Liste Art Fair Basel Opens Next Week, Offering Personal and Political Perspectives From 100-Plus Emerging Artists

Liste Art Fair Basel returns to the Messe Basel June 12–18, 2023, promoting young and emerging international art. The fair features 88 galleries hailing from 35 countries, 20 of which are first-time participants, including Blue Velvet Projects of Zurich, PHD Group of Hong Kong, Regards of Chicago, Theta of New York, and Understructures of Kyiv, to name just a few. More than 100 artists will be represented through solo and group presentations. Collectively, the fair showcases a diverse and multifaceted range of contemporary art and offers visitors the opportunity to explore and discover the newest trends and developments within the latest generation of artists from around the world.

Perspective is a foregrounded theme of Liste Art Fair Basel 2023, described by the fair as “My gaze, your gaze: the importance of positionality.” An art historically as well as societally important premise, here the “gaze” is shown to be mutable and varied. The feminist gaze is one such starting point, as in the work of Amber Andrews shown by Ciaccia Levi, Paris, where she investigates how the perception of the female body differs between men and women. Elsewhere, Mina Squalli-Houssaïni at Lodos, Mexico City, severs feminine symbols from their connections to traditionally “feminine” domains, such as domesticity and craft. Another highlighted gaze or view is the environmental perspective, with artists turning their attention to rapidly changing ecologies.

Another prominent thread is a re-engagement with externality. Director Joanna Kamm says, “With Liste Art Fair Basel 2023, we’re noticing a sharply observant generation of artists who are increasingly using time-based media such as video, sound, scent, and performance to make socio-political statements. Art is becoming more political again. For the past few years, artists seemed to have taken inward-looking gazes as their starting points, but this year we’re seeing a reversal to outward-facing gazes.”

The special project for the forthcoming edition is “Whistlers,” curated by Sarah Johanna Theurer and featuring contributions by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira, and more The exhibition draws sharp focus on sustainability and, more specifically, resilience and the myriad ways people, communities, ecosystems, and capitalism face increasingly unstable, sometimes hostile environments. The title “Whistlers” is named after a type of low-frequency electromagnetic wave that occurs in nature but is undetectable by humans; using this as a starting point, the show investigates what is considered natural versus unnatural.

The theme of the special project coincides with the fair’s announcement that it has become an Active Member of the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a consortium of arts organizations and institutions working to reduce the environmental impacts of the art industry.

Supplementing the fair, Liste Showtime offers collectors and art enthusiasts alike the ability to search and browse exhibitors, artists, and artworks for sale online—making it possible to be sure that you haven’t missed a thing.