“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Yesterday morning started as one of those days you just want to stay in bed under the soft sheets even if you are well awake and know something important is up.
I finally managed to get out of bed, made my coffee (rigorously with a ceffettiera) and started cooking my breakfast. It looked more like a brunch: fruit milkshake, omelette, avocado and tomato salad…
I needed something to feel better about and I knew that my hunger instinct would not be satisfied later.
My thesis dissertation was up at 2 p.m. and knowing myself I would not be able to have lunch.
The morning passed really quickly and the dissertation was a success!
Finally, I was relieved of a weight that had been on my stomach for several weeks.
What next? Art Basel of course!
Basel is a city I have already visited twice and both times I was astonished. Basel moves at a different pace than other cities in switzerland and dreams are in the atmosphere. The historical city centre reminding the Austro-Hungarian capitals, the reflections of the sunlight in the river traversing the city, the bridges connecting the two sides, the extraordinary amount of art and museums, the mix of languages animating the streets, the alternative bars and restaurants… they all contribute to that european melting pot that is much more than just the concept of Europe or EU.
Of course the occasion called for a celebration and so our first stop was Grenzwert, a very peculiar bar where a crowd of people, remarkably at ease, freely discussed without necessarily prior friendship, ordered drinks at the bar, ate at the tables that were reorganised as new people would join, come or go.
Not to mention the great cocktails, especially Aviation, served in a classy coupe à champagne.
As some say, the night was still young and therefore we continued our tour of the city despite the rain. The next destination was Renée… At first we did not understand what was going on, music instruments were sitting alone in a corner of the room and the crowd was just drinking and chatting. We sat outside for a moment without realising that they had closed the doors.
After a while we reentered the Live Venue through noise isolating doors that we had not previously noticed and we were. The room was the same and yet we were entering a different place. A place full with people getting more and more into the psychedelic punk rhythm.
Luckily no hangover, a nice breakfast, and then to the exposition!
Of course the venue was very well organised and I went through the exhibition sometimes feeling surprised, sometimes questioning myself and at other times really not knowing what was before me. It’s amazing what artworks can elicit in you!
The part I actually preferred was Unlimited, an exhibition platform curated by Gianni Jetzer for projects that transcend the classical art-show stand, including massive sculpture and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances.
We ended our day with the Art Basel parcours in the city centre discovering sculptures, paintings and sneaking a peek in galleries and museums that would welcome us in, on this beautiful and sunny day.
As usual time becomes a tyrant when it comes to pleasures and for this time that’s it, but I’ll certainly not miss the exhibition next year!
P.S.: More pictures and videos on my instagram profile.
Praise of Folly 