Martin Creed Expresses His Feelings About, Uh, Air
Turner Prize winner Martin Creed turns heads in Basel in his eye-catching outfit featuring a dart-studded blazer, floppy hat and striped skirt. “I’m here to see my work, Book No. 3733, Air“, he says, pointing to his piece of flag floating in the wind on the Parcours artistic course. ” It is obvious. The air is in great difficulty in the current climate; we need more air,” he adds enigmatically. And what kind of echo does his clothes receive as he wanders the streets and trains of Basel? “People want to take pictures; some of them are laughing,” he says with a smile.
Bruno Lorenzo’s Yves Wüthrich made the cool kids of the Basel Social Club eat out of his hand The arts journal
The (ice) of society
The young and the beautiful were out at Basel’s new art hotspot – the ultra-trendy Basel Social Club – earlier this week. Crowds flocked to the zeitgeisty venue housed in a former mayonnaise factory, which was packed with works by up-and-coming artists and stunning video installations. Anyone with a sweet tooth could also indulge in a bowl of ice cream provided by local company Bruno Lorenzo.
‘Let me buy you an apron’: Mastercard’s collapse caused awkward moments for diners in Basel Yan Krukau, Pexels.com
It’s all about the money
A Mastercard payment processing glitch hit the art world hard this week, with glitter around town sent into a tailspin when their cards were rejected at the city’s top restaurants. The apparent blackout across Europe was stressful for collectors and curators who had been drinking and scoffing at the best food but were ashamed to pay at the checkout. “I’m mortified,” said an unnamed art luminary who couldn’t spit in a high-profile restaurant. Red faces all around.
Thomas Price at Art Basel, just after seeing his sculpture, Contained momentsunveiled in Rotterdam The arts journal
Basel, Rotterdam, Basel
Artist Thomas Price, who was spotted browsing works in Unlimited at Art Basel this week, arrives at the fair after launching a sculpture outside Rotterdam Central Station. the work, Contained moments, shows a woman standing with her hands in her pockets. “The response to the play has been fantastic,” he tells us. The striking work made waves at Art Basel last year when it was exhibited in Unlimited. So what happened next? The work ended up being acquired by the non-profit foundation Droom en Daad, which then donated the work to the city of Rotterdam. What circulates returns to the Basel world.
Parker has the airport blues
Art world luminaries who hoped to travel to Art Basel earlier this week saw their hopes (and their travels) dashed by the chaos at airports. Artist Cornelia Parker recounted her woes on Instagram, saying: “Day from hell. Missed my 1.50am flight to Basel due to Gatwick station being closed due to power failure …now at the airport hotel, spending the night in hell, drowning my sorrows!” Parker followed that up with more calamitous incidents, adding that she was “finally leaving the hell out of my airport hotel. Cling wrap to prevent enraged stranded British Airways passengers from drinking at the bar. The accompanying image mirrored Parker’s nightmarish excursion, showing a bundled up and strictly forbidden drink machine. After all that, we’re happy to say we spotted Parker at the opening of Unlimited. Cornelia, we hope you have recovered from your odyssey!
