This year’s edition of Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, marks a new chapter for Unlimited, the fair’s signature platform for large-scale artistic projects that transcend the traditional booth format. Taking over the vast halls of Messe Basel, the sector is organized this year by Ruba Katrib, chief curator and director of curatorial affairs at MoMA PS1 in New York, who succeeds Giovanni Carmine after five editions at the helm.
“The space is monumental, the installations are monumental, and it offers possibilities that are really hard to replicate elsewhere, but the ambition of each work is definitely key,” Katrib told ARTnews last week ahead of the fair. “It’s possible to experience medium-sized prints as complete series, as well as more historic works that haven’t been seen in their entirety, or at all, since they were made. That’s exciting,” she said, referring to Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s “Hustlers” (1990–92), Thomas Ruff’s “jpegs: The September 11 Photographs” series (2004–07), and Peter Hujar’s “The Gracie Mansion Show” (1974–85).
Asked how she envisioned the sector, Katrib replied, “Being my first year, I did not have so many preconceived notions. I was simply excited to think through moments, constellations, and conversations that maybe appear in one area and then get picked up elsewhere.”
The sector balances the formal with discussions of current events. “One interesting element was just thinking about how artists were transforming materials of war or political violence, and how they were addressing those instances of geopolitical unrest.” Tuan Andrew Nguyen has taken unexploded ordnance in Vietnam that was dropped by the US and turned it into a beautiful Calder-esque monumental sculpture. With keyboard keys, pen casings, and plastic-bucket handles, Zimbabwe-born Moffat Takadiwa addresses the expansion of waste through works composed of discarded materials.
Unlimited 2026 is home to 59 individual projects supported by 66 galleries, a small decrease from the 67 projects presented in 2025. Below, a look at some of the standout works on view.
