Art Basel's Zero 10 sector expands with historical grounding in Swiss debut

Art Basel's digital art sector Zero 10 made its Swiss debut at Messeplatz in Basel, co-curated by Eli Scheinman and artist Trevor Paglen. Titled 'The Condition', it featured 20 exhibitors, the largest edition to date. The sector showcased historical digital works alongside contemporary pieces, including John Gerrard's triptych at Fellowship, Harold Cohen's survey at Gazelli Art House, and William Mapan's generative works at Art Blocks. A tension emerged between prompt-based and code-based art, with participants like 0xDEAFBEEF dismissing prompt-generated visuals. The sector included NFTs, such as Leander Herzog's blockchain garden at Nguyen Wahed. Critics noted the academic tone of some presentations, like Oniris and Interface Gallery's Vera Molnar stand and ArtMeta's 'Digital Masterpieces' exhibition. Sprüth Magers presented Andreas Gursky's 'Ocean V' without gallery explanation, highlighting a disconnect between digital and traditional sectors. The edition sparked debate on whether Zero 10 should be absorbed into Art Basel's existing sectors, similar to Christie's absorption of its digital art department in 2025. The sector's success raised questions about its future, with some attendees finding it less exciting than its Miami Beach debut.