Art Basel

I took my boys to Art Basel and had so much more fun than I expected. It is an annual event, an large modern and contemporary art exhibition with more than 2,500 artists. It’s housed in two enormous industrial halls that are partitioned so each artist gets their own “space”. You’ll find an wide variety of paintings, sculptures, films, interactive installations, etc. There is a separate drop-off kids area, where kids can play and make art while parents explore the show. It’s a good time for all.

So why bring the kids? First, it’s a more comfortable environment than a traditional museum. When I bring my kids to the Kunsthaus, the docents hover around us and are constantly shushing us and telling us to stand further away from the art. But at Art Basel, there are thousands of people milling about and it’s kinda noisy so you don’t stick out so much. You still need to have control of your kids and no one should be running around like crazy and touching the art. But I felt relaxed and my kids did too.

Giant art installations in Hall 1. The hanging bricks on the left were allowed to be touched with the warning “enter at your own risk” printed on the floor. My son loved that he could not only touch this one but run around in it.

My son was sure that guitars could not be art … my son was the only patron unselfconscious enough to try out this this “art” video game, where you “surf” on the surfboard shaped carpet and make the surfing zen master collect points by jumping on a sun and moon.

My boys were happy to see a few dinosaur themed art pieces at Art Basel (a couple pirates too)

Second, the modern art is fun: lots of bright colors, crazy juxtapositions, larger than life sculptures, a few interactive installations, current cultural references (one piece had Dora the Explorer), etc. I was really surprised how entertained my kids were for at least a full hour before lunch and another after.

My kids like this person sculpture because it was made up of letters … they liked the scribble painting because of all the hidden faces … they weren’t sure the last one was actually “art” but were happy to pick their favorite colors

Third, Art Basel includes Art Kids, which is an enormous play area run by Robi-Spiel-Aktion on the 2nd floor in Hall 1. You can leave your kids here while you browse the art or stay with them if you all need a break. Amazingly, it’s free with your admission and they have so much to entertain your kids, I would have happily paid. They have a bouncy palace, foosball table, ping pong table, legos, playmobil, balloon sculpturist, play kitchen, story corner, kid-sized train tracks, and more, more, more. They also had a craft area where the kids could paint, wood work, and make T-shirts. They have free drinks and snacks for the kids. I couldn’t believe it.

Art Kids play hall, it’s free and you even leave your kids while you look at art

painting station in Art Kids, including a paint spinner powered by bicycle … this fishing toy was one of the many little play stations

Some details…

– It is located in Halls 1 and 2 of Messe Basel. By car, follow signs to Messe, then park at either the Parkhaus Messe and Badischer Bahnhof parking lots.

– We rode the train, which I’d recommend. You can get a SBB combo ticket (ask at the window at the train station) that gives you a slight discount and includes Art Basel entrance, train to/from Basel, and trams within Basel for 64sfr/adult. If you take the train, take tram 1 or 2 (tram 2 has a low floor for strollers in the first car) to Baselmesseplatz, following the crowds.

– I’d recommend starting in Hall 1. It has all the giant installations that can be really fun for kids. The short art films can be interesting too. My kids were kinda obsessed with them and wanted to stop in every dark room. But I was always nervous that something innocuous (like paper blowing in the wind) would suddenly turn violent or sexual to make an artistic statement. But we watched part of 10 or so films and didn’t see anything disturbing.

an overview of Hall 1 just so you can see the scale

– Strollers are allowed in the exhibition and you can navigate the whole thing easily with a stroller, even with the crowds. There are elevators to reach the upper floors.

– The coat check is free and convenient. They are inconsistently serious about what can and can’t bring in. We were asked to check our umbrellas and big camera. But inside, everyone was taking photos with their phones and small point-and-shoot cameras. When we left, they searched everyone’s bags (not sure for what) but didn’t search my stroller basket which had a whole liter of water and my mini umbrella.

– There is at least one cafe on each floor of each hall. On the center of Hall 2, there is a big atrium with tables and food stands, including bratwursts. This is an ideal place to let the kids run around a bit to blow off some steam.

atrium with tables and food stands

– There are two bathrooms on each floor along the perimeter, check the map in the provided program. I did not see any changing tables except in the bathroom in the Art Kids area (Hall 1, 2nd floor).

– There are tons of staff members everywhere and they were quite friendly and helpful and spoke English. They seem to want everyone to have a really good time and for things to run smoothly. So just ask if you need something or have a problem.

– Concern for little eyes: You will find some nudity, violence and suggestive material in some of the art, but there was much less than I expected. Plus, the artist spaces are structured so there are lots of corners and hidden spaces, so you can often peek around to see if there’s anything you find offensive before continuing on. And there’s so much to see that you can quickly distract and move on if there’s something you don’t want your kids lingering on.

One last note: exactly how does one enjoy art with your kids?

I’m not an expert on this. I know very little about art. My art appreciation skills could be summed up with either “I like it” or “I don’t like it.” But I think art is an important part of society (I’ll keep this short and suggest you google for reasons why) and I think it’s important to kids to experience lots of art forms, including ones that I’m not that familiar with myself. I may be wrong, but I don’t think you have to know anything about art for it to have a meaningful impact on you. More information can make it more meaningful, but it’s not required.

Anyway, here are a few things I do to help my little kids enjoy viewing art:

– I often start with: what’s your favorite color in this painting? This is an easy question for kids to answer and get them to look at the art a little closer.
– I point out familiar things in the art, like animals, faces, vehicles, etc. This gives them a point of reference.
– if we’re in a room with multiple pieces, I ask “what’s your favorite piece here and why?” and “which piece do you not like and why?” I’ll offer up my opinions after so I don’t influence them beforehand.
– for abstract art, I ask: what do you think this is a picture of? usually, they say “nothing” So I give them a couple of my ideas and sometimes it becomes a game.
– my 7 yr old likes to say “Anyone could do this!” really loud. I usually say: “Maybe, but first you have to have an idea. This artist had an idea and then made it. Do you have idea? Maybe we should make it when we get home.”
– my 7yr old also likes to say “This is not art!” I always ask “why not?” to which he never has a good answer. Then I go home and think about what I should say next time.