Chilean-Swiss artist Francisco Sierra wins Art Basel’s inaugural People’s Choice Award for his installation Gubi (2024). The winning work consists of 48 wooden panels, each featuring a life-size guppy carved in concave relief. Exhibited by Basel-based gallery von Bartha in the “Infinity” section of Art Basel, the work reflects the aesthetic of the home aquarium and aims to critique recreational animal farming.
Serra was born in Santiago in 1977 and currently lives in Cote d’Azur, Switzerland. His work is characterized by subverting everyday perceptions with a conceptual or surrealist approach. His photorealistic paintings use humor and satire to question contemporary life. Serra is a self-taught painter who has had solo exhibitions at von Bartha in Copenhagen and Basel, and at the Kunstmuseum in Appenzell, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the second and third prizes were awarded to Japanese installation artist Chiharu Shiota Extension Line (2024) and Chinese painter and photographer Wu Tianchang Farewell to Chunqiu Pavilion (2024). Shiota’s work is exhibited by Templon, while Wu’s work is exhibited by Keng Gallery.
Art Basel 2024 also featured the Baloise Art Prize, which was awarded to Hong Kong-born artist and filmmaker Tiffany Sia and Sudanese-Norwegian artist Ahmed Umar, who participated in this year’s Venice Biennale. Each artist received 30,000 Swiss francs ($33,600), and their winning work will be collected by two major European museums: MMK Frankfurt and MUDAM Luxembourg. Sia’s installation explores how diaspora communities create romanticized ideas about their homeland, while Umar’s sinuous, wood and metal sculptures are based on souvenirs.
