Art Basel 2025 | Basel Switzerland

The energy at Messeplatz was undeniable the moment I arrived. The first thing that hit me was the sheer scale of Katharina Grosse’s "CHOIR". She completely took over the Messeplatz with this aggressive, beautiful spray of magenta and vibrant colors that covered the ground and the structures. It didn’t feel like I was walking to the fair, it felt like I was walking inside a painting before I even showed my ticket. It set the tone for the whole day : immersive and loud.

I spent most of my time in the Unlimited sector, and honestly, "unlimited" is the only word for it. Walking into the Unlimited sector, it was impossible to miss Yayoi Kusama’s installation (Let’s Go to a Paradise of Glorious Tulips, 2009). This polka-Dot garden was a burst of pure joy, the bright primary colors were a shock to the system. 

​One of my favorites was Da geht sie, die Leseratte one to six, 2025 by artist Cosima von Bonin. At first, I thought they were paintings, but up close, they were actually made of velvet, cotton, and fleece. The subject is Daffy Duck, but not the energetic version we usually see. He looks defeated, melting into the floor, dragging himself along, collapsing in exhaustion represents pure, unfiltered emotion: fatigue, failure, and irony.​ It was funny, but also deeply relatable.

Into the Woods to Lose Our Way, 2025 by artist Hyunsun Jeon : a massive, semicircular structure that looked like a skateboard ramp. But instead of concrete, it was covered in digital-style landscapes. The artist mixed traditional watercolor techniques with pixelated graphics, trees, and geometric shapes. Walking around it felt like being inside a video game glitching into a forest.

Nicola Turner's artwork: Danse Macabre, 2025, this piece was massive and haunting. A towering monster made of horsehair and wool that reached 10 meters up to the ceiling. It looked like a storm cloud or a dark spirit freezing in mid-air, like it was absorbing the energy of the room.

As I stood in front of these towering figures Untitled, 2024–2025 by artist Izumi Kato, thinking they were massive, heavy stones, but the description revealed a fascinating trick: they are actually cast in lightweight aluminum and then hand-painted them to look like primitive, spiritual figures. They reminded me of ancient totems but with a modern twist.

From the massive installations in the Unlimited sector to the intimate ​Galleries sector, The Face in the Wood, 2015-2025 by artist Mark Manders had such a quiet intensity. A pale, clay-like face was squeezed tightly between rough, vertical wooden beams. The materials created a texture that looked both industrial and incredibly fragile. It felt like a memory being crushed  by the crucial reality.

It’s one thing to know Art Basel is 'expensive', but it is another thing entirely to stand inches away from iconic artworks that were hanging on temporary walls like they were standard decorations, raw and exposed. Still can't believe I was there to witness many masterpieces up close, including a $10M+ Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork Because it Hurts the Lungs (1986), I was staring for a minute to feel the raw energy of this multi-media construction. And then moments later, I was face-to-face with Picasso’s Homme à la pipe assis et amour(1969), with the on-site observation, I suddenly discovered the "hidden image" that I couldn't unsee it... while the yellow part might look like a ruffled shirt of the musketeer, I also saw a blonde woman in a very compromising position, and the curves of the red shapes just look like a women's figure. Considering Picasso was the master of the visual double entendre, and presence of Cupid hovering over the man's shoulder makes sense ​if there is an act of love happening.