Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast

In this special episode, journalist Anny Shaw investigates some of the most important findings from the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2022. She speaks with Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management Paul Donovan and collector Amitha Raman about the impacts of the current economic crises and Brexit on the art market and collecting habits, as well as the effects of globalization versus localization. “Online art fairs gave a lot of transparency,” Raman notes. “We were able to view a lot of work and understand pricing for a lot of artists in a very efficient way.” The three also address the ways in which buzzwords like ‘sustainability’ and ‘diversity’ have—or have not—been practically applied in the market sector. Plus, Shaw asks, what’s in store for 2023?

Hot on the heels of the publication of her book The Story of Art Without Men, author, podcaster, and curator Katy Hessel joins Marc Spiegler to discuss all things women and art. Her focus on the gender gap in art began in 2015, when she visited a fair with no women artists represented. From there, she launched an Instagram account (@thegreatwomenartists), a podcast, and now a book. Here, she broaches everything from forgotten Renaissance masters like Sofonisba Anguissola to the controversy surrounding the creation of the readymade: Did Marcel Duchamp make the Urinal or was it, in fact, made by his contemporary Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven? “What I’m trying to do,” she says, “is turn upside-down what we’ve known as art history.”

Video- and performance-art pioneer Joan Jonas and jazz pianist Jason Moran have collaborated for almost 20 years, and it all began with a call. “I phoned him, which was very unusual for me to do. I was very shy,” Jonas remembers. From there, the pair had six weeks to develop The Shape, The Scent, The Feel of Things (2005), a now-iconic performance based on the writings of Aby Warburg. In this episode, Jonas and Moran reminisce on that very first collaboration, what they’ve learned from each other since, and the importance of performance—not just for an art audience in a white cube but for civilization at large.

The podcast “Talk Art [is] about is encouraging people to switch lanes, to take up space, and to embrace your interests,” says cofounder Russell Tovey. Since 2018, Tovey and Robert Diament have cohosted Talk Art, producing over 175 episodes with guests across all fields of art, from Jeff Koons to Radiohead to Lena Dunham. Here, the trained musician and actor talk about how they met (nerding out on Tracy Emin’s work), collections as self-portraits (“you can pop-psychoanalyze an individual by the things they have in their house,” Tovey says), the fight to break down elitist structures, and their fundamental beliefs that no one should ever apologize for enthusiasm or be afraid to ask questions, and that is never too late to learn. “Our motto,” Tovey says, “is ‘art is for everyone.’”

Can tech change social structures, or does it just amplify them? What role can NFTs play in activism? And will the volatility in the crypto markets stabilise? These are just some of the questions answered in this podcast featuring three pioneers in the NFT and Web 3 worlds: the artist Olive Allen, the NFT studio founder Melissa Gilmour and the head of Pace Verso Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle. By no coincidence an all-women line-up, the panellists conclude they remain bullish in a bear market and hopeful for change as a new, arguably more open-minded, generation of collectors rise through the ranks.Please note: The views and opinions expressed in this material are those of the respective speaker(s) and are not those of UBS, its subsidiaries or affiliate companies. Accordingly, UBS does not accept any liability over the content of this material or any claims, losses or damages arising from the use or reliance of all or any part thereof. This material has not been prepared with regards to any specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific person. It is published solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The contents of this material should not be construed as legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or other specialist or technical advice or services or investment advice or a personal recommendation. No representation or warranty, either express or implied, is provided in relation to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained herein except with respect to information concerning UBS, nor is it intended to be a complete statement or summary of the matters referred to in this material. Any opinions expressed in this material are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by other business areas or business divisions of UBS as a result of using different assumptions and criteria. UBS is under no obligation to update or keep current the information contained herein.

“In my most core self, I’m a writer and a performer,” says Miranda July. But since coming of age in Portland’s riot-grrrl scene, July has made a name for herself as a true multi-hyphenate: as an artist, singer, screenwriter, author, Hollywood film director and actress, and more. In this episode, she speaks with Marc Spiegler about writing her first play – based on correspondence with a convicted murderer – to releasing her film Kajillionaire in the midst of the pandemic and the flood of DMs that followed. “My entire experience of the release was those messages,” she recalls. Separately, curator Larry Ossei-Mensah talks to Jon Gray, a cofounder of the activist cooking collective Ghetto Gastro, about food as a device for social change and branching out into the world of art.

“We see the world as this huge kaleidoscopic field of information … and I think the way we see culture and the arts should also embrace that,” Doug Aitken says. In this conversation with Marc Spiegler, the interdisciplinary artist discusses his wide-ranging practice, from its roots in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 80s to his project Station to Station, which transformed a train along a 4,000-mile journey into a nomadic studio, to his recent collaboration with musician Jamie xx and creating sculptures that live underwater. Art Basel Executive Editor Jeni Fulton also speaks with musician Fatima al Qadiri about her latest album, Medieval Femme, her lifelong fascination with the sensual recitation of classical Arabic poetry, and her recent forays into scoring films.

Online sales seem like they’re to stay and millennials continue to be the biggest spenders when it comes to collecting art, says Dr. Clare McAndrew, renowned cultural economist and founder of Arts Economics. Findings such as this were recently released in ‘Resilience in the Dealer Sector: A Mid-Year Review 2021’, an art market report authored by McAndrew and published by Art Basel and UBS. In this conversation with our correspondent Anny Shaw, McAndrew sheds light on the report’s key takeaways, which also include the market’s generational and gender dynamics and the role of dealers in an increasingly digitized industry. To address the report’s findings from another perspective, Art Basel Executive Editor Jeni Fulton also talks to Chief Economist of Global Wealth Management at UBS and author Paul Donovan about the parallels between the global economy and the art market.

Businesswoman and art collector Pamela Joyner tells Marc Spiegler that she is surprised at the analogies she sees between art collecting and her career in finance. ‘Both environments are very relationship oriented, they're reliant on individuals having confidence in each other's integrity,’ she explains. Described as an ‘activist collector’ by ArtReview magazine for promoting and collecting the work of contemporary African-American artists, as well as artists of African descent in Brazil and the UK, Joyner reflects on the collector as patron and the work she believes in. Our correspondent Stephanie Bailey interviews artist and filmmaker Wu Tsang on her new commission, Anthem (2021). The piece conceived in collaboration with the legendary singer, composer, and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland and is currently filling the Guggenheim museum’s rotunda. 

Rapper, musician, and record producer Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Daoud Dean) discusses the meeting points between activism and collecting with Marc Spiegler. “How can we be a part of the culture when we don't own the culture?” he asks, describing how he went to Harvard Business School and got involved with the business of art and culture as a way of promoting the creatives he believes in.