Few people think of the Swiss city of Basel as a coastal resort – it’s not actually on the coast, after all – but amidst the heat and bustle of the art fair this morning Elephant managed to enjoy a quiet moment’s reflection on the beach.
This year, the pleasures of the beach have come to Basel, with a multitude of artworks that call to mind the calm serenity of the sea – and some downright crazy sea creatures.
The dark blue wave of glistening sweet wrappers in Gonzalez-Torres Untitled (Blue Placebo) – what a mouthful – by the late, great mother of appropriation, Sturtevant, tranquilly and rather modestly breaks on the sands of Galerie Thaddeus Ropac’s white cube. Not far away, Hector Zamora’s Scenery hovers from the ceiling, delicate green parachutes and strings hanging from the rafters not unlike a bloom of jellyfish.
Pierre Huyghe’s Cambrian Explosion offers the most literal nod to the sea. Showing in Hauser & Wirth’s Unlimited booth, this consists of an aquarium ecosystem complete with two arrow crabs and two horseshoe crabs enjoying their moment in the spotlight, scurrying about a large rock suspended rather magnificently in a glass water tank. A welcome antidote to Damien Hirst’s brutal take on ‘live’ art in A Thousand Years.
Günther Uecker’s Sandmühle (Sand Mill) is equally theatrical – 3 tons of white sand are shaped into a hypnotic circle by two large poles suspended horizontally above. These poles are fringed with tiki-like tassels of string that draw perfectly circular grooves in the sand. About 8 metres in diameter, this is a big contraption that nonetheless retains a real sense of calm.
Elsewhere the coastal tranquillity gives way to a more tongue-in-cheek vibe. Upstairs at Petzel Gallery, Cosima von Bonin’s Scallops (Dark Version) Rocking consists of a cushiony, cutesy pair of black scallops, one staring from its shell with big wide eyes. Galerie Neu also have Bonin’s work on display, in the form of Hai Am Tisch 1, a white padded shark seated at a school desk. Across town, Yves Scherer has turned actress Emma Watson into a mermaid, sitting proud and topless in the Swiss sun. What might the Harry Potter star have to say about that?
