Your 2025 Guide to Art Basel with the ArtWorld Passport.

As summer lights up the Rhine, the global art world converges once again in Basel for one of the most anticipated cultural moments of the year. From June 16 to 22, Art Basel Week 2025 transforms the Swiss city into a vibrant ecosystem of exhibitions, installations, performances, and conversations.

With your ArtWorld Passport in hand, you're not just attending—you’re participating in a movement. This symbolic yet intentional passport empowers you to explore the art world across borders, both geographic and conceptual. Whether you're a collector, curator, digital explorer, or simply a curious traveler, this guide shows you where to go and what not to miss.

Art Basel (June 19–22): The Main Event

Location: Messe Basel

Featuring 289 galleries from 42 countries, Art Basel remains the epicenter of the week. The fair opens with a monumental installation by Katharina Grosse at Messeplatz, curated by Natalia Grabowska, a powerful, color-drenched welcome.

Highlights:

• Unlimited – 67 large-scale projects unconstrained by booth walls.

• Kabinett – Curated solo presentations within booths.

• Premiere – A debut section spotlighting emerging galleries and urgent global themes.

• Art Basel Awards Summit – Honoring 36 artists across disciplines in collaboration with BOSS.

• Parcours – A trail of public art installations weaving through the city under the theme Second Nature.

  
  

Africa Basel (June 17–22)

Africa Basel debuts as Europe’s second international art fair exclusively focused on contemporary African art and its diaspora. Founded by Sven Eisenhut-Hug and Benjamin Füglister, this boutique fair offers a curated, intimate platform for sustainable visibility and long-term engagement.

With support from prominent curators like Azu Nwagbogu, the fair blends commerce with cultural exchange, positioning African art at the heart of the global conversation.

Photo Basel (June 17–22)

Switzerland’s premier fair dedicated to photographic art, Photo Basel celebrates its 10th edition with 39 galleries from 15 countries. Over 450 works by more than 150 artists offer a focused, boutique experience.

Described by FT as a “compact alternative for lighter, more subtle encounters,” it’s a haven for vintage, fine art, and experimental photography—all housed in the heritage-designed Volkshaus by Herzog & de Meuron.

BMW x Alvaro Barrington: Art on the Move

To mark the 50th anniversary of the BMW Art Car, artist Alvaro Barrington transforms the iX5 Hydrogen into a mobile artwork titled Simply, 2025. This roving piece merges themes of speed, sustainability, and Caribbean culture—part performance, part design statement.

Liste Art Fair (June 16–22)

With 99 participating galleries, many showing for the first time, Liste celebrates its 30th year as the launchpad for tomorrow’s icons. Under Nikola Dietrich’s curatorship, expect experimental installations, performance-based practices, and next-gen discourse on contemporary culture.

Basel Social Club (June 15–21): The Radical Playground

Inside a repurposed bank, Basel Social Club hosts over 100 immersive environments—performance rooms, “blood banks,” healing spaces, and community rituals. It’s less fair, more living artwork. Come for the art, stay for the late-night conversations.

Digital Art Mile (June 16–22): The New Frontier

Launched by ArtMeta, Digital Art Mile spans venues like Space25, Kult.Kino, and a fourth-floor warehouse, becoming the epicenter of digital creativity.

Key features include:

• AI and generative art by Ivona Tau and Simon Denny

• Resurrection of the legendary Paintbox digital tool

• Tezos-minted NFTs and physical-digital hybrids

• Thought-provoking panels on machine creativity, institutional blockchain use, and digital collecting

  
  

MAZE Design Basel (June 16–17): Design for the Soul

Set in the gothic Offene Kirche Elisabethen, MAZE brings together 11 international design galleries. Think collectible furniture, hand-thrown ceramics, and soulful minimalism - from Jean Royère to the Bouroullec brothers - in a setting that invites quiet contemplation.

With Your ArtWorld Passport

Your ArtWorld Passport isn’t just an access token—it’s a mindset. Here's how to make the most of it:

• Map by Mood: Craving digital edge? Go to Digital Art Mile. Prefer analog magic? Liste is your stop. Want art as ritual? Head to Basel Social Club.

• Activate Conversations: Use your passport at panels and gatherings where ideas around access, mobility, and belonging take center stage.

• Go Off the Grid: Seek spontaneous performances, riverfront activations, or late-night salons announced through whispers or social stories.

  
  

Practical Tips for Basel Travelers

• Transport: Trams, bikes, and walking are best.

• Gear Up: Bring a charger, refillable bottle, and layers.

• Fuel Wisely: Enjoy pop-ups, café culture, and artist-run food spots.

• Leave Room for Surprise: Don’t overschedule—serendipity is part of the journey.

Art Basel Week 2025 isn’t just a fair, it’s a citywide meditation on where art is headed. From the iconic halls of Messe Basel to the underground labs of the Digital Art Mile and the quiet dialogues at Africa Basel, this week marks a celebration of vision, voices, and values.

With your ArtWorld Passport, you’re more than a visitor. You’re a participant in shaping a more inclusive, imaginative, and borderless art world.

See you in Basel.