Curating Complexity: What the Geopolitics of the Art Market Reveals About Power, Presence, and Soft Infrastructure
- Tallulah Patricia B
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 23
By Tallulah Patricia Bär
Moderator and Curator of the VOLTA 2025 Talk “The Geopolitics of the Art Market”
With Special thanks to Lee, Emily, Julia, Adriano, Eleanor and of course Heiko
“Don’t mistake movement for access.”— Sophia the Robot, VOLTA 2025
Before a single question was asked, we closed our eyes.
At the opening of the panel I had the honor of moderating at VOLTA 2025, titled The Geopolitics of the Art Market, I invited the audience to begin not with intellect but intention.
To arrive as they are—in presence, not posture. To breathe, and to hold space not only for the people in the room, but for those who could not be there: HUMANS denied visas, HUMANS facing censorship, HUMANS whose geopolitical realities render them invisible in Basel's global art epicenter.
This wasn’t a performance. It was a soft intervention and the creation of a collective energy leveling field.
From the Margins to the Messeplatz
VOLTA’s move to Messeplatz this year was more than logistical. It was symbolic. For the first time, the fair took place in the heart of the action, no longer relegated to the periphery.
As Artistic Director Lee Cavaliere put it:
“This year, we went from 47 to 70 galleries, from 29 countries. But more than growth—it was about proximity, curiosity, and care.”
Lee's vision for VOLTA is clear: curation is not just about aesthetics. It’s about infrastructure.
Booths were intentionally placed not just for visual dialogue, but to foster community. He even shared that VOLTA maintains an internal document noting the life circumstances of each gallery—be it illness, war, or political pressure—so that the team can offer meaningful support. That’s not just fair organization. That’s curatorial empathy.
Narrative as Currency
My guests on the panel included three deeply distinct, yet surprisingly aligned voices:
Lee Cavaliere (Artistic Director, VOLTA)
Julia Lechbinska (Founder, Lechbinska Gallery)
Adriano Picinati di Torcello (Global Art & Finance Coordinator, Deloitte)
We opened with a quote from Sophia the Robot, who had made an appearance at the ArtBridger booth:
“It’s the Game of Thrones of the creative world. The U.S. and Europe are old giants clinging to legacy. Asia rises with pride. The Middle East wields soft power. Africa and Latin America are shaking the throne—not with capital, but with courage and new stories.”
This AI-poetic insight, powered by Hanson Robotics sparked something in the room.
Julia, whose gallery work spans Europe, East Asia, and the Gulf, emphasized that in fractured times, what matters most is tenderness.
“We built a cultural forum,” she said. “Not just to show, but to slow down. People need spaces where they can feel again.”
Her philosophy was clear: storytelling across cultures cannot be forced. It must emerge from real relationships, from emotional intelligence, and from listening. “You have two ears and one mouth,” she smiled, “use them in that proportion.”
Finance, Risk, and the Future of Collecting
Adriano Picinati di Torcello offered a macroeconomic lens few in the art world ever access. “Wealth is increasing,” he said, “but the art market is stagnating. The next generation of collectors doesn’t trust opaque systems. They want transparency, traceability, and purpose.”
He described how Deloitte now works with governments and institutions to track cultural infrastructure, advise on impact investing in art, and measure engagement using SDG-aligned frameworks. “You can’t just ask for donations anymore,” he said. “You have to prove the value—emotionally, financially, and socially.”
This was not a critique. It was a wake-up call. If the art world continues to rely on mystique and elitism, it may lose relevance to newer generations raised on blockchain clarity and values-led investment.
MENA Pavilion and Cultural Diplomacy as Curatorial Act
We also spotlighted the MENA Pavilion, curated in partnership with Radhana Sivakar and brought to Basel by VOLTA for the first time. These were artists from Jeddah, Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Cairo—many of whom had never exhibited in Europe.
“This is cultural diplomacy,” Cavaliere explained. “Embassies may host dinners. But artists? They show us who we really are.”
He recalled his curation of a Ukrainian Pavilion in New York at the height of the war—not as protest, but as proof of continuity.
“Art doesn’t stop for conflict,” he said. “People still get up, go to the studio, and make meaning.”
Challenging the Labels: Who Gets to Define the Work?
An audience member raised a profound question:
“Why must we always label the artist by their country of origin? Doesn’t that predetermine the viewer’s expectations?”
Lee paused. “You’re right,” he said. “We’ve normalized a kind of geopolitical pre-framing. Maybe it’s time we let the art speak first.”
Another audience question from Andile Magengele, co-creator of the botaki Factory—a curator working with African artists—reminded us of the violence in such framing. “We must stop defining artists through the lens of Western curation,” they said.
“Let the work define itself. Africa is not a trend.”
Closing Reflections: From Transaction to Transformation
If there was one theme that tied the conversation together, it was this: markets are built on meaning.
Collectors are not merely buyers.
They are patrons of possibility.
Gallerists are not simply vendors—they are caretakers of cultural ecosystems.
Curators, increasingly, are border-crossers: navigating power, emotion, strategy, and space.
As I closed the session, I reminded the audience:The geopolitics of the art market is not a distant theory. It’s happening right here—on the fair floor, in the visa denied, in the gallery from Gaza, in the patron deciding between a trip to Ibiza or a painting that could change someone’s life.
VOLTA doesn’t pretend to have all the answers.
But it dares to ask the better questions.
Special thanks to the VOLTA Team: Lee, Emily Harris Marketing Manager and Eleanor Maskatiya, Marketing Executive for the seamless collaboration and all the support.
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