Art Basel 2023

The world's premier art show for modern and contemporary art in Basel, Switzerland.
Born in Ukraine exhibition in Kunstmuseum Basel.

Past event

June 13-18, 2023

Learn more

About Art Basel 2023

Messe Basel welcomes art connoisseurs, as the Art Basel fair was held there exhibiting art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Indisputably, one of the world’s leading fairs in the international art market, this year Basel fair traditionally brings the international art world together, bringing leading galleries and artists from five continents and introducing a few innovations. The 2023 edition of Art Basel in Basel features 284 of the world’s leading galleries from across the globe.
The art is traditionally represented in a variety of sections during the 4-day show in Basel, including Galleries, Features, Statements, Editions, Unlimited, Parcours, Film and Magazines. Other expo highlights include the Conversations series, which feature over 50 thought leaders as they exchange on the key topics shaping the world of art and culture. This edition focuses on the subjects of care, collectivity, and connectivity and features panels focusing on artist-led spaces on the African continent, parenthood in the arts, the more inclusive architecture of museums in the future, and the ethical and artistic implications of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. 
What is new – this year Unlimited, curated by Giovanni Carmine, Director of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, presents 76 large-scale installations by distinguished and emerging artists. The Basel debut of Kabinett, the sector focusing on curated exhibitions within the exhibitor’s main booths, features 13 projects presented by 14 galleries (with Anri Sala, Hugh Steers, Henrik Håkansson mentioned among the highlights). Showcasing Art Basel’s ongoing commitment to dynamic public programming, 25 site-specific public art projects in Parcours and the renowned Moroccan artist Latifa Echakhch’s activation of the city’s Messeplatz will transform Basel’s public spaces. Both the Parcours sector (with works of art by Laure Prouvost, Noa Eshkol and Jacolby Satterwhite mentioned) and the expansive installation by Latifa Echakhch are curated by Samuel Leuenberger (SALTS).

Born in Ukraine in Kunstmuseum Basel

An array of high-quality exhibitions take place concurrently in and around Basel, creating a region-wide art week. One of the "must-visits" this year was Born in Ukraine in Kunstmuseum Basel. During the Art Basel days, the presentation and an exclusive curator’s tour of the exhibition “Born in Ukraine” was be held with the support of the Museum of Art and History of Geneva and the Art Support Fund. 
49 paintings from the 18th through the 20th century and other works from Kyiv city are exhibited now temporarily in Switzerland. The art museum showcases works by 31 artists from the Kyiv National Art Gallery, Ukraine’s national art museum, the pieces that were rescued and evacuated from Ukraine during bomb attacks on the city of Kyiv. The works were transported for the exhibition after the massive shelling of the Ukrainian capital, when the museum itself suffered destruction. 
Among the artists whose work is on display in the exhibition are Illiia Repin, Dmytro Levytsky, Volodymyr Borovykovsky, Arkhyp Kuindzhi, Mykola Yaroshenko, and Davyd Burliuk. All these painters were born within the borders of Ukrainian lands. Many of them were trained in the Russian Empire and, later, the Soviet Union, which entailed misconception of their names belonging to the russian cultural heritage. Today these names are being restored to their rightful home. Some of the featured artists subsequently settled in Western Europe or the United States. In addition to these ethnic Ukrainians, Born in Ukraine also features artists with Jewish, Polish, Armenian, or Greek roots whose practices were informed by several distinct national traditions, such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Lev Lagorio, Arkhyp Kuyindzhi, Kostiantyn Kryzhytsky, Isaak Brodsky, and Davyd Shterenberg.
The exhibition is open until July 02, 2023

About the Born in Ukraine project

The exhibition sheds light on artists who were considered Russian but represent a mix of cultures and nationalities, giving us a new perspective on the art world.

Concept

The exhibition project Born in Ukraine sheds light on a concerning trend that has endured for centuries: the most talented Ukrainian artists from the past, along with their achievements, were continuously misappropriated by the Russian Empire. Even after the collapse of the USSR, the practice continued, as contemporary Ukrainian artists also faced similar attitudes towards their work.
Born in Ukraine exhibition features a diverse selection from the National Museum "Kyiv Art Gallery" collection, as well as works of modern and contemporary art from both museum and private collections, highlighting the historical misappropriation of Ukrainian art by Russia over the centuries.

