Works By:
Camille Blatrix
Andrea Bowers
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Robert Colescott
Michael Dean
Roe Ethridge
Annette Kelm
Bruno Munari
Michael E. Smith
Hayley Tompkins
Cheyney Thompson
Padraig Timoney
Fredrik Vaerslev
Erika Verzutti
He Xiangyu
Unlimited – Camille Blatrix presented in collaboration with Balice Hertling, Paris
For the 2019 edition of Art Basel Unlimited, Andrew Kreps Gallery is pleased to present a new work by Camille Blatrix, entitled Fortune.
One of Blatrix’s largest works to date, Fortune was partially presented in his exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations, Paris in 2019, and is comprised of three elements displayed on a pedestal, placed in front of a wall mounted mirror created by the artist.
Machine-like in its appearance, the work disguises the artist’s labour, combining elements industrially fabricated with those meticulously handcrafted with a variety of traditional techniques, such as wood marquetry. Within this framework, Blatrix interjects anecdotal references to his own life and relationships, allowing initially anonymous objects to become an apparatus for recording fleeting emotions and interactions.
Unlimited – Andrea Bowers presented in collaboration with Capitain Petzel, Berlin, kaufmann repetto, Milan, and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Production, Writing, Editing, Graphic Design, Printing: Angel Alvarado, Kate Alexandrite, Ian Trout, David Burch, Miriam Katz, Ryan Beal
When comedian/actor Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct on January 14, 2018 by an anonymous 23-year-old woman, the story was met with a mixed response from the media and public. Feminist writer Jessica Valenti tweeted, 'A lot of men will read that post about Aziz Ansari and see an everyday, reasonable sexual interaction. But part of what women are saying right now is that what the culture considers "normal" sexual encounters are not working for us, and oftentimes harmful.' Los Angeles artist Andrea Bowers’ installation Open Secret documents the important cultural shifts represented by the #MeToo and Time’s Up international movements against sexual harassment and assault, which spread virally following public revelations of sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017.
This iteration of Bowers’ project includes approximately 200 photographic prints, each of which lists the name and occupation of an accused person, as well as their response to the allegations printed in the typeface in which they were originally published. Some of the statements are apologetic, others are outright denials, and many of them fall into the category of non-apologies—statements designed to appear as if they are apologies without acknowledging culpability or accountability, thereby denying the possibility of closure. Most statements are presented alongside a picture of the accused or other relevant imagery, and contextualised by a summary of events and perspectives. In an acknowledgement of the amount of text being presented, viewers are provided with office chairs—a reference to the workplace as a primary location where sexual harassment occurs. The first iteration of Open Secret was exhibited at Capitain Petzel, Berlin, in September of 2018, and included 100 printed scrolls documenting 100 accused persons. For the presentation of Open Secret at the 2019 edition of Art Basel Unlimited, the project has expanded to include up to 200 names, or slightly more than half of those catalogued since 2018 in Bowers’ #MeToo database. The texts were written collaboratively over 2 years, and the summaries increasing detail and nuance reflect the writers’ growing consciousness to the enmeshed complexities of sexual harassment and assault.
This project serves as both a physical manifestation of patriarchy and a monument to the courage of survivors who are speaking out against sexual harassment and assault, thereby making public what many repeatedly said were 'open secrets.' Activist Tarana Burke first used the phrase 'Me Too' in 2006. It became viral when Alyssa Milano encouraged women in 2017 to post the hashtag along with their personal experiences of sexual harassment as a way to 'give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.' Many of the stories of sexual harassment span decades because women feared that they would be retaliated against or met with disbelief if they came forward.
It is also important to acknowledge that in spite of the paradigm shift represented by the #MeToo movement, the structure of the hashtag as an activist tool has privileged some voices over others, and that many stories have remained overlooked. To identify only a few, they include migrant farm and dairy workers who are abused by their superiors and coworkers, Native American women assaulted or killed by workers in the oil extraction and pipeline industry, and indigenous Mexican women attacked in border towns such as Ciudad Juárez, where NAFTA enabled U.S. corporations to build a low-wage labour force protected by fewer regulations. Although many from these communities have participated and contributed to #MeToo, their stories have not been widely covered.
Venue
Messe Basel
Messeplatz 10 4058
Basel, Switzerland
Opening Hours
Private Days (by invitation only)
Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 11am to 8pm
Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 11am to 8pm
Vernissage (by invitation only)
Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 4pm to 8pm
Public Days
Thursday, June 13, 2019, 11am to 7pm
Friday, June 14, 2019, 11am to 7pm
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 11am to 7pm
Sunday, June 16, 2019, 11am to 7pm