A hot water bottle on two legs, several meters high, stands in the middle of Kreuzberg. It is Erwin Wurm’s “Big mother”, which the visitor to the gallery receives king ($400,000) is. In the entrance to the brutally modernist St. Agnes Church, photography by Bettina Pousttchi, a hint of the famous clock at the entrance to the Basel exhibition grounds then hangs. This is meant to be ironic, because the cancellation of this year’s Art Basel also presents the Berlin-based gallerists in front of big challenges, especially since the art scene is here confronted with bad news. While many of the galleries participate in the “Online Viewing Room” of the Art Basel (from 19. – June) part; but it can hardly replace a physical presence. A some of the galleries initiated a “Basel in Berlin”list is there to help, to connect galleries and exhibitions together. Because he is little, has Johann König initiated in St. Agnes a “fair” (17. up to the 26. June). This seems at first glance to make sense, especially since Berlin has also lost the “Art in Berlin”exhibition and, on September shifted, Gallery Weekend is because of the pandemic, not sure yet. But a closer Look shows that king gallery operation and the secondary market are mixed; seventy percent of its “fair” works of the 20th century. and 21. Century come from there.
Photography reigns spaces is prohibited in the exhibition. This is probably mainly due to the fact that the owners of the exhibited works by Neo Rauch ($700,000), Daniel Richter ($300,000) or Georg Baselitz ($700,000) – prefer discretion. In the chapel of St. Agnes, the house will be shown, however, the artist of king, including Alicja Kwade, Norbert Bisky, Katharina Grosse, or Elmgreen & Dragset,. There the Basel planned state is reconstructed exactly. This “Viewing Room” in the chapel is meticulously separated from the actual “fair” for the more than one hundred works were selected. Galleries of the primary market were able to engage in price – free of charge, but with a Commission of fifteen to twenty percent on the sale. There to participate but seem to be hardly.
