Art Basel has confirmed that the event will take place in Switzerland from the 20th to the 26th of September. This is not only the show’s 50th edition, but also Art Basel’s first in-person fair in Europe since 2019.
The event will of course follow strict COVID-19 regulations stipulated by the Swiss government to ensure every attendant’s health. Besides being fully vaccinated, all VIP collectors will be asked for a negative COVID-19 test or otherwise a test proving a sufficient amount of antibodies in case they are recovering from the virus.
In comparison with past years, this time only two-thirds of the total number of tickets will be sold in order to ensure spacious circulation. That means capacity will be limited at 20%.
But these unfortunate news come along with very exciting ones too. Turns out that the “hologram” service launched at Art Basel Hong Kong will become part of Switzerland’s fair as well. The use of said technology was incredibly successful in the Chinese country as it allows a real-time connection between VIP collectors and dealers who couldn’t attend the event.
An additional “Show Experience Assistants” service ―also launched during the Asian edition― provides VIP clients who couldn’t make it to the physical venue a live virtual walkthrough. In this way the virtual attendants can explore the different artwork and discover more about the artists, as well as visit all galleries. (By the way, participating galleries will be announced in July).
The 2021 edition will definitely change following Art Basel editions and all major art events in general. It has been a life-changing edition, just like this pandemic.
Take a look at Nanzuka’s new flagship gallery in Tokyo and take a look at Ioan Florea 3D-printed NFT art collection.
