charity assisting the refugees. The globally attuned “recycled art remix” curated booth by Ethan Cohen Gallery (New York) was noted in opening day press, courtesy local publication barfi.ch. Cohen noted the positive response from guests, particularly the dichotomy of the odalisque refracted through a female gaze (Armenian-American artist Anna Navasardian) and a gay male gaze (New York-based Jeffrey Spencer Hargrave), as well as the reclamation of traditional African mask motifs by Ivorian wunderkind Aboudia and Mozambican artist Gonçalo Mabunda. “People see the connections and they are quite drawn to the grouping,” said Cohen. image: Tancrède Hertzog (left) and Léopold Legros (center), co-owners of Galerie T&L (Paris) hold court in a solo booth project by Tindar  VOLTA13 BASEL'S ART FAIR FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TEENAGE RISING – VOLTA13 OPENING DAY Basel, Tuesday, June 13: Within the current global society of stress and strife, the possibility of art as means of social change, of balm to misunderstanding and beacon for the marginalized, is a very real and powerful thing. Assembled under Markthalle’s cupola dome was perhaps the most mature VOLTA Basel edition yet, with 70 galleries assembling their international artist retinue, many of whom harnessed the challenge to inform and educate as seriously as to soothe and complement. The bustling preview crowd answered with concerted attendance, thoughtful dialogue, and many sales. “At thirteen we are not fully-fledged adults yet, and VOLTA was always intended to be a contrast to the hyper-bustle, well-heeled, blue-chip offerings across town,” noted Amanda Coulson, VOLTA’s Artistic Director. “So while we have reached a level of polish expected with the longevity of our presence here, nonetheless we still maintain the air of surprise and spirited independence. With the level of appreciation we experienced today, it appears this quality is extremely valued.” image: Hubertus Hamm’s “fingerprint portrait” reflects upon his Galerie Kornfeld’s (Berlin) booth, featuring further experimental portrait photography by the artist as well as new paintings by Franziska Klotz on the far wall. Galerie Kornfeld (Berlin) kicked off with an ambitious two-artist booth featuring Hubertus Hamm’s large-format experimental photography and recent research into “selfie culture”, contrasted by Franziska Klotz’s gestural paintings of fight or flight and fear, with their glaze-like impasto surfaces. Catching himself reflected in Hamm’s Portrait VII (48 Mobiles), an array of 48 blank-screen smartphones, dealer Alfred Kornfeld took in the past hours, noting sales of a Klotz and a Hamm “fingerprint” lambda print between glass plates (18,000 EUR together, approx). “You have to be here to present it,” he said of his team’s efforts during the day, gesturing toward the cupola. The gallery further secured a commission for a 6-meter molded mirror by Hamm, priced at 100,000 EUR. Veteran VOLTA dealer Galerie Heike Strelow (Frankfurt am Main) recorded sales for Starsky Brines’ intense and colorful compositions of cultural conflict within his native Venezuela, which were augmented and reflected back at visitors via Winter/Hörbelt’s massive Pixelbild wheel. Meanwhile, newcomers Galerie T&L (Paris) sold a large-scale diptych from their solo project Tindar’s Migrations series, created by the Italian artist in collaboration with refugees in Calais during Tindar’s months-long relief mission there, to a collector new to the gallery. “We are very happy with the response we have had to Tindar!” proclaimed gallery co-owner Léopold Legros, while co-owner Tancrède Hertzog noted that a portion of artworks from the series are being auctioned off to benefit a charity assisting the refugees. The globally attuned “recycled art remix” curated booth by Ethan Cohen Gallery (New York) was noted in opening day press, courtesy local publication barfi.ch. Cohen noted the positive response from guests, particularly the dichotomy of the odalisque refracted through a female gaze (Armenian-American artist Anna Navasardian) and a gay male gaze (New York-based Jeffrey Spencer Hargrave), as well as the reclamation of traditional African mask motifs by Ivorian wunderkind Aboudia and Mozambican artist Gonçalo Mabunda. “People see the connections and they are quite drawn to the grouping,” said Cohen. image: Tancrède Hertzog (left) and Léopold Legros (center), co-owners of Galerie T&L (Paris) hold court in a solo booth project by Tindar  PUBLIC HOURS Tuesday – Saturday, June 13 – 17 10 am – 7 pm LOCATION Markthalle, Viaduktstrasse 10, Basel SHUTTLES Service to and from Art Basel Tuesday–Saturday, 12 – 6 pm PUBLIC TRANSIT FROM SBB Tram Line 1, 2, 8: one stop 300 m (walking distance) FROM ART BASEL AND LISTE Tram Line 2 (direction Binningen): Exit at Markthalle DRIVING Exit Highway A2 at Basel City and head towards Bahnhof SBB. Follow directions towards Parking Elisabethen or Elsässertor #fineartmagazine