[2] That Endless Summer
on the fabrication of time, two summers in memory, Fondation Beyeler summer show, Picasso exhibition, new hobbies, summertime sunsets
It’s summer, it’s late summer, it’s the last bit of summer … Summer seems to be ending like it never really loudly announces its arrival, yet somehow it always leaves an “endless” impression on our minds. Some consider it summer long before it truly begins, claiming its start as early as June, as if our yearning could hasten its arrival. When do you feel like it’s summertime? Is that when it feels endless, with days stretching lazily under a golden sun and nights filled with a warm, lingering breeze?
“You feel like summertime,” or perhaps, summer transcends its literal definition, much like Childish Gambino’s song Summertime Magic, my all time summer anthem. Like an individual who captures this essence, bringing warmth and vibrancy wherever they go, they feel like summertime—radiating joy and a sense of magic that makes you wish the moment could last forever.
Last year in early summer, I was by the sea, enjoying the salty air at the Côte d'Azur, laying on a beach chair, with sunlight warming me deeply. Then memories shift to a summer in Valencia beach, where watermelon mixed with sand, and blended its fruity taste in the salty breeze. With that, sunlight dancing on waves, giving a shimmering embrace of the sea, where time unfolds like the horizon.
The way I slept under the sun seemed to transport me back to old memories. This summer trip, I mostly stayed in Switzerland, and in hindsight, looking back it seems that the way I spent summer reflects many intentional changes. While summer by the sea is soothing, why did I opt for hiking and running instead?
Maybe, for summer is a carefree time for self-exploration, revealing new facets of yourself.
During my trips, I encountered many exhibitions (as usual), and there are two exhibitions I would like to pinpoint, for both are unique in their own ways:
on Fondation Beyeler Summer Show
How can one not revisit Fondation Beyeler when in Basel? Especially this time, as they have curated a highly experimental exhibition of contemporary art for the first time in the Fondation Beyeler’s more than 25-year history. The entire museum and its surrounding park have been transformed into this exhibition, which they revealed as a living organism (I couldn’t agree more!).
Fog gives way to sunshine. It fills up the park, the artwork, the windows, the institution. This is what happened to Fondation Beyeler’s Summer show, bringing up more than 30 artistic minds to come together in various rolling exhibitions. Outside the building stood the mechanical tower, Membrane (2024) by artist Philippe Parreno, while artist Fujiko Nakaya brought Untitled (2024) that filled the garden and artworks with fog at set intervals.
While this art outside the building was mechanically orchestrated to perform on time, time itself played a significant role in various contemporary artworks inside as well. There are in fact quite a lot of artworks I found closely connected to the extensive idea and notion of time. Such as Carsten Höller’s Pill Clock (2015), which dropped a pill every three seconds on the floor of the exhibition space, in fact defined the three-second time frame as the ‘present’.
As a reflection, the idea of ‘present’ perhaps differs from one to another, yet the rethinking of ‘present’ itself is fundamental that leads to other topics in life. If there’s no past, that’s no present. We learned everything from those who came before. This is indeed the essence of an inspiring artwork I encountered from another room of the building. The installation, named ALTO (2024) by artist Cildo Meireles, offers an acoustic and visual experience that unravels different layers of meanings intertwined within a single space.
On the other hand, Höller’s another artwork, Dream Bed (2024) touch base on the concept of flying dreams as visitors are invited to experience the artwork through a one-hour nap. Perhaps the colours and imagery hinted at a parallel potential between the two artworks. Just like dreams that slip away, existing only in the fleeting present, their value lies solely in the essence of the moment they inhabit.
Having an interest in the concept of time, as well as how the artists nowadays are conveying messages through different materials and methodology, here I share with you another artwork from this exhibition that has deeply resonated with me.
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