volta

I was very lucky to meet my friend Max at art basel. his father runs a gallery in düsseldorf which was also represented at art basel and since max is always helping his father out on the artfairs it was not that impossible to meet him there (please don't ask me why I didn't just call him. That's exactly what he asked me the moment we met...). Max invited Kate and me to come to the Volta art fair with him, since he had planned to meet some gallery friends from london there to have dinner with them afterwards.

I really enjoyed the Volta show. It was the last day and we were kind of late (everybody was already starting to pack their things). We sat outside drank good beer and had a nice talk. There we also met the guys from [im]perfect articles. I'll write more about their t-shirt project later...

"VOLTAshow01 —founded by Kavi Gupta (Kavi Gupta, Chicago), Friedrich Loock (Wohnmaschine, Berlin), Ulrich Voges (Voges + Partner, Frankfurt) and Amanda Coulson—premiered in 2005, parallel to Art Basel and attracted over 10,000 visitors. Conceived as a small but precious gem, the booths were all the same size, diminishing the sense of competition, while interchange and intersection were encouraged between exhibitors in order to create a relaxed atmosphere that was more boutique than shopping mall.

In 2006 VOLTAshow02 presented an expanded format in a new, bigger location in the Basel harbor. While allowing for almost double the number of exhibiting international galleries, a project section dedicated to emerging artist solo presentations, specialized publications and a riverside café, the fair still maintained its charming, intimate atmosphere —a lustrous pearl in the rough shell of the industrial setting. On opening day The Art Newspaper declared "VOLTA gets Even Better!"

VOLTAshow03 plans to consolidate its success in the industrial Ultra Brag location and introduces a new model so as to maintain the focus on content. Continuing the original idea of presenting a boutique event that is more exhibition than trade fair, VOLTAshow03 has formed a Curatorial Board to advise in the selection process. [...] (website)

After Volta Kate, Max and I and David, Charlie, Poppy and another artist whos name I somehow don't remeber from david risley gallery drove back to the city to have dinner at an albanian restaurant which was quite good. And after that Kate and I rode our bikes to the infamous art club at the kunsthalle, where we met amer from vienna who was very nive talking to...