Smaller and Scrappier, VOLTA 13 Promises to Be One of the Best Fairs This Season

It's one of the strongest editions yet.

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

Dealers are gearing up for the “lucky” 13th edition of VOLTA, Art Basel’s globally conscious satellite fair that serves as a platform for emerging artists and galleries from around the world, taking place in Basel’s idyllic domed Markthalle.

VOLTA traditionally focuses on solo and dual-artist presentations, and this year over half of the 70 participants have chosen to present works in this format.

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

This year’s edition features 12 first-timers, such as LMAKgallery in New York, Milan’s Galleria Bianconi, and Roger Katwijk of Amsterdam. On the other hand, 30 exhibitors that showed at last year’s VOLTA aren’t coming back, perhaps travel weary from this year’s grueling spring and summer art calendar that includes important stops in Venice for the 57th Biennale, documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel, and the 5th edition of the decennial exhibition of public sculptures, Skulptur Projekte Münster.

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

But VOLTA artistic director Amanda Coulsen isn’t discouraged. “The range is really extraordinary, from Biennale-participating artists to new faces,” she said in a statement. “So my feeling is the fair will be both quite energizing and educational—even a bit challenging, just like most teenagers!”

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

Coulson’s optimism is perhaps justified, as this year’s fair is one of the strongest editions in recent memory, including a host of internationally recognized artists with lots of highlights for collectors to look forward to.

For example, New York’s Tyler Rollins Fine Art will show works from the series of bamboo grid reliefs by Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich, which are also currently on view at this year’s Venice Biennale.

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

Hong Kong’s Galerie Ora-Ora brought new works by the Chinese ink artist Peng Wei creates specifically for the fair, similar works from the same series were included at the 2014 Shenzhen International Ink Biennale and the artist’s solo show at the Suzhou Museum in 2016.

VOLTA 12 at Markthalle. Photo: Nicholas Winter, courtesy of VOLTA.

There’s also a strong focus on Latin American art. Potomac’s RoFa Projects will show works by El Salvadorian Mauricio Esquivel, Honduran Lester Rodríguez, Mexican Erika Harrsch, and Colombian Santiago Vélez. Elsewhere first-time exhibitor Carlos Carvalho Arte Contemporânea, from Lisbon, will show Cuban-American photographer Anthony Goicolea, and Portuguese artists Mónica de Miranda and Carla Cabanas.

So, if you’re in Basel and interested in discovering the next big artist or trend, a stop at Markthalle could be a rewarding experience, whether you’re there to add to your collection or just to enjoy the rich variety of art the Swiss city has to offer during this year’s fair season.