Roger Ballen, Shirley Jaffe, and More Art Basel 2023 Shows

If you’re in Basel this week for the fairs, make sure to leave spare time in your schedule for visiting these exhibitions at Kunstumuseum Basel, von Bartha, and Museum Tinguely. 

Kunstmuseum Basel
March 25—July 30, 2023
Curated by Olga Osadtschy and Frédéric Paul,“Form as Experiment” is the first-ever retrospective in Switzerland of the late artist Shirley Jaffe. On view, a selection of 113 works span Jaffe’s oeuvre and take viewers on a journey of Jaffe’s artistic evolution. From early works in the realm of Abstract Expressionism—many of which were created during the 1950s after she relocated from the U.S. to Paris—to the large-scale geometric signature she came to adopt in the later days of her practice, the show is a treat for those both new and familiar to her work.

Kunstmuseum Basel
April 22—October 1
In this survey of the German artist Andrea Büttner, nearly 90 works created in the last 15 years make up the artist's largest exhibition to date. Entitled “The Heart of Relations,” viewers will find Büttner’s works displayed in sections of thematic narratives, divulging the artist’s creative explorations of topics like labor, poverty, shame, and community. Executed in a variety of media including glass objects, video installations, and more, featured works include those like the large-scale woodcut series from 2016, Beggars, a video installation from 2019 called What Is So Terrible about Craft?Die Produkte der menschlichen Hand, and Piano Destructions, which is accompanied by a free audience performance taking place on June 15.

Kunstmuseum Basel
March 25—August 13
Kunstmuseum Basel is presenting the first retrospective of the late American painter, journalist, and art critic Charmion von Wiegand in nearly 40 years. Curators Maja Wismer and Martin Brauen have compiled a selection of 49 paintings and sketches that represent von Wiegand’s whimsical geometric style, paired with documents representative of her cultural musings. All divulge the unique way she translated thought into visual art.

von Bartha
April 22—July 15
Considering a garden as a generous home to a cycle of life and objects (like gates, gloves, mirrors, and baubles), “Design for a Garden” presents its own type of garden in the form of a group exhibition. Curator Andrew Bick has carefully selected a landscape of creations where juxtapositions and harmony, canvas, sculpture, and sound coalesce, creating a garden of works that exist perfectly on their own and in conversation with those around them. Featured artists include names like Marianne Eigenheer, Tanya Goel, Anthony Hill, Claudia Wieser, Elena Damiani, Emma Kunz, and Sara Haq.

Museum Tinguely
April 19—October 29
Museum Tinguely has conceived a series of exhibitions called “Danse macabre” that responds to a work of morbidity by Jean Tinguely from 1986, Mengele – Dance of Death. Roger Ballen’s “Call of the Void” is the eighth presentation in the series, presenting a suite of the South African artist’s photographs, videos, and installations. Following exhibitions with artists like Anouk Kruithof and Bruce Conner, examining themes related to Tinguely’s composition (like dance and the apocalypse), Ballen’s “Call of the Void” presents a haunting environment where the artist poses musings on the human psyche, more specifically ideas of being and becoming.

Museum Tinguely
June 7—September 24
The intangible worlds of dreams and poetry come to life in an exhibition by the Canadian duo Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, entitled “Dream Machines.” The most expansive showcase of the pair’s work in Switzerland thus far, the works on view are representative of Cardiff and Bures Miller’s interactive oeuvre that ignites the senses through intricate soundscapes and immersive spatial installations. Visitors at the museum will find works like the 1999 The Muriel Lake Incident, which presents a unique cinematic encounter experienced through headphones and eerie environments like the recent Escape Room (2023) and the Small Room (2005).