Date: Saturday, August 29, 2026, 11 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
Location: Neubau, Eventfoyer
Participation free of charge, ticket required via ticket link

The Kunstmuseum Basel is presenting a project by the internationally renowned Swiss artist Marc Bauer (b. 1975). In his drawings, he explores history, memory, gender, and identity from a queer perspective. Under the title Fear Rage Desire, Still Standing, he combines art-historical motifs—for example, from artists such as Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) and Nasta Rojc (1883–1964)—with photos from the internet and archival material. At the heart of his work lies the construction of masculinity and the resulting violence to which society—and, as a central theme in this project, queer people in particular—are confronted. Bauer spans the arc from the past to the present and reveals how deeply this violence is embedded in social structures.

Bauer conducts extensive research for his works: he reads academic texts, delves into archives, and speaks with scholars and experts, including Jonathan D. Katz, who organized, researched, and curated the exhibition The First Homosexuals in Chicago, USA. He then selects visual material and texts from various sources. He transforms these into a highly personal and fascinating visual world that is ambiguous and thought-provoking.

Some of Bauer’s drawings are created directly on the museum walls and are destroyed once the presentation period ends. Visitors to the art museum can follow the creative process. The artist will continue to revise the wall drawings (November 3–7, 2026). The drawings on the walls, on canvas, and on paper, together with the soundtrack composed by the Berlin-based artists Sin Maldita (Tim Roth) and Philipp Hülsenbeck, form a multimedia installation.

The talk will feature Marc Bauer (artist), Anita Haldemann (curator, director of the Kupferstichkabinett), and Len Schaller (co-curator of The First Homosexuals).

This conversation is part of Super Saturdays, a joint event organized by Kunsttage Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, Museum Tinguely, and Theaterfestival Basel.