On the Weekend of June 12 to June 14, 2009, Art 40 Basel celebrates the first Art Basel Weekend, highlighting activities at the booths of the participating galleries, specially conceived for museum professionals, curators, artists, academics, art collectors, art dealers, critics and also for the general public. Art Basel Weekend features solo shows in the booths of the galleries, special presentations of works, film programs, performances, book signings and special talks and conversations in the Art Lobby.

Many artists will be present at the booths of the galleries. Further highlights at the weekend will be the Art Basel Conversations in the morning about “The Future of the Museum: Digital Frontiers” (Friday) and “Public / Private: Institutions: A Time of Crisis – and Opportunity?” (Saturday), a talk organised by the Swiss Architecture Museum with Peter Zumthor, a lecture performance by Mark Leckey at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Basel, well as many more events and receptions in Basel institutions.

There will be special group exhibitions throughout the weekend, including Kicken Gallery presenting “Happy 90th Birthday, Bauhaus”, Washburn Gallery showing “Sliding Through The Years” with works by Martin Johnson Heade, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O’ Keeffe, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and others, and Konrad Fischer Gallery presenting works by Hans-Peter Feldmann coinciding with his work at Art Unlimited.

Various solo shows feature artists such as Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven (Zeno X), Jim Shaw (Praz-Delavallade), and Remy Markowitsch (Eigen + Art). Artists Ryan Gander and Bedwyr Williams (Annet Gelink Gallery, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Lisson Gallery) will stage performances in the booths of the galleries. Galerie Barbara Weiss showcases different 2-channel film installations by Harun Farocki, Galerie Krinzinger presents the film “Water Panics in the Sea, Scene 9” (2009) by Laleh Khorramian and Galerie Juliette Jongma screens the film “chess piano” (2009) by Guido van der Werve. Finally, artists such as Simon Starling (Franco Noero Gallery), Karl Holmquist (Hollybush Gardens), Christian Lapie (Galerie Alice Pauli), Catherine Griffiths and Dan Rees (T293), Vincenzo Castella and Multiplicity (Studio la Città), Sterling Ruby (Galleria Emi Fontana, West of Rome) will present their latest publications.