A Riveting Roundup of VOLTA13

This year in Basel, VOLTA is celebrating its 13^th year with 70 galleries from over 50 countries.  There are some new exhibitors to the fair, and some returning favorites, and there are a few presentations that caught our eye this week.

HilgerBrotKunsthalle (Vienna) is showing new work by Egyptian-Austrian artist Assunta Abdel Azim Mohamed. On view is her first sculptural work, 12 Gifte, which in German means either “present” or “poison,” comprised of large drawings mailed to the owner each month of the year.

Galerie Dukan (Paris/Leipzig) included Maltese artist Karine Rougier in a group presentation. Rougier stood out selling out of all six of her paintings on view.

American artist Drake Carr, presented by The Hole, is showing for the first time outside of the U.S. at VOLTA. Carr cut images of gender-fluid dancers from canvas which were then installed on the floor of the booth, transforming it into a “dance floor” of sorts.

Japanese artist Lina Uchida’s work at Gallery Kogure (Tokyo) explores the human spirit through handmade paper pieces that she molds and manipulates carefully and then burns to create human and animal figures.

On view at Roger Katwijk (Amsterdam), against bright yellow walls, is a solo project by Dutch artist Niek Hendrix. His grayscale works—made from images that are manipulated, or re-appropriated, and rendered in a unique and detailed “grisalle” technique.

Malaysian artist Anne Samat, from Richard Koh Fine Art (Kuala Lumpur), created “chieftain” or “goddess” figures using traditional techniques like weaving. Samat uses materials like bamboo and rattan, and some found material, too, which emulate types of relics.

Galerie Charlot (Paris) is showing French artist Flavén Theory, whose practice includes new media, specifically in optical illusions that arise from (or lead to) perceiving color through light.

Israeli artist Amir Tomashov, presented by Litvak Contemporary (Tel Aviv), was formerly an architect. At VOLTA, attendees can clearly see those characteristics of his past career, with renderings of high-rises and “invasive construction” in graphite on found wood pallets or on old book sleeves.

Slovakian artist Stano Filko, known for his conceptual and interdisciplinary art, is presented by Soda Gallery (Bratislava). True to his craft, his art includes the idea of erasure and transcendence. Here, key works are seen from the artist’s lifetime, which are exhibited alongside two much younger artists.