Project Mission and Goals

Born in Ukraine aims to restore historical justice by showcasing the names and works of Ukraine's outstanding artists, particularly those who remained loyal to their Ukrainian roots in the condition of Russian misappropriation.
The project "Born in Ukraine" aims to highlight the rich heritage of Ukrainian culture relatively unknown before. By showcasing Ukrainian art, the exhibition seeks to familiarise the public with the country's unique artistic traditions and to focus on the contribution to the European cultural landscape.

Born in Ukraine project

Artists from the Past

Illustration

Dmytro Levytsky. The Portrait of Ivan Dolgoruky. 1782

Illustration

Illia Repin. Ukrainian hut. 1876

Illustration

Zinaida Serebriakova. Self-portrait with a brush. 1924

Illustration

Ivan Aivazovsky. The Cart In The Field. 1848

Illustration

Arkhyp Kuindzhi. Landscape

Illustration

Artworks by Ivan Aivazovsky

The first part of the exhibition project showcases artworks from the 18th and 19th centuries and features 50-60 works created by 40 artists from the collection of the National Museum "Kyiv Art Gallery". Among them are world-famous artists Dmytro Levytsky, Volodymyr Borovykovsky, Ivan Aivazovsky, Arkhyp Kuindzhi, Illia Repin, Mykola Yaroshenko, Davyd Burliuk and others.
In addition to these ethnic Ukrainians, the collection also features artists with Jewish, Polish, Armenian, or Greek roots whose practices were informed by several distinct national traditions, such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Lev Lagorio, Arkhyp Kuyindzhi, Kostiantyn Kryzhytsky, Isaak Brodsky, and Davyd Shterenberg.
These and other artists presented in the project were born on Ukrainian territories during the stateless period of Ukraine's history. They lived and worked in conditions of brutal suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture by the Russian Empire and the USSR. The imperialistic policy made obtaining national professional education impossible, led to mass russification of Ukrainian and other nations' elites, and, as a result, forced assimilation into Russian culture.
This exhibition restores historical justice and brings back the names and works of outstanding Ukrainian sons and daughters, primarily those whose Ukrainian roots broke through the surface of imperial “asphalt”.

Born in Ukraine project

Contemporary Artists

Illustration

Mykhailo Guida. Portrait of Parajanov. 2015

Illustration

Arsen Savadov. From the series "Collective Red". 1999

Illustration

Anatoly Gankevich. Carpet. 2014

Illustration

Artwork by Victor Sydorenko

Illustration

Artwork by Yurii Vakulenko

Illustration

Artwork by Tiberiy Silvashi

Illustration

Artwork by Anatoly Kryvolap

The second part of the Born in Ukraine exhibition project showcases modern and contemporary art from both the National Museum "Kyiv Art Gallery" and private collections.
In the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the trend of Russian misappropriation of Ukrainian artists continued. Many Ukrainian contemporary artists were still mistakenly labelled as Russian on the global art scene. Yet, even a new Ukrainian movement, inspired by Ukrainian myths and traditions, was not immune to appropriation. Vibrant, daring, provocative, and expressive works from this movement became a "new wave" throughout the entire post- Soviet territory and were interpreted within the context of Russian art.
Those were the times when the names of Savadov, Tistol, Rojtburd, Hnylytskyi, Holosiy and many more came to fame. Exhibitions on the territory of modern- day Russia gave the grounds for Russian art historians to ‘christen’ this group of artists as the "Southern Russian Wave" in contrast to the northern wave, the Moscow Conceptual School.
The artists belong, however, to the Ukrainian art scene, both by the right of citizenship and their worldview. With the re-emergence of independent Ukraine on the map, the term with its flavour of imperialism is gradually fading into oblivion, and the artists are regaining their Ukrainian identity.
Anatoly Gankevich, Vasyl Tsagolov, Arsen Savadov, Oleksandr Rojtburd, Anatoly Kryvolap, Mykhailo Guida, Ivan Marchuk, Victor Sydorenko, Oleg Tistol, Yurii Vakulenko and others are among contemporary Ukrainian artists whose art journeys have started from the end of the 20th century to the present.

History of Art Basel

Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Paris, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition.
Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast and the BMW Art Journey. Art Basel's Global Media Partner is The Financial Times.

Locations

Illustration

© Created by Advisory ArtCult

All rights Reserved

Illustration

© Created by Advisory ArtCult

All rights Reserved