Medium, Memory, Machine: 5 Standout Moments from Art Basel

This year's edition of Art Basel in Basel brought a vibrant spotlight to emerging talent, showcasing a diverse array of works across all media. With 20 gallery newcomers from Europe, Asia, and the Americas joining the fair for the first time, and a newly dedicated sector showcasing cutting-edge works from the past five years, Art Basel reaffirmed its commitment to fostering innovation and pushing artistic boundaries. 

The show also boasted expanded programming this year, including the largest-ever edition of the Unlimited sector featuring monumental installations and performances, which reaffirmed the need for platforms that embrace not only traditional art forms but also the innovative possibilities offered by decentralized networks, digital ownership, and a more inclusive, transparent approach to art's global exchange. 

As the art world continues to evolve, these shifts challenge us to think more expansively about curatorial narratives, material agency, and the integration of technology in contemporary art. Read on to discover some of our favorite works from this year’s dynamic edition, each one offering a fresh perspective on the role of space, medium, and digital innovation shaping the future of art.

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1. Katharina Grosse – CHOIR

Medium: Spray paint on architecture

Katharina Grosse’s monumental intervention, CHOIR, transformed Messeplatz into a living canvas. With bold sprays of magenta and white across the fairground’s architecture, Grosse erased the boundary between sculpture, performance, and painting. Her work redefined the viewer's relationship to space, turning Art Basel’s institutional setting into a temporary, dynamic environment.

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2. Ayan Farah – Desert Seeds

Medium: Embroidery on naturally dyed fabrics

In Desert Seeds, Ayan Farah traces the fragile memory of extinct desert flora. Using Somali earth, UAE cloud-seeded water, and vintage fabrics, Farah’s embroidery reflects both personal and ecological loss. The work evokes a deep sense of nostalgia while confronting urgent environmental concerns, blending delicate craftsmanship with powerful storytelling.

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3. Theo Triantafyllidis – Drift Lattice

Medium: AI marine simulation

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Theo Triantafyllidis’s Drift Lattice offers an AI-driven simulation of a marine ecosystem that evolves and regenerates in real time. By using machine learning to simulate the interaction between organic and synthetic life forms, Triantafyllidis creates a virtual environment where entropy and regeneration coexist. The piece engages viewers in an evolving digital experience that asks fundamental questions about nature, technology, and our place within both.

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4. Arturo Kameya – Every step is a payment in full

Medium: Mixed media installation with acrylic and oil on canvas

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At Statements, Arturo Kameya transformed the booth into a haunting study of institutional memory and state power. Using the visual language of mid-century Peruvian schools–bleached gym equipment, faded murals, ochre-painted walls–Kameya examined how physical education was used as a tool of assimilation and control. His layered paintings echo this tension: ghostlike figures, archival fragments, and nationalist motifs blur together in a mise-en-scène that critiques the state's role in shaping historical narrative.

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5. Jordan Wolfson – Little Room

Medium: VR installation

In Little Room, Jordan Wolfson invites viewers to step into a VR space where they swap perspectives in real time. This disorienting exchange explores the fluid nature of identity in digital spaces, asking how we perceive and reconstruct ourselves in virtual environments. Wolfson’s work challenges the traditional use of technology in art, offering a powerful commentary on surveillance, selfhood, and the complexities of digital embodiment.

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Closing Thoughts:

These five works represent the shifting landscape of contemporary art, one where spatial design, materiality, digital technologies, and personal narratives converge. Each piece invites us to reconsider how we engage with art, whether through immersive experiences, new media, or a re-examination of global histories.

Many of the presentations at the 2025 edition of Art Basel reflect the ongoing convergence of the digital and physical realms, reshaping how we experience, own, and interact with art. As the relationship between artist and audience becomes more decentralized and dynamic, these works exemplify the interconnectivity of the contemporary art ecosystem, an ecosystem that Arcual is proud to help shape and define.