Basel Social Club Takes Over a Former UBS Office in Basel, With Art, Music, and a Nightclub Underground
Basel Social Club has returned with a larger, stranger, and more expansive setting: a former UBS office building designed by Diener & Diener, steps from Basel SBB railway station. The multi-day event runs from 4 p.m. until 3 a.m. each day through Saturday, stretching technically into Sunday morning, and uses the building’s underground garage as a nightclub.
The scale of the venue has allowed the organizers to widen the program well beyond a conventional fair format. Cofounder Yael Salamunovitz said the project began with an idea for something “underground” and night-focused, while cofounder Robbie Fitzpatrick said the building’s size makes it possible to accommodate more people and keep exhibitor costs lower because the venue was provided free, as in previous editions.
The roster includes performances by Jade Kuriki-Olivo, who also works as Puppies Puppies, and Ernestyna Orlowska, who will present a performance involving a MacBook and the sound of the Boléro. Robin S. is scheduled for a late Tuesday-night set, continuing the event’s recurring interest in one-hit wonders. Beyond the performance program, visitors will find a sauna, cold plunge, private dining by Pascal Steffen of Roots, spray tans from Pureaurastudio, live tooth-gem applications from Hotbling2go, and a game show organized by Suns.Works that will reportedly allow one participant to win an Andy Warhol.
I Never Read, Art Book Fair Basel has also taken up residence in the building, alongside dealers including P21 of Seoul, Soft Opening of London, and 4649 of Tokyo. The organizers have also hired senior citizens through Seniors at Work to serve as docents and guards, a choice Salamunovitz described as a quiet commentary on aging and office life.
If the project once felt like a temporary experiment, this edition suggests a more confident proposition: an art event that treats social life, performance, and hospitality as part of the exhibition itself. In Basel, that porousness may be the point.
