2015 Conversation and Salon program
Conversations
June 17–June 21
10–11am, followed by 30-minute Q&A sessions
Auditorium, Hall 1, Art Basel
Open to the public and free of charge
Salon
June 18 –June 21
1–7pm
Auditorium, Hall 1, Art Basel
Open to the public and free of charge
Conversation and Salon, Art Basel’s talks series, will once again bring together leading artists, gallerists, art historians, curators, museum directors, collectors and critics from across the world to discuss a diverse range of topics. The 27 talks will feature speakers including Rosella Biscotti, Julien Bismuth, Mariana Castillo Deball, Simone Fattal, Matthew Higgs, Susan Hiller, Christian Jankowski, Jean Lamore, Lu Jie, Jumana Manna, Robin Meier, Aïda Muluneh, Ciprian Mureşan, Shelly Nadashi, Moataz Nasr, Erkka Nissinen, Wael Shawky, Lara Schnitger, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Barthélémy Toguo, Ulay, Danh Vō, Peter Wächtler and Anicka Yi.
Art Basel’s Conversations series will launch on Wednesday, June 17 with the premiere artist talk, which will see Vietnamese-born Danish artist Danh Vō discuss his most recent and innovative projects, including his presentation at the Venice Biennale, with Manuela Ammer, curator, mumok, Vienna. As part of a larger focus on the African continent in the Conversations and Salon program, András Szántó, author and cultural consultant, will lead a discussion as part of the Public/Private series on Thursday morning titled “Works in Progress: Building New Art Institutions in Africa.” The talk, which will take place on Thursday, June 18, will evaluate both the promise and challenges of a continent that is commanding increasing interest from the international arts community with Marie-Cécile Zinsou, president, Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, Benin; Touria El Glaoui, founder, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London; Koyo Kouoh, founding artistic director, RAW Material Company, Dakar, Mark Coetzee, director and chief curator, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town and Raphael Chikukwa, chief curator, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
As part of his ongoing series on the diversity of artistic practice, a panel led by Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director, Serpentine Gallery, London, will focus on “The Artist as Archaeologist.” The tenth installment of the series will bring together several artists from a range of generations whose work takes inspiration from archaeology, excavation or research. On Saturday, the Conversations panel offers a dialogue about the unique and essential relationship between artists and their gallerists with Andrée Sfeir-Semler, director, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg/Beirut, and Egyptian artist Wael Shawky. On Sunday, “Rethinking Kunsthalles and Non Profits,” moderated by Marc-Olivier Wahler, founder and director, Chalet Society, Paris, looks into the evolution of the Kunsthalle with Anthony Huberman, director and chief curator, Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco; Matthew Higgs, artist, director and chief curator, White Columns, New York; Elena Filipovic, director and chief curator, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel; Solveig Øvstebø, executive director and chief curator, The Renaissance Society, Chicago, and Samuel Leuenberger, director and curator, SALTS, Basel.
Highlights of the afternoon Salon program, an open platform for short presentations, will include: a discussion on the power of contemporary art with Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, curator, art critic and director, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin; Moataz Nasr, artist and founder, Darb 1718 Contemporary Art & Culture Center, Cairo; Jean Lamore, artist, writer and filmmaker, Paris and Chris Dercon, director, Tate Modern, London, moderated by Simon Njami, writer, independent curator, founder and chief editor, Revue Noire, Paris. As part of Josh Baer’s series on the art market at Art Basel, the publisher of Baer Faxt and art advisor, will discuss “Commissioning in Today’s Market” with Benjamin Weil, artistic director, Centro Botín, Santander, Spain; Heike Munder, director, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, president, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin and Marc Payot, partner and vice president, Hauser & Wirth, New York. The Salon program will end on Sunday with a discussion moderated by Maxa Zoller, curator of Art Basel’s Film sector and independent curator, Cairo, on “Beyond Austerity: Supporting Art in Cultural Crisis” with Aleya Hamza, founder of Gypsum Gallery, Cairo; Katalin Timar, lecturer, Theory and Art History, University of Pecs, Pécsi, Hungary; Övül Durmuşoğlu, curator and writer, Berlin/Istanbul and Khaled Jalanbo, director, The Jalanbo Collection, New York.
For the full talks program as well as for high-quality videos of all Conversations and Salon Talks shortly after the show please visit: artbasel.com/talks.
