At the global interchange of modern art lies a new type of festival for modern and contemporary works. A celebration of human expression and creativity on a scale that the traveller can comprehend. That the traveller can experience in its entirety and engage with those who make these events happen. It’s a new-age forum for art where the professional world and market do not seem so far away as before, and allow for discourse between amateur and professional alike. Geneva’s new grand salon has taken the art world by storm and placed itself front and centre of the Swiss event calendar. For a few days, one may forget about the skiing and the snow whilst in attendance at ArtGenève.

ArtGenève serves as a ‘human-sized’ art show, featuring far fewer exhibits than its counterparts. Art Basel, for example. The show in its, now, twelve years of running features a wide array of artistic mediums and contemporary styles. Expanding its repertoire from print and other forms of traditional visual art, its new space is dedicated to audio and performative mediums. ArtGenève is becoming something of a boutique art show, taking the very best of modern and contemporary in each respective category. Keeping the exhibit numbers lower than the rest of the shows on offer, and giving special emphasis to emerging artists. It personifies the Swiss. In all of the refined, reserved and perfectly presented image of central Europe’s capital of luxury. ArtGeneve only enhances this ideal, drawing the sophisticated down from alpine slopes, and away from the heat of the Mediterranean to celebrate the most revered pieces of the year.

Starting only twelve years ago, it has already established itself as a prime date on the European art calendar. Taking place in late January, it starts the year off strong. Having grown to a total of 80 international galleries making additions to the exhibition, including institutional partners that provide non-commercial pieces to the show floor. Founded by Thomas Hug, who established Art Monte-Carlo a few years after ArtGeneve, still plays a direct role in the direction of the fair. The passion that brought this event into existence still exists from its source, in its purest form. Hug was dedicated to creating an open and free-flowing discourse between the art institutions and those who enjoy their works. The size of the show was intentional to this exact end. It’s almost of digestible size, where the traveller can experience the entire exhibition in equal measure.

One of the larger exhibition halls is the Sur-Mesure collection. A themed set of singular works from a range of galleries across the region. These take on all manner of mediums, including large-format installations. This section of the show brings together two huge institutions in the art world. The Galleries and the Museums. Thomas Hug admits that the goals of these two institutions are often at odds with each other. Yet we see year after year, an incredibly reassuring interaction between the interests of commerce and preservation. This is something he feels is particularly valuable to the public and to new collectors. Another aspect of the fair that has a similar effect is the Prix Mobiliere and Prix Solo prizes. The former displays artwork from a young Swiss artist that displays excellence in their artistic merits. The latter presents twenty solo pieces that a jury will pick a winner from. This piece will then be purchased and donated to a local institution for display. The traveller is welcomed into a bright discourse between all aspects of the art world, often near some of the space’s most esteemed collectors.

In the spirit of modern and contemporary art, we see a great drive for progress in their exhibition’s diversity. Not just in the message or origin, but the medium. The show has transcended past a homogeneous display of visual art into multi-media pieces and pure audio performances. The inclusion of more experimental forms of modern art helps form the idea of what ArtGeneve truly means. A defining notion of the name. The unwavering dedication to the power of creative expression in any medium. The traveller can meet many of the artists in this section as they present their works to attendees of the show, further enriching the discourse between the art world and the discerning traveller. The 2023 edition of the show saw their audio display transform into a ‘polyphonic quest’ that features a call-and-response game between the art and a live performance by Saâdane Afif and Elisa Storelli.

One of the most culturally enriching parts of ArtGeneve is its special exhibitions. These put a huge emphasis on the non-commercial side of art. They seek to enrich the cultural diversity of modern art paces and focus purely on the art itself. These can include unfinished or pre-released works, as well as additions from private collections. This section is focused solely on what is in front of you and bears no witness to the market. Art in this form cannot be quantified into a written price, serving as a message or expression in its purest represented form. Any particular work is displayed for its merit as a piece of cultural discourse or aesthetic brilliance. Pay no attention to any price tags, ArtGeneve is dedicated to the roots of art. A testament to the rich plurality of the contemporary artistic landscape.

ArtGeneve was born from a passion for modern art in all its various facets of expression. It has been crafted over the years of its running to carry this exact passion into every corner of the exhibition. Sat in the centre of the modern art world, it serves as a pilgrimage site for all of those involved in the market or institutions of art. Even down to new collectors and the general public. It reflects the diverse and beautiful landscape of its host country to perfection. Geneva’s snow-capped mountains perfectly complement the lakes that sit at their feet, just as marble sculptures sit beside a display of musical creativity.