The art world was out in force on Wednesday for an exceedingly Russian production of the Futurist opera Victory Over the Sun. Bigwigs such as Sam Keller of the Fondation Beyeler, which co-organised the event, and independent curator Sir Norman Rosenthal filed in to Theater Basel for the experimental extravaganza featuring Mikhail Matyushin’s original music plus costumes based on Kazimir Malevich’s geometric designs. The opera is an avant-garde call to destroy the sun, a symbol of logical enlightenment. The arty audience subsequently savoured the erratic choreography, thrashing of limbs and enigmatic verse delivered in Russian, especially excerpts like: “Do not go out beyond the line of fire, an iron bird is flying, the wood goblin waggles his beard, beneath the hoof of someone buried.”
Just the ticket
Swiss efficiency and exactitude are legendary but sometimes this meticulousness goes just a little too far—as demonstrated by Basel city council’s rules and regulations regarding a bronze sculpture of a motorbike covered in a carefully rendered tarpaulin by Jonathan Monk, which is on the Parcours art trail (Covered Motorbike (2013)). We hear that city authorities were worried this frighteningly realistic rendition might pick up a parking ticket. A source at Lisson gallery, which represents the artist, tells us that, thankfully, they will pick up the tab if a traffic warden takes exception to the public statuary (phew!).
Sweat and terabytes
In the age of whistleblower Edward Snowden, perhaps it’s no surprise that there is someone out there who wants to collect data on the sweat, sound and movements people make on the dance floor. Except the techno DJ Davide Squillace, the co-founder of these “Blender” parties, says it’s all in the name of art. He “mixes” the elements together and then asks an artist to sculpt a limited-edition work inspired by it. The artistic result of the inaugural party in New York, by the Belgian artist Frederik De Wilde, will go on view on Friday at Conto 4056 in Basel. Meanwhile, those who want to become a work of art themselves can party on Saturday night at club Nordstern. But beware: Big Blender’s watching.
Catch of the day
The Swiss collector Uli Sigg, who has been spotted wandering the aisles of Art Basel, held a fun-filled party this week at his nearby castle which, naturally, boasts its own private lake. Although Sigg has previously taken Chinese artists out on the lake to fish for pike, he recently discovered that there are upsides to owning your own mini fish farm. “We had a very skilled chef staying with us from China who needed a fish head for some soup. So she just went to the lake and caught one,” Sigg tells us, adding that he feels bad about the angling at his abode. “I pity the fish,” he says, frowning at the thought of the pike being pulverised.
Hello, kitty
We’ve had such fun this week at Art Basel tweeting, Instagramming and Periscoping (don’t ask), and thought we’d give you a flavour of some of our online recommendations and nuggets. It is no surprise that posts featuring animals, from stuffed horses to ceramic chickens at Design Miami/Basel, were pure “clickbait”, but the biggest hit was this Instagram shot, which had the following fetching caption: A big pussy at the Gagosian booth: Jeff Koon’s Cat on a Clothesline (1994-2001) #ArtBasel #TANBasel #cat
Three cheers to Napoleon
It is with no small thanks to Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo that the Rijksmuseum exists today and the director of the Dutch institution, Wim Pijbes, is happy to give the Little Corsican his dues. Pijbes, who is in Basel this week, raised a glass (Dutch beer, of course) to the French emperor on the eve of the 200th anniversary of the final battle at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. After the fighting, the Duke of Wellington made sure that art looted by the French from across Europe returned home. Newly independent, the Netherlands needed a national museum to house its reclaimed Old Masters and so eventually the Rijksmuseum was built. But Pijbes had an extra reason to celebrate: he was recently invited to be a visiting art history professor at the UK’s Cambridge University next year.
Chloë’s kiss and tell?
The actress Chloë Sevigny is baring her love life on the pages of a new magazine launching at Basel’s I Never Read art book fair this week. The 28-page publication from Innen Zines, titled No Time For Love, shows photos of Sevigny lazing about with former lovers (as well as, less explicitly, her father and brother). But don’t get too carried away: each of the men’s faces has been cheekily blocked out with little cartoons. For each shot of Sevigny lying dreamily in bed with some mystery man, there is also an accompanying tabloid clipping with a piece of Page-Six-style gossip about the actress. The zines are for sale, in an edition of 1,000, for €11.
Dirty dancing
The Swiss artist Alexandra Bachzetsis is making waves this week with her female-body-empowering performance piece Gold at the Naturhistorisches Museum. According to Art Basel’s official marketing for Parcours, the work is a “black-and-tan, tits-and-ass show complete with the obligatory sprinkling of gold dust” performed to the beats of Missy Elliott, Kelis and Khia. Chris Dercon, the director of Tate Modern, and Art Basel’s director Marc Spiegler were among the guests admiring Bachzetsis’s moves at the museum—the former home of Basel University. But another onlooker pointed out that some of the former professors of the college, immortalised in 125 austere portrait paintings, were metaphorically frowning upon what could be described as “arty twerking”. Don’t worry if you missed the show; another performance is due to take place on Saturday at 8.30pm.
