Art Basel

On the occasion of its twenty-fifth year at Art Basel, Stephen Friedman Gallery presents a group exhibition that highlights key milestones in the gallery’s history and its longstanding relationship with the fair.

The display provides an overview of the gallery’s international programme of contemporary artists and twentieth century masters. It includes new and historical works by Marina Adams, Melvin Edwards, Tom Friedman, Wayne Gonzales, Jim Hodges, Deborah Roberts and Kehinde Wiley (American); Mamma Andersson and Andreas Eriksson (Swedish); Juan Araujo (Venezuelan); Leilah Babirye (Ugandan); Jonathan Baldock, Sarah Ball, Denzil Forrester, Holly Hendry, Ged Quinn, David Shrigley, Caroline Walker (British) and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA (British-Nigerian); Stephan Balkenhol (German), Lisa Brice and Kendell Geers (South African); Manuel Espinosa (Argentine); Ilona Keserü (Hungarian); and Tonico Lemos Auad, Rivane Neuenschwander and Luiz Zerbini (Brazilian).

Many of the featured artists – notably Mamma Andersson, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and David Shrigley – have been with the gallery from its infancy, marking a long and prolific collaboration over the past three decades. Highlights include a dreamlike painting titled ‘Preludium’ by Mamma Andersson. Hovering between real and still life, the work depicts a sculpted Venus and Cupid against a golden sunrise. Composed of textured brushstrokes, graphic lines and a seductive colour palette, this work embodies Andersson’s striking variety of painterly techniques. A major solo exhibition of the artist’s work is currently on view at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

A specially commissioned installation by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA marks a development in his ongoing ‘British Library Collections’ series. The work comprises a set of shelves filled with books bound in the artist’s signature Dutch wax batik fabric. On the spine of each book is inscribed the names of first-and second-generation immigrants who have shaped the British cultural landscape, as well as those who have opposed entry from oversees. A timely exploration of diversity in the UK, an iteration of this work was acquired by Tate in 2019 and exhibited at Tate Modern, London.

Also on display are maquettes of public sculptures by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and David Shrigley that were commissioned for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London in 2010 and 2016 respectively. Engaging the viewer with wit and humour, these important works carry international resonance. Shonibare’s ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’, which features a scale replica of the Admiral’s flagship HMS Victory, presents an incisive commentary on the legacy of British colonialism. Shrigley’s bronze ‘Really Good’ depicts a hand giving a thumbs up, a simple gesture that is recognised worldwide. A symbol of positivity, the artist’s ambition was that the final seven-metre sculpture would represent a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The gallery has expanded its programme over the past year, with new additions to its roster including Marina Adams, Sarah Ball, Leilah Babirye, Holly Hendry and Caroline Walker. The presentation features a new work by Adams, which incorporates vibrant shapes arranged in abstract configurations. The artist’s solo exhibition ‘Wild Is Its Own Way’ opens at the gallery in September 2021 with a series of vivid large-scale paintings. Following her first exhibition at the gallery and in Europe, Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye presents a new wooden sculpture that addresses issues surrounding identity, sexuality and human rights. New works by British artists Sarah Ball and Holly Hendry are also exhibited ahead of their respective solo shows at the gallery in January 2022. A meticulously rendered portrait of a tattooed man by Ball examines themes of gender and identity, whilst Hendry’s new sculpture is concerned with the interior workings of the human body. New works on paper by Caroline Walker offer a unique window into the diverse experiences of women living in contemporary society. A solo exhibition of the artist’s work is currently on view at KM21, The Hague in The Netherlands.

Other works on view include a new collage that depicts an exuberantly dressed Black girl by Deborah Roberts, coinciding with her major touring exhibition at MCA Denver; new paintings by Denzil Forrester which explore his Grenadian roots and subsequent life in the UK; a new portrait by Kehinde Wiley, ahead of his major solo exhibition at The National Gallery, London in November; a new large-scale landscape painting by Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson; and new works on paper by Lisa Brice that continue her interrogation of the male gaze.

The presentation also reflects the gallery’s long-term interest in art from South America with a painting by Luiz Zerbini which captures the immersive and seductive quality of the Brazilian landscape.

For Art Basel Unlimited, Stephen Friedman Gallery presents ‘The Hunter’s Dream’ by Venezuelan artist Juan Araujo. Drawing on the Fondation Beyeler in Basel as its inspiration, the installation explores the relationship between Renzo Piano’s architecture and Ernst Beyeler’s collection of indigenous African art. The paintings and projections are housed in a bespoke pavilion designed by Araujo to replicate the museum’s modernist structure. Since moving to Portugal from Venezuela, Araujo has become fascinated with the genesis of modern and postmodern architecture in Europe, and how these ideals travelled across the Atlantic to influence the development of 20th century Latin American architecture. Looking at the significance of Renzo Piano in the history of postmodern architecture, Araujo was particularly struck by the Fondation Beyeler and the synergy between the building, art, and the surrounding landscape. 

Juan Araujo (born 1971 in Caracas) has pursued over the last 20 years a highly personal investigation of the history of Western culture, art history and modernism by making hyper-realistic paintings based on found images. Araujo lives and works in Porto, Portugal.