Cassidy Toner. Besides the Point

Cassidy Toner’s new works take center stage at the Kunstmuseum Basel. Awarded the Manor Art Prize 2025, the US-born, Basel-based artist (b. 1992, Baltimore) presents an entire body of new work in Cassidy Toner. Besides the Point. On view are nearly two dozen ceramic sculptures, a sprawling wall drawing, a video piece, and an installation featuring cast objects in synthetic resin and tin—all created especially for the exhibition.

Witty, sly, and full of surprises—In her work, Toner levels an ironic, critical gaze at the art world’s dealings, expectations, and systems of value. With a healthy dose of humor and an acute self-awareness, she undermines the supposed logic of the art industry. The title Besides the Point combines the English-language phrase “beside the point” (i.e. “irrelevant”) with the word “besides” (meaning “additionally”). Toner deliberately focuses on the supposedly trivial and