LISTE Art Fair Basel has always been a central trend-setter in the Art World, and its mark is becoming even more important. The 2021 edition includes an expanded digital side - it is genuinely a fair which is able to renew and adapt to the times in which we live.
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Returning this year, LISTE Art Fair Basel is expanding, renewing itself and contributing even more extensively to the Contemporary Art Scene.
Running from the 20th to the 26th of September 2021, 83 galleries will come together to showcase the latest voices of an impressive 110 artists at Hall 1.1 in Messe Basel. For the first time in 26 years, the location is changing, providing more space for visitors so everyone can safely and comfortably follow the COVID-19 guidelines and enjoy the fair.
LISTE 2021 gives space to the younger generation of galleries, providing us with fresh perspectives of talented emerging artists and allowing us to discover the most recent developments and trends in Contemporary Art.
In Basel, 51 solo and 20 group shows will give space to new voices. What more, this year the fair is not only a display of 34 different countries, but also a space for cooperation. In fact, 7 joint stands will see efforts combined and perspectives integrated “reflecting the desire for collaboration and solidarity that became so important during the pandemic.” An authentic and beautiful well-timed novelty to this art fair.
With LISTE Online Showtime already introduced in 2020, the art fair now has a strong digital profile. Through the latest introduction of Liste Discourse, a wonderful original project, 14 young curators and writers have been brought together this summer to define Contemporary Art through a series of words.
The terms chosen – including ‘morality’, ‘reform’, ‘dread’ and ‘healing’ – “can – and should - be seen as an opportunity to make conscious decisions to sustainably change deeply rooted structures” as explained by LISTE on behalf of the writers and curators involved. Now search criteria on the digital platform, they are a starting point for reflecting on today’s Art World.
The emphasis is placed on dialogue and the centrality of provoking, engaging and inspiring content. The digital side is becoming an intriguing and lively space for opinions, reflection and thought, open to an international network of collectors, curators and art lovers all around the globe. It is truly overcoming the limits of a site-bound physical Art Fair.
But there is more. In December this year, the well-known art fair is launching a digital research forum called LISTE Expedition Online. This will be a continually growing year-round accessible platform where the new and most prominent and influential positions in Contemporary Art are showcased. Making good use of the international overview which the fair has been constantly providing, this will be a unique non-commercial space for exploration and discovery of perspectives, existing discourses and emerging art.
Not only a vibrant art fair, not only a space for reflection and thought – but also a platform for dialogue and connections. And there could not be a more timely shift than this one.
Overall, LISTE is extending to an open-doors format, widening its outreach and going beyond the mere (but still central) art fair, allowing continuous and limitless access to the scorching content.
LISTE is affirming itself, yet again, as the pinnacle of the art world, setting new trends and smashing the boundaries of what the Contemporary Art world can be.
Cover image: OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen i.c.w. Richard Venlet, Collage of the fair architecture for Liste Art Fair Basel 2021, 2021, Courtesy of Liste Art Fair Basel.
Written by Zoë Zanello
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