New joiners, local veterans, and unconventional additions are central to this year’s Galleries sector

Discover the galleries participating in this year’s Art Basel in Basel

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The 290 exhibitors at Art Basel’s 2019 show in Basel have just been announced. Come June, visitors will once again have the opportunity to discover a myriad of different galleries, each with its own identity, approach to exhibition-making, and program. This variety of profiles is particularly striking in the show’s main sector, Galleries. How does a gallery’s history, location, or artist roster shape its identity? From Switzerland to Brazil, Art Basel introduces six galleries beyond their booth.<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1551/Galerie-Tschudi" target="_blank"> Galerie Tschudi</a> is one of the foremost examples of commitment to a specific region: Since 2002, it has been located in the Swiss mountain village of Zuoz. The prominent features of the typical Engadin house Tschudi occupies&nbsp;–&nbsp;massive beams, stone walls, traditional wooden doors&nbsp;–&nbsp;don’t overpower the artworks installed there; instead, they allow the pieces to shine in new ways. For over 30 years, the late Ruedi Tschudi and his partner Elsbeth Bisig Tschudi have been key advocates of site-specificity, encouraging artists to interact with the setting in which their art would be shown. This has resulted in a&nbsp;unique exhibition history. The gallery should also be given credit for establishing the Engadin as a prime destination for contemporary art. In Basel, Tschudi will focus on artists at the core of its program, with works by likes of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7123/Andrea-B%C3%BCttner" target="_blank">Andrea Büttner</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10502/Julian-Charri%C3%A8re" target="_blank">Julian Charrière</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10501/Bethan-Huws" target="_blank">Bethan Huws</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10503/Su-Mei-Tse" target="_blank">Su-Mei Tse</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9371/Callum-Innes" target="_blank">Callum Innes</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8967/Richard-Long" target="_blank">Richard Long</a>, among others.

Far away from the Swiss Alps, the dynamics of Downtown New York are one of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1239/P-P-O-W" target="_blank">P.P.O.W</a>’s main thematic backbones. The gallery was indeed founded there in the early 1980s; it has since shown a strong engagement with a group of dauntless artists who often did not receive mainstream recognition until recently. Some, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8434/David-Wojnarowicz" target="_blank">David Wojnarowicz</a> or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11906/Martin-Wong" target="_blank">Martin Wong</a>, were cut off in their prime by the tragic consequences of the AIDS crisis. Others, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7488/Betty-Tompkins" target="_blank">Betty Tompkins</a>, fought the priggishness and censorship of both society at large and the artworld&nbsp;for years to be taken seriously. With its younger artists, P.P.O.W sticks to conceptual territories that remain uncomfortable to some&nbsp;–&nbsp;feminism, sexuality, queer politics. In Basel, the gallery will participate in the main sector for the first time, showing works by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/23464/Carolee-Schneemann" target="_blank">Carolee Schneemann</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ppowgallery.com/artist/robin-f-williams/work" target="_blank">Robin F. Williams</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ppowgallery.com/artist/martha-wilson/work" target="_blank">Martha Wilson</a>, alongside pieces by the artists mentioned above.

Located on three continents,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1214/Mendes-Wood-DM" target="_blank">Mendes Wood DM</a> has remained true to its original mission. Founded in São Paulo in 2010, the gallery’s focus is on practices combining conceptual rigor with organic elements. Brazilian artists are numerous, but Mendes Wood DM’s roster also includes positions from all over the world and is continuously expanding. Among them are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7903/Adriano-Costa" target="_blank">Adriano Costa</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mendeswooddm.com/en/artist/otobong-nkanga" target="_blank">Otobong Nkanga</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mendeswooddm.com/en/artist/patricia-leite" target="_blank">Patricia Leite</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8609/Daniel-Steegmann-Mangran%C3%A9" target="_blank">Daniel Steegmann Mangrané</a>, artists whose work is grounded in a keen understanding of nature. In 2017, the gallery inaugurated spaces on New York City’s Upper East Side and in a Brussels townhouse, using this bicontinental expansion to assert its belief in a transnational approach to art and exhibition-making. At its booth in Basel, one can look forward to discovering the hazy landscapes of painter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mendeswooddm.com/en/artist/lucas-arruda" target="_blank">Lucas Arruda</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/13852/Sonia-Gomes" target="_blank">Sonia Gomes</a>’ sinewy sculptures, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mendeswooddm.com/en/artist/rubem-valentim" target="_blank">Rubem Valentim</a>’s totemic abstractions, among others.

