New installations by Schütte, Bouroullec, and Arad at Vitra Campus

On June 13, during Art Basel's professional preview, Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein previewed new installations to a select group of journalists. Despite cold and windy weather typical of Art Basel week, attendees received heavy blankets during outdoor press conferences beside works by Thomas Schütte and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. Schütte presented Blockhaus, a small shelter-sculpture derived from a 1:10 scale model shown at Galerie Konrad Fischer in Düsseldorf in 2016. The six-sided structure with a zinc roof stands vertically like a ship's prow, made of untreated Nordic pine that will weather over time. Inside, visitors can sit on two long benches and drink from a black, glossy refractory clay fountain. Nearby, Bouroullec brothers installed Ruisseau and Ring along the Álvaro Siza Promenade. Ruisseau is a long, narrow marble trough with running water, while Ring is a circular galvanized steel platform floating above ground, encircling a cherry tree, serving as seating, backrest, or support for picking fruit. At the Schaudepot, the exhibition Ron Arad: Yes to the Uncommon! curated by Heng Zhi runs until October 14. It features islands of dark plinths displaying Arad's early 1980s works among Vitra's historic seating collection. Highlights include the shredder machine Sticks and Stone (1987) at the entrance, Rover Chair (1981), Tinker Chair (1988), Big Easy (1988), Little Heavy (1989), Well Tempered Chair (1986), FPE Chair (1997), and Tom Vac armchair (1997).