Art Basel in Basel&nbsp;2024, June 14

Make me laugh: Harnessing the power of humor and satire 

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Monster Chetwynd, Artist, Zürich Sophie Jung, Artist, Basel Moderator: Tom Morton, Writer and curator, Rochester&nbsp;
Artworks injected with humor play to one of the most elemental human responses – laughter. While the current art establishment tends to disregard humor, it remains disarmingly effective in challenging authority and evoking deeper meaning after the giggles fade. At its best, funny art is both boldly confrontational and subtly critical. Join artists whose practices employ slapstick, satire, or pranks in a discussion about how levity resonates in the visual arts today, and why we should ask for more. Monster Chetwynd’s multifarious practice – spanning interactive performances, film, collage, painting, and installation – interweaves elements of folk spectacle, popular culture, and surrealistic cinema. Chetwynd is known for per anarchistic bric-a-brac style performance pieces, featuring handmade costumes, props and sets. Describing per work as ‘impatiently made’, ze often reuses cheap materials that are easy to process to create costumes and scenery that are easy to deploy and adapt, while incorporating eclectic cultural references. 
Sophie Jung, who lives in London and Basel, works across text, sculpture, and performance. Jung navigates the politics of re-re-representation and challenges the selective silencing that happens by concluding. She employs humor, shame, the absurd, raw anger, rhythm and rhyme, slapstick, hardship, friendship and a constant stream of slippages. Recent exhibitions include ‘Reifiction’ at Diana*, Milan; ‘Move’ at Centre Pompidou, Paris; ‘They take it seriously, I think it’s interesting’ at Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe; and ‘Unsetting’ at Istituto Svizzero, Milan. Jung was a winner of the Swiss Art Awards in 2016 and in 2019 and received the Manor Kunstpreis in 2018.&nbsp;
Tom Morton, based in Rochester, UK, is a writer, curator, and regular contributor to Art Basel Stories, Frieze, and ArtReview. He has curated exhibitions including ‘The Kingfisher’s Wing’ at Grimm, New York City; ‘Äppärät’ at Ballroom Marfa; and ‘British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet’ at the Hayward Gallery, London.
The Art Basel 2024 Conversations program is curated by Kimberly Bradley.

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