Nairy Baghramian has installed a new sculptural commission, *Modèle vivant (S'empilant)* (2026), on the Messeplatz in Basel during Art Basel. The work uses the rectangular fountain as a platform for stainless steel and pastel-colored cast aluminum forms, intended to create a moment of slowed attention amid the fair's frenetic energy. The commission follows Baghramian receiving the Gold Medal at the inaugural 2025 Art Basel Awards, which recognized her 25-year career exploring the relationship between bodies, space, and gesture.
The commission matters because it positions Baghramian as a major contemporary sculptor whose work engages with public space during one of the art world's most important fairs. Her Gold Medal win at the first Art Basel Awards signals the fair's growing role in honoring established artists, while Baghramian's insistence on remaining "emerging" reflects a broader tension in the art world between institutional recognition and creative risk-taking. The work also dialogues with Heimo Zobernig's permanent intervention on the square, showing how contemporary sculpture can coexist with existing site-specific art.