FAI contributor Kesha Bruce shares a glimpse of her encounter with Art Basel and Scope 2012 in Switzerland last week.

Art Basel
The mother of all international art fairs, Art Basel has something for everyone. I spent the bulk of my time in the second building which housed the smaller galleries. It was a pleasure to escape the intense crowds and noise of the main building which I can only be describe as a cross between the inside of an agitated beehive and the mall of America on Christmas Eve.

Liste 17
Billed as the “young” art fair, Liste 17 definitely had edgier and more daring displays, but not many were successful. I soon became weary of room after room of indecipherable installations and inaccessible conceptual works. I do give the organizers extra credit for the quirky location and taking risks on smaller innovative galleries. And at the bar out front, you could buy sausages and cheap beer which ended up being the highlight of my visit.

SCOPE
My hands-down favorite! The location was perfect and each booth was beautifully curated. Strong adventurous work coupled with approachable art dealers and pricing that didn’t send me reeling. What more can you ask for in an art fair? Navid Nuur, this week’s featured artist on Fresh Talk, was there to present one of his experiments.

Related Fresh Talk episode: Kesha Bruce