Captivated art lover at the Volta Basel takes the picture of a sculpture with his digital camera. Image: Volta

As art lover prepare for Volta Basel Art Fair, here are some galleries and artists guests will find exciting

BY KAZAD

BASEL, SWITZERLAND-Preparations are in full gear for this year’s Volta Basel. In its 15th edition, the Volta art fair will run from June 10 -15 at the Elsässerstrasse 215, Basel. More than 79 galleries from across 4 continents and 25 nations will be part of the art fair’s 15th-anniversary celebration. The Volta Basel exhibitors will showcase works by emerging and established artists. 

Volta Basel began in 2015 as a joint project between art dealers and friends. The idea was to create a platform for international galleries beyond the young art stalwart Liste and market heavy weight Art Basel. Guided by the curatorial mind of Artistic Director Amanda Coulson, the art fair has been characterized by eclectic and dynamic presentations.

As with other years, this year’s Volta Art Basel will particularly focus on solo presentations and dual-artist projects, a popular mode of presentation at Volta art fairs. Over the years, the art fair has become a ‘space for discovery’ because collectors have found it the fertile space to discover new artists and galleries.

Great Expectations at the 15th Volta Basel

For its 15th anniversary, there are greater expectations and excitement. “It feels slightly surreal, and yet undeniably exciting, to light a candle on our 15th year in Basel,” notes Amanda Coulson, Volta Artistic Director.  She adds:  

The art world landscape, and indeed the broader political and cultural landscapes, have shifted so much since our founding in 2005. And yet, our core foundation of advocating for ‘mother galleries’ — for the emerging and the ambitious who may break into the blue chip fairs one day or who are being overlooked despite their progress ‘at home’ — remains as true and as serious as ever. The quality and consistency of our exhibitors and their compelling projects reflects this mandate. Volta visitors are in for a real treat this year.

With the location of Volta Basel at the former COOP distribution center just 9 minutes away from Art Basel, there are expectations that collectors and art lovers will get more than their money’s worth.

Volta Basel Galleries and Artists to Watch

If you are at this year’s Volta Basel, you will get the opportunity to some amazing works by artists from across the globe.  To make it easy to start, here are several Volta Basel galleries and artists to watch out for during the art fair.

Christian Marx Gallery, Dusseldorf

At Volta Basel 2019, Christian Marx Gallery in Dusseldorf will be presenting works by several of the artists it manages. They include Maxim Wakultschik, Igor Oleinikov, and Tim Okamura. The artists work in different media such as oil, canvas, crayons, pen acrylic, and others.

However, the artist to look out for in the group is Tim Okamura. In his paintings, the artist uses portraiture to investigate identity, the urban environment, metaphor, and cultural iconography in a way that accentuates authenticity. Tim is a storyteller. His combination of ‘realist’ approach to the figure with collage, spray paint and mixed media tell stories about the images and people in his paintings. Furthermore, his infusion of contemporary motifs with street art and academic ideals has created a compelling visual language that gives new meaning to representation.  

Yod Gallery, Osaka– Booth C14)

Yod Gallery will be showcasing the works of five rising Japanese experimental artists in a show titled Enduring Spirit. The artists Andres Barrioquinto, Hebime, Hidehito Matsubara, Hiroyoshi Asaka, and Stitch are determined to take their place in the global art scene. With the pursuit of perfection in their chosen medium and technique, the artists are navigating and channeling their creativity in exceptional directions. The exhibition is a tribute to their fierce passion. Andrea Barrioquinto is the artist to watch in this group.

Andres Barrioquinto

Born in Manila, Andres Barrioquinto spent his teenage years in Hong Kong. In the late 1990s, he returned to the Philippines where he studied painting at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Fine Arts and Design. Through the years, the Andre has been exploring his love of portraiture. Building upon the canon of portraiture in the Philippines, wherein romanticized likenesses of Saints, political and ecclesiastical authorities, successful businessmen and -women are immortalized for posterity, Andres creates dramatic portraits that navigate the threshold of abstraction and realism.  “My work is perhaps more sharply individualized than the realist, therefore more dramatically my own, sometimes to the point of eccentricity,” notes Andres.

Andres works have featured in solo exhibitions and several group shows in the Philippines and in Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. He has also received various awards and recognitions, such as the MetroBank Foundation’s Aces Award for Continuing Excellence (2009). This year, Andres Barrioquinto was chosen by the PeopleAsia Magazine as one the people of the year 2019.

Martin Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen

The Martin Asbæk Gallery presents an exhibition with sculptures by Kristian Dahlgaard, paintings by Kasper Eistrup,  and drawings by Jacob Stangerup.

Kristian Dahlgaard at Volta Basel

One artist to watch is Kristian Dahlgaard.  The 61-year-old sculptor creates uniform sculptures that play on weight and the absence of mass. While some of his bronze sculptures are intricately woven to create a lyrical dance movement, others consist of a myriad of often identical pieces put together in layers and different forms again and again. Repetition, movement, and grace are integral to Kristian Dahlgaard’s works. Below is one of them

Froscha & Portmann, New York– Booth B07

The Froscha & Portmannwill be showcasing the works of Eva Lake, Brad Nelson, and Yanik Wagner in a show titled Interwined With Life. Our Homes, Our Streets, Our Objects. The artists are unique in their different ways and ideas. Using oil, cotton, and collages, they create works that many art lovers at the Volta Basel will find engaging. However, one artist to watch out of the group is Eva Lake.

Eva Lake

For many years, Eva Lake has been using her work to address love/hate relationship with the Mid Century, including the perfect homes and the perfect women. The questions are “What is a perfect home?” and “Who is the perfect woman?” In her new series “In Every Dream Home A Heartache” a titled borrowed from the title of Roxy Music song, Eva continues to investigate the idea of perfection. Exploring luscious confines of “beauty” juxtaposed with interiors, she accentuates the forgotten tradition and knowledge that the interior space was the center of power and creativity occupied by women.   

Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London

The Patrick Heide Contemporary Art based in London will be presenting artworks by five artists who question how art can change the structure and the understanding — or at least the perception of our world. Reinoud Oudshoorn,  Dillwyn Smith, Sophie Bouvier Ausländer, Caroline Kryzecki, and Andy Harper work in different media, including oil, ballpoint, Gouache, iron, glass, and others to create very engaging works.  While the selected artists for the Volta Basel 2019 by the Patrick Heide Contemporary Art are unique and versatile in their own different ways, one artist to watch out for is Andy Harper.

Andy Harper

The 48- year- old artist based in the United Kingdom uses motifs from botany, organic shapes and vibrant colors, which he combines to semi-abstract arrangements.

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