What to See at SCOPE Basel in 2016

Rajni Perera, The Royal Couple (2015). Courtesy of the Public House of Art.

SCOPE Art Fair, Basel. Courtesy of Scope Art Fair and Google Maps.

Specializing in young galleries and emerging art, SCOPE art fair returns to Basel this year, and is celebrating its 10th anniversary at a new location.

With 1.2 million visitors in 2015, SCOPE is one of the largest emerging art fairs, and also has editions in Miami Beach and New York. It’s a hotbed for up-and-comers and appeals to collectors who like to make their own discoveries rather than relying on art advisors.

Keke Vilabelda Skyline N10 (2015). Courtesy of Kir Royal Gallery and SCOPE Art Fair, Basel.

SCOPE describes its Breeder Program as the “original incubator of emerging work,” which returns for a 16th year to introduce new galleries to the international contemporary art market for the first time. Located only three blocks from Basel’s Messeplatz, where the Art Basel behemoth has taken root, the event provides a unique and welcome counterbalance to the hustle and bustle of the main fair. A range of notable contemporary galleries originally made their first foray onto the international art fair circuit at SCOPE, including Peres Projects, Berlin; Galeria Enrique Guerrero, Mexico City; Daniel Reich Gallery, New York; and Spinello Projects, Miami.

This year the Basel-based fair will host 85 international exhibitors from over 20 countries including nations as diverse as China, South Africa, Ukraine, Korea, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, UK, and Spain. While the fair’s impressive range remains, it has whittled down the number of participants from last year’s list of 100 to present a tighter and more focused presentation.

See some highlights from the upcoming fair below.