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2726/Hollybush-Gardens" target="_blank"> Hollybush Gardens</a>’ program revolves around voices that refuse&nbsp;the viewer&nbsp;instant gratification. The London gallery represents an eclectic group of artists. Notably, three of them have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize over the past two years. In 2017, both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/19806/Lubaina-Himid" target="_blank">Lubaina Himid&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7123/Andrea-B%C3%BCttner" target="_blank">Andrea Büttner</a> were nominated, with the former ending up winning Britain’s most prestigious art prize. The year after, she was succeeded by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/19805/Charlotte-Prodger" target="_blank">Charlotte Prodger</a>, who will also represent Scotland at the upcoming Venice Biennale. These three artists are symptomatic of the gallery’s priorities: They have developed nuanced yet provocative practices, questioning or highlighting the meaning of unruliness and norms. Participating in the Galleries sector for the first time as well, Hollybush Gardens will dedicate its presentation to this successful trio.&nbsp;

The emancipation from norms and power structures is also key to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1247/Peres-Projects" target="_blank">Peres Projects</a>’ program. Since its inception in 2002, the gallery has never shied away from highlighting opinionated artists. Originally founded in San Francisco, it is now located on Berlin’s monumental Karl-Marx-Allee, itself symbolizing the fragility of power. Recent years have seen promising young talents join the gallery, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/15961/Donna-Huanca" target="_blank">Donna Huanca</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/35506/Rebecca-Ackroyd" target="_blank">Rebecca Ackroyd</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/41803/Manuel-Solano" target="_blank">Manuel Solano</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/30329/Ad-Minoliti" target="_blank">Ad Minoliti</a>. These artists share an affirmative attitude towards existence as an act of sheer defiance. In Basel, the aesthetic and conceptual strategies they have developed will be at the center of Peres Projects’ booth. The presentation will also include works by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8494/Dorothy-Iannone" target="_blank">Dorothy Iannone</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/47605/Steffen-Bunte" target="_blank">Steffen Bunte</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/15960/Melike-Kara" target="_blank">Melike Kara</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/37462/Beth-Letain" target="_blank">Beth Letain</a>; Peres Projects will also be participating in the Basel show’s Galleries sector for the first time.

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2906/Galerie-Pietro-Spart%C3%A0" target="_blank">Pietro Spartà</a>’s namesake gallery is located in Chagny, a town nestled in between the vineyards and canals of the Bourgogne; it is perhaps not the first location where you would expect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6778/Lawrence-Weiner" target="_blank">Lawrence Weiner&nbsp;</a>murals,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8113/Niele-Toroni" target="_blank">Niele Toroni</a> interventions, or<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7807/Mario-Merz" target="_blank">&nbsp;Mario Merz</a> installations. But since 1982, Spartà has brought some of the artworld’s biggest names to this sleepy hamlet of Western France, with a special focus on protagonists of Arte Povera and French conceptualism. Additionally, the gallery has been cooperating with German sculptor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6868/Thomas-Sch%C3%BCtte" target="_blank">Thomas Schütte</a>&nbsp;and will present his work in Basel as well. Beyond the weight such names carry, the longevity of Spartà’s enterprise stems from a commitment to a clear point of view. This certainly applies to the galleries mentioned earlier as well. Remaining true to the ideas, artists, or communities from which one first drew inspiration seems like an excellent idea.

Discover all the galleries participating in Art Basel’s 2019 show in Basel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/basel/exhibitors" target="_blank">here</a>.Top image:&nbsp;Robin F. Williams, Your Good Taste is Showing (detail),&nbsp;2017. Courtesy of the artist and P.P.O.W, New York City.