Tresor 2017 starts promising

Tresor Basel, Guggisberg and Baldwin, The Long Voyage 1

Guggisberg and Baldwin The Long Voyage 1, 2011. Glass, metal, sand, 115 x 900 x 115 cm. Photo Christoph Lehmann

Tresor contemporary craft, the new international platform for high-end craft and contemporary applied arts, is pleased to announce the list of participating exhibitors for its first edition, which will tak place in Basel 21-24 September 2017. The Fair will feature carefully selected galleries from Switzerland, Europe and beyond alongside solo presentations by some of the most exciting international artists and craft collectives. In addition, Tresor Discovery will highlight the work of seven emerging craft talents working across a wide range of materials, including ceramics, glass, metal, textile and wood. The Fair will also host leading non-profit institutions including the Crafts Council UK, the École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL), the Musée Ariana and the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship.

The participating galleries, craft collectives and individual makers in the 2017 edition of Tresor contemporary craft are: Belgium Puls contemporary ceramics and Thalen & Thalen, China/GB Ting-Ying, Czech Republic Galerie Kuzebauch, Denmark Køppe Contemporary Objects, France Mizen Fine Art Group as well as the artists Pascal Oudet and Thierry Martenon. Germany’s galleries are Biró, Rosemarie Jäger, Spektrum and Voxelworld as well as the Label Lichtpapier. Galleries and groups from Great Britain: Katie Jones, Metal Project, Vessel Gallery, from Ireland Oliver Sears Gallery, from Italy ESH Gallery. Galleries from South Korea are Crosspoint, LVS & LVS Craft and PHY Gallery, from Switzerland the Galeries TACTILe, S O, Taste Contemporary Craft and Annick Zufferey as well as the silversmith Barbara Amstutz and from The Netherlands Galerie Marzee.

Tresor Basel, Hwang Samyong_Pebbles, Crosspoint Gallery

Hwang Samyong, Pebbles, 2016–2017, Mother of Pearl. Presented by the Crosspoint Gallery, Seoul

Tresor Base, Kouzo Takeuchi, Modern Remains Townscape, Porcelain, ESH Gallery

Kouzo Takeuchi, Modern Remains Townscape, 2006. Porcelain. To be seen at the ESH Gallery, Italy. Photo ESH Gallery

Tresor Discovery aims to showcase the work of artists not yet represented internationally by commercial galleries. The programme will provide them access to a broader collector base and help them build sustainable careers. An annual Tresor Discovery Award will be awarded by the public to the most outstanding Discovery presentation. The artists selected for the 2017 edition of Tresor Discovery are: Françoise Bolli, Switzerland, Anne Fischer, Germany, Sandra Fuchs, Austria, Estelle Gassmann, Switzerland, Alan Meredith and Helen O’Shea, Ireland, Laurin Schaub, Switzerland.

Tresor Basel, Laurin Schaub, Bushes and Trees, Porzellan, Photo Raphaelle Mueller, Bureau SVDP

Laurin Schaub, Bushes and Trees, 2016. Porcelain. Photo Raphaëlle Müller, Bureau SVDP

Complementing the gallery and artist presentations, a selection of leading international not-for-profit institutions will take part in the first edition of the Fair, presenting a vibrant programme of curated exhibitions and special projects. The Crafts Council UK will present A Future Made, The New Materiality, featuring seven exceptional British artists who explore inventive and sustainable ways of working with materials, including using the natural pigments of bacteria as textile dyes and casting plaster to create furniture.

Following successful stops in Milan and London, the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship will bring its highly acclaimed exhibition ‘Doppia Firma’ to Basel. The project pairs innovative European designers with outstanding Italian artisans to collaborate on a unique collection of original works that combine the finest crafts expertise with contemporary design. This will be the first event in Switzerland for the Geneva-based Foundation.

The École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) has invited internationally acclaimed maker Matteo Gonet, known for his bold, often monumental glass objects and sculptures, to work with students from the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship to collectively design and manufacture a glass chandelier. The work, which will be unveiled for the first time at TRESOR as part of the special exhibition Matteo Gonet X ECAL, attests to the masterful use of different techniques and the endless possibilities of glass.

The Musée Ariana in Geneva has invited contemporary photographer Nicolas Lieber to capture the richness of its collections through a new photographic series that will be presented at Tresor. Boasting over 27,000 objects, the Musée Ariana’s collections exemplify all major ceramic, glass and stained glass techniques from the 9th to 21st century across Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

Tresor contemporary craft will also present a series of Special Projects that showcase the scale and ambition of craft today. Swiss-American artist duo Guggisberg & Baldwin will unveil a large-format sculpture from their ongoing boat series, consisting of a life-size raft filled with free-blown glass bottles and vessels. British artist Paul March will create a giant, four-metre high ceramic sculpture from clay resembling the skull of a prehistoric or mythical creature. Leading Swiss architect Gion A. Caminada will unveil a large-scale architectural installation specially conceived for the Fair and presented by Girsberger.

The exhibition D.O.C. will showcase the richness of the contemporary craft scene through the work of nine specially selected makers currently living and working in Basel and its surroundings. Tresor Encounters, presented in partnership with World Crafts, will comprise a specially curated programme of talks, panel discussions and workshops that will bring together international designers, artists, gallerists, academics and curators to debate current topics around the making, exhibiting and collecting of the contemporary object.

The first edition of Tresor contemporary craft is made possible with the generous support of its Main Partners: Helvetia Insurance, Girsberger and Keller Ziegeleien. The Fair’s Show and Supporting Partners are Voxelworld, Hotel Krafft Basel and the Nomad Design & Lifestyle Hotel. The catalogue of the fair will be produced together with Art Aurea and is included in the coming autumn issue.