In Basel, Open Invitational Celebrates Supported Studios

Open Invitational, the international exhibition platform dedicated to progressive art studios and artists with disabilities, has this week arrived in Basel, bringing with it a show that challenges preconceptions of “outsider art” and instead places its works firmly within the context of the contemporary art world.

Combining works by more than 147 artists from six non-profit, inclusive studio spaces from Switzerland and across the United States, the small-scale fair takes place just a few minutes’ walk from Art Basel. Set across two floors, it presents many styles, mediums and levels of experience, most priced under $2,000 USD, and all united by a sense of shared community.

Gallerist and Open Invitational co-founder David Fierman told Ocula that since its launch at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2024, the project has been working to become “just another satellite fair to the bigger thing—but maybe the feelgood version”. 

“The whole goal of the project and the whole branding of Open Invitational is that, while we understand that maybe this art is not seen in the exact same way that some of the contemporary art at Art Basel is seen, it’s going to get there, and so we put it on this legible platform,” he said. “If the work is shown like a contemporary art fair, then it can very quickly travel into the contemporary art world.”

The downstairs exhibition space hosts a presentation by artists working alongside Open Invitational’s Basel host organisation, The Living Museum Society. The Switzerland-based non-profit was founded in New York City in 1983, and now provides free studios to artists living with mental health conditions across 10 countries. 

Artist Linus Kruspan told Ocula that while he still has much to work through, his studio with Living Museum has helped him to form social bonds and address his experiences with bullying. Kruspan creates text-based, repetitious paintings using rollers rather than brushes—he said of his two works (both untitled): “They’re… a little bit about stigma and a bit about aggression. I don’t want my art to be defined by my disabilities.”

Upstairs are pieces that have travelled from non-profit organisations across America and Switzerland, supported by organisations with varied community roles and approaches, but a shared mission. “We have a lot of differences; we serve communities that even geographically have different challenges, but we have a shared history,” Amy Sharp, director of New York City art collective Community Access, told Ocula. 

“The studios have a sense of community: within the structure of all of our studios is shared supplies, shared knowledge and shared encouragement. It’s not always joyful; there’s a lot of struggles, but there’s always a sense of community.”

The important role of supported studio spaces has been highlighted in recent months by British artist Nnena Kalu, who in 2025 won the Turner Prize following more than two decades working from London-based ActionSpace. Fierman is confident that, with the right access, other artists with disabilities can follow suit. 

“Everything in the art world works on who you know, what you know, access to power, gatekeeping power,” the gallerist said. “So now it’s just my job to convince more people like me to be interested in the work, and that’s the easy fun part because dealers and artists are huge fans of this work.

“Everybody’s jaded, everybody’s overexposed, everybody’s tired, and we show art that people haven’t seen by artists they don’t know. But when you sell something that people want, it’s easy.”