Basel experience

Surreal indeed, but yesterday I learned that a German dealer and a French sweetheart are actually reading this blogg. Since no-one have submitted messages for me here, I was under the impression that no-one apart from LMT and my dear parents were reading about my adventures. The two foreign-language-speaking-readers are having a difficult time translating the text word by word with some Internet service… They probably have not understood one third of what I actually write. So, in homage to them I will today write in English, just to light up their day a bit.

Yesterday was probably the best day I had in Basel ever. Not that I have had that many, although it seems as if one is experiencing a whole week in a day here. The day started out with an outage of two things 1) Børre Saethre and 2) a VIP card. Last year I spent my Basel days on the balcony with Børre and Eline Mugaas in the VIP section more or less all the time. Anyway, I started the day with breakfast with Adorable Allen and the tone was set for the day: giggeling ecstasy. We entered First Choice (only for the most VIP—or rather the very most VIP were let in even before by the dealers) and cruised the endless corridors and had a look at Statements firstly. I stopped by a couple of things, looked and listened, then cruised some more. Today was the total cruising and scanning day at the big fair. I was scanning to see where to go back again tomorrow, or the next day, or whenever it will happen that I enter the big fair again. The fair filled up three hours later, when “Preview” started. And three more hours later the official Vernissage started, and the fair was cramped and Allen and I went for lunch. We took yet another round just to meet my darling ally Knight Landesman from Artforum and we decided to have tea with gossip the next day. Everyone were extremely busy of course, and money could be smelled in the air. I can tell you it was frantic. The dealers were happy and loads of stuff got sold. It seemed like a very good opening. I really cannot tell you anything about the artworks I saw/spotted/scanned, other than that the quality is extremely high and I get instant kicks by watching it, but really—no time/possibility for digesting the stuff. Toooo much.

The gallery neugerriemschneider from Berlin did a “no show” as in realising an art piece by Rirkrit Tiravanija that is called “Je ne travaille jamais” or something (pardon my French, sweets) like that, and their booth is empty and noone were working there. I really think that it is a lousy idea, but I gather that they had made business in Venice already… Oh, and yes, Jan Christensen made a great wall painting in Atle Gerhardsen booth called “Kill Art Before Art Kills You”—a PERFECT statement for the fair context… :)) I am biased, and I love it! Unlimited section is awesome. Some very well installed pieces here. And as for the vikings: Jonas Dahlberg shows a neat new film, Annika Larsson shows her old concept with electronic cool music to cool images, this time about a roller coaster ride, and Henrik Håkansson shows one of his “forests” turned upside down (from the cealing). Loads of business cards were exchanged. I must get a new bag for all of them, I guess. Allen and I continued our celebrity spotting for a while and I left for blogging and a quick shower. No time for dinner, now it was time to team up with Natalia Goldin with crew and Johan Zetterquist by the Kunsthalle bar. It was raining, but the temperature was all right and we stayed outside anyway, disregarding the weather. Perhaps it was the release of tension from the opening, the money transaction being made earlier or the rain, but hormones were everywhere. A Swedish artist wanted to make out and a New York curator at a major museum made a really indecent proposal, and oh yes, a Norwegian sweetheart was sending out some serious vibes. Perhaps it was the lack of making money, but I turned them all down even though everyone in my crew was sending glass after glass of champagne over to me for some reason I don’t know. And there was also time for a cigar and whiskey with Marc finally—we have been talking about the cigar moment for a longer time now. Michele Robecchi of Contemporary, who I almost didn’t recognise with his new haircut, was around for whiskey moment too, and dearest Leyla Gediz, artist from Istanbul and a sweet sweet person, showed up and we exchanged what happened to us since we saw each other the last time.

The night ended with a “fight” over money with Allen who is kind of spending his on me. Not a good thing. And oh, I landed the VIP card over drinks, so now I only miss Børre. Badly so!