Most gallerists spend the greater part of art fairs chained to their booths, keeping track of comings and goings, small talk that may turn into a sale, or how close a coupe of Ruinart gets to a sensitive work—with undivided attention. At many fairs, there’s even a special stall in bathrooms reserved for exhibitors, so a booth doesn't stay lonely for too long.
A few days into a fair however, when VIP previews are history and the bulk of the schmoozing is over, dealers are able to come up for air and pop out to see what’s happening at other booths. With 287 exhibitors across two floors, Art Basel, which runs through June 16, is overwhelming to say the least. But gallerists have a killer instinct for sifting through the masses to spot the booths that deserve the art world's attention. That’s why CULTURED asked 11 exhibiting dealers to highlight a booth that’s tickled their senses, earned their respect, and even sparked a little envy at the fair. (We made an exception for Jeffrey Deitch, who couldn't be contained and recommends a Liste Art Fair exhibitor.)
Below, an alternative walk through the art world’s most mythical marketplace is outlined, surfacing a camaraderie that’s often left out of the fair narrative.
Pedro Cera
“My favorite booth in the fair is Pedro Cera, who has galleries in Lisbon and Madrid. He’s showing a younger artist called Manuel Chavajay, and the work is exceptional. For an artist to find a way to encapsulate their way of being, their way of seeing the world, thinking about the universe—and finding a language that can speak universally—is a skill you can’t teach. For me, this artist seems to have that. It’s a very blessed rarity.”
—Louise Hayward, partner at Lisson Gallery
ChertLüdde
“From what I’ve seen, I’ve retained the booth of ChertLüdde from Berlin. The overall presentation is quite successful in the way they built the booth and in the way the works talk to each other inside the booth. I’m especially a fan of the work of Álvaro Urbano, and I think it deserves the attention of the audience.”
—Pedro Cera, founder of Pedro Cera
Jahmek Contemporary Art
“I recommend visiting Sandra Poulson’s Statements project with Jahmek Contemporary Art from Angola. I love the material sensibility and the stories she’s able to evoke.”
—Nina Hanz, press and communications manager at ChertLüdde
OSL Contemporary
“OSL Contemporary! The booth is a solo installation of Ahmed Umar, [who won the Baloise Art Prize this year]. I had the privilege of hearing Ahmed speak about the sculptures, but I think they speak for themselves. They’re so delicate; the whole installation is so immersive and soothing—the lighting, the drawings, the gestures. He said they mimic prayers, and that touched me.”
—Mehak Vieira, founder of Jahmek Contemporary Art
Union Pacific
“Nour [Jaouda]’s work at Union Pacific’s booth reflects her faithfully. The other day I saw a lot of children running around and interacting with the space, and I think that says it all. It’s an inviting space, artist, and gallerist. It’s been a pleasure to be their neighbors. I used to live just around the corner from them [in London]; I found that out after the fact.”
—Herman Kim, gallery manager at OSL Contemporary
Stereo
“Stereo is showing an amazing Polish painter named Barbara Wesołowska, who makes these large canvases that sit somewhere between abstraction and figuration, in gorgeous earth tones and with a very nice hang.”
—Nigel Dunkley, director of Union Pacific
Jocelyn Wolff
“We love Jocelyn Wolff’s booth. There is a concept of putting sculptures on the walls and hanging all around the booth, which is kind of unusual, that we appreciate.”
—Michał Lasota and Zuzanna Hadryś, founders of Stereo
Jan Mot
“Jan Mot’s booth. It’s often my favorite proposal at fairs, not just Art Basel. This year too I find it very refined, very minimal, very elegant, meaningful and quite brave also. They’re mostly presenting sculpture, like us, which is something unusual. It’s always very brave to promote something original.”
—Martina Panelli, director at Jocelyn Wolff
Maxwell Graham
“Maxwell Graham. It’s a beautiful, daring booth. It has barely anything in it—that’s a good thing. It has a piece by J. St. Bernard, a Simon Templar The Saint homage with multiple portraits of Roger Moore playing the character. The works work so nicely with each other. It’s fleeting—that’s what I like about it.”
—Sebastian Hoffman, sales at Meyer Riegger
Matthew Marks Gallery
“The justification for what makes Matthew Marks the finest booth in Art Basel 2024 is the same as the justification for what makes it the finest gallery currently in operation: It is not the elegance of the installation, or the character of the staff, or the quality of the printed matter; it is the achievement of the artists included.”
—Maxwell Graham, founder of Maxwell Graham Gallery
Rele (at Liste Art Fair)
“I really admire the way Rele Gallery is promoting artists from Nigeria and other countries in Africa internationally. They have a wonderful presentation at Liste. It’s a one-artist show by Gladys Kalichini, and it's presented like a gallery show, unlike the usual array of art for sale. That was very meaningful for me.”
—Jeffrey Deitch, founder of Jeffrey Deitch Gallery
