Packed with references to literature, film, and even physics, they invite viewers to ponder the elusive nature of identity

Ijeoma Ndukwe

Discover the vivid visual journeys of artist Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

‘I love the provisional nature of drawing: that it’s allowed to be rough, that it’s allowed to be see-through and gestural,’ says artist Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum. Her commitment to drawing – extending beyond pencil to watercolor, acrylic, and gouache – is at the very core of her practice. 

Moving between painting, installation, and animation, Sunstrum uses drawing as an anchor to create a form of collage – blending overlapping figures, objects, and spaces with landscape to build layers of meaning. ‘I want to find as many different points as possible from which to direct the gaze,’ she says.

You’re known for your support of emerging artists. Are there any artistic developments that strike you as particularly clear at the moment?
Artists’ work often reflects the issues that run through society. From my point of view, this is all the more evident in the work of emerging artists. At the moment, there’s a lot of talk about the return of ‘craft’ and the artisanal gesture. I’ve also noticed a preoccupation with the non-human. More and more young artists are questioning our lack of regard for the world that made us, and projecting themselves into animal or ecosystemic environmental perspectives. There are also many young artists using clothing as a medium. We’re witnessing a rapprochement between creative fields; these boundaries were once less permeable – fashion and art are a good example. 
Last but not least, many young artists are skillfully using the medium of video in all its forms, including virtual reality, video game engines, and artificial intelligence software. There are some really interesting things going on at the moment in terms of the moving image.
How will these developments be visible in the Galeries Émergentes sector?
To mention just a few, there are some very strong video presentations in this sector. For example, London’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/3755/seventeen" target="_blank">seventeen</a> gallery will present the work of Joey Holder, while Shanghai’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2186/Bank" target="_blank">BANK</a> gallery will show the work of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11617/Lu-Yang" target="_blank">Lu Yang</a>, and Chicago’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/17772/Document" target="_blank">DOCUMENT</a> will exhibit a proposal by the Indonesian collective <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/16002/Tromarama" target="_blank">Tromarama</a>, combining different mediums.

Paris + par Art Basel has always aimed to engage with and activate the the city in the broadest sense. How will this manifest itself in 2023?
We’re continuing to intensify our network of institutional collaborations. As a result, our public programs will expand significantly. For example – for the first time in Art Basel’s history – we will be presenting the Conversations program in an institution: the Forum du Centre Pompidou. 
Like last year, we’ll be taking over the Jardin des Tuileries, in collaboration with the musée du Louvre, for an exhibition curated by Annabelle Ténèze, director of Les Abattoirs in Toulouse. In collaboration with the City of Paris, we will once again occupy the Place Vendôme, this time with a major work by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7461/Urs-Fischer" target="_blank">Urs Fischer</a>, presented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1123/Gagosian" target="_blank">Gagosian</a>. We’ve also added the forecourt of the Institut de France to our program, with a large-scale column by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7743/Sheila-Hicks" target="_blank">Sheila Hicks</a> presented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1109/galerie-frank-elbaz" target="_blank">galerie frank elbaz</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1217/Meyer-Riegger" target="_blank">Meyer Riegger</a>, and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1116/Francesca-Minini" target="_blank">Francesca Minini</a>. 
We’ll also be continuing our collaboration with the École des Beaux-Arts for an exhibition by Jessica Warboys, curated by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2886/Gaudel-de-Stampa" target="_blank">Gaudel de Stampa</a>, in the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins. And finally we’ll begin a new collaboration with the Palais d’Iéna, which this year will host a dialogue between <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6914/Daniel-Buren" target="_blank">Daniel Buren</a> and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7035/Michelangelo-Pistoletto" target="_blank">Michelangelo Pistoletto</a>, curated by Matthieu Poirier, with the support of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1093/Galleria-Continua" target="_blank">Galleria Continua</a>. 
Paris+ par Art Basel is becoming a true collaborator for Parisian institutions. 
This is very important to us. In my opinion, one of the keys to the Parisian revival lies in the activities of private foundations. Collaborations between the public and private sectors have led to major exhibitions: I’m thinking, for example, of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/20430/Charles-Ray" target="_blank">Charles Ray</a> at the Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection and the Centre Pompidou, or <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8708/Cyprien-Gaillard" target="_blank">Cyprien Gaillard</a> shown by Lafayette Anticipations and the Palais de Tokyo at the same time. We’re delighted to be part of this productive dynamic. 
Paris+ par Art Basel is an annual rendezvous, bringing together under one roof extraordinary works of art, presented by fantastic galleries, and enjoyed by highly committed collectors. It’s this audience – curious, invested, international – that we mobilize for our partner institutions. 
Finally, we also have a responsibility to make ourselves accessible to all audiences. We have a major educational role to play, as some of our works are only shown in the context of a fair. Our mission goes beyond the commercial sphere, and our audiences are many and varied, so I think it’s vital that the fair extends beyond the walls of the Grand Palais Éphémère. It’s also worth noting that all our public programs are free and open to all.

On a call from The Hague in the Netherlands, where Sunstrum is currently based, she explains how her academic background informs her approach, a layering of references sourced from archive, film, television, and literature. ‘The image comes to my mind first and then I need to support that image with as much visual research as possible. To me, it’s really interesting and important that there’s a lot of citation in my work, and that there are very specific references,’ Sunstrum says.

One of Sunstrum’s first animations, The Star + The Moon draws on American theoretical physicist Sylvester James Gates’s research into supersymmetry, which proposes that all particles have partners. The work’s mirrored vista attempts to find a visual language for the speculative theory. ‘It’s not necessary that every viewer knows every single reference but, for me, it stands as something real and authentic,’ explains the artist. ‘I’ve always been looking for ways of carrying the history, all of the touches, moves, and erasures. I’m searching for a language that helps me carry all of that.’ 
<hr>
Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum is represented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1143/Goodman-Gallery?lang=en">Goodman Gallery</a>
(Cape Town, Johannesburg, and London) and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1186/Galerie-Lelong-Co">Galerie Lelong & Co.</a> (New York).&nbsp;
‘The Pavilion’ runs from July 27, 2023 to January 13, 2024 at London Mithraeum
Bloomberg SPACE. 
Ijeoma Ndukwe is a multimedia journalist based in London. 
Published on July 14, 2023.
Caption for full-bleed images, from top to bottom: 1. Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, To The Moon (film still), 2014. Courtesy of the artist, Galerie LeLong & Co., and Goodman Gallery. 2.&nbsp;Pamela Phatsimo&nbsp;Sunstrum,&nbsp;POLYHEDRA&nbsp;(film still, detail), 2016.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist,&nbsp;Galerie LeLong & Co., and&nbsp;Goodman Gallery.&nbsp;3.&nbsp;Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum,&nbsp;Spin (film still), 2013.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist, Galerie LeLong & Co., and Goodman Gallery.

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Packed with references to literature, film, and even physics, they invite viewers to ponder the elusive nature of identity

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