![](\"https:\/\/d7hftxdivxxvm.cloudfront.net\/?quality=80&resize_to=width&src=https%3A%2F%2Fartsy-media-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2FvfTlxQ-4BFE67AMH9iQtvg%252FSierraMag.jpeg&width=1100\")
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Chilean-Swiss artist Francisco Sierra wins Art Basel\u2019s inaugural People\u2019s Choice Award for his installation Gubi <\/em>(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 \u201cInfinity\u201d section of Art Basel, the work reflects the aesthetic of the home aquarium and aims to critique recreational animal farming.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meanwhile, the second and third prizes were awarded to Japanese installation artist Chiharu Shiota Extension Line <\/em>(2024) and Chinese painter and photographer Wu Tianchang Farewell to Chunqiu Pavilion <\/em>(2024). Shiota\u2019s work is exhibited by Templon, while Wu\u2019s work is exhibited by Keng Gallery. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s installation explores how diaspora communities create romanticized ideas about their homeland, while Umar\u2019s sinuous, wood and metal sculptures are based on souvenirs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n