photo basel is Switzerland’s first and only art fair dedicated exclusively to photographic art. The fair brings together galleries from around the world in a unique, authentic setting and sees itself as an inclusive platform that connects all players in the art world.
‍

‍

As a fair, photo basel actively contributes to the dialogue in the field of photography and makes photographic art accessible to both professional and general audiences through a diverse supporting program (including free guided tours, special parcours, and panel talks).

To mark its 10th anniversary edition, photo basel welcomes 39 galleries from 15 countries. More than 450 photographic positions by over 150 artists will be shown. This year, the fair is pleased to welcome the following galleries for the first time: Momentum Fine Art (Miami), Galerie Sophie Scheidecker (Paris), Galerie & Edition Stephan Witschi (Zurich), Ostlicht (Vienna), Rademakers (Amsterdam), Lightworks (Sydney), FOG (Bratislava), AB Gallery (Seoul), blackprint Gallery (Zurich).

Since 2016, photo basel has been located directly next to the Art Basel exhibition grounds, in the beautiful premises of the Volkshaus Basel. The Volkshaus Basel is a gently renovated building by renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and hosts various cultural highlights such as a bar, a restaurant, a beer garden, and a hotel. It is located at Rebgasse 12, just 700 meters from the Art Basel venue.
‍

‍

Beyond photography

“Beyond Photography” is a curated selection of photographic positions that — as the name suggests — go beyond photography through the use of various mixed media, special printing techniques, or by shifting from two-dimensional to three-dimensional formats. Numerous approaches contribute to an expansion of the medium, and the "Beyond Photography" section aims to showcase these practices.

‍

This parcours includes works by the following artists:

The works of French artist Sophie Zénon (Galerie XII) explore the intersection of photography and science. In her project Rémanences, she examines the traces of war through plants introduced to new territories by military movements. She works with photograms that capture plants as light-sensitive shadow images, as well as with estampages — rubbings of war-damaged tree bark. Her approach is intentionally layered and experimental, using various visual languages to express the complexity of history, memory, and nature.
The series Round Midnight by Swiss photographer Silvio Maraini (Galerie Monika Wertheimer) presents sonograms (sound spectrograms) of wild bats. Instead of a camera, an ultrasonic microphone was used for this series. The calls of passing bats were recorded in real-time and converted into sonograms using specialized software.

Italian artist Diego Brambilla (blackprint) works at the interface between photography and sculpture. His series Arbitrary Interventions questions whether a rock remains the same after human intervention and plays with the boundary between the natural and the artificial. The works, which combine glass, concrete, and handmade paper, address the fragility and transparency of culture and nature.

‍

‍

The works of Mika Horie (IBASHO) are inspired by the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, which embraces the beauty of imperfection and transience. Her cyanotypes depict landscapes, plants, and objects from her hometown, Yamanaka Onsen, in the mountains of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Each piece is unique, shaped by natural variations in light and materials.

Other participating artists include: Roger Ballen (Camara Oscura), Sara Rman (Galerija Fotografija), wonow (blackprint), Dita Pepe (FOG), Justin Dingwall (Doyle Wham), and many more.

‍

novum
"novum" positions may be entirely new works created especially for photo basel, or series that have never been shown before, either because they were just completed or have only now been (re)discovered. What all of these works have in common is that they have never been exhibited before and will be presented to the photo basel audience for the very first time.

‍

Among them are works by:
The series Mythos Licht by Austrian artist Chris Tille explores the connection between light and art. Using a spectrometer, he investigates the light at places that once inspired many Impressionist painters. His measurements are taken along the paths these artists once traveled, for whom light played a central role in shaping their work.
In her new series Burlesque, photographer Anna Lehmann-Brauns (Galerie 94) turns to a subject previously absent from her work: the human body. Known for her atmospherically dense photographs of empty spaces that serve as projection surfaces for memory and existence, her new focus is on the human figure itself. The performance — as an act of self-staging, of physical presence and performativity — is the central motif of this new body of work.

‍annabelle’s choice
The magazine annabelle is a partner of the upcoming edition of photo basel. As part of this collaboration, the annabelle editorial team selects photographic works by women artists that will be specially marked at the fair. The selected works reflect the diversity, strength, and perspectives of female photography and send a clear signal for greater visibility of women artists in the art world.

‍

photo basel special
In collaboration with Basel-based architect Barbara Buser and her team, photo basel presents an exhibition by Basel photographer Martin Zeller at the Franck Areal. His large-format photographs of vacant industrial sites and office buildings undergoing repurposing are part of a collaboration with Baubüro In Situ, which specializes in transforming existing buildings. Zeller's high-resolution photographs engage with the history and atmosphere of these spaces. His images reveal structures, surfaces, and layers of color that speak of past labor and industrial change. These abstract, tactile compositions make the visual traces of time tangible. The images are accompanied by text fragments by Sou Vai Keng.
‍

‍

‍Swiss Photographers
In addition to many international artists, a wide range of Swiss positions will be shown at photo basel, including:
Monique Jacot (Galerie Esther Woerdehoff) is considered one of the leading photographers of her generation. With her unique eye for portraits and social moments, she has established herself as a major voice in Swiss photography.
‍
Arnold Odermatt (Galerie Springer), who would have turned 100 this year, became especially known for his documentary photography. His images capture everyday scenes and the Swiss alpine landscape with calm precision. Particularly famous are his traffic surveillance photographs, which stand out for their almost sculptural quality. Odermatt’s work is characterized by a sober, objective aesthetic that nonetheless unfolds remarkable narrative depth.
‍
In his precisely staged still lifes, Basel photographer Moritz Herzog (Galerie Monika Wertheimer) explores themes of perception, identity, and transience. He investigates both the ordinary and the unusual, playing with light, shadow, and perspective to offer new views on familiar subjects.

‍

René Groebli (Bildhalle) is one of the influential figures in Swiss photography. At photo basel, works from his series The Eye of Love will be presented, created in 1952 during his honeymoon. These works are considered a pioneering counterpoint to the dominant documentary photography of the time. Groebli breaks away from the era’s sober visual language, creating a subjective, almost cinematic narrative style. Movement, blur, and light become stylistic elements that make emotion palpable.
Other Swiss artists include: Kostas Maros (Galerie 94), Martin Widmer (Windowfourteen), Patrik Fuchs (Galerie 94), Alfons Schilling (Ost.Licht), and many more.

‍

‍

photo basel in conversation
photo basel presents a series of panel discussions on diverse topics, including emerging artists and the art market, as well as artist talks with photographers whose work is being shown at the 10th edition of photo basel. More information and dates will follow shortly.

‍

‍

photo basel
June 17–22, 2025
Volkshaus Basel
Rebgasse 12, CH-4058 Basel
Opening Hours
June 17–22, 2025
Tuesday, June 17 to Saturday, June 21: 12 PM – 8 PM
Sunday, June 22: 12 PM – 6 PM

You can find the full list of participating galleries at:
https://www.photo-basel.com/galleries-2025

‍

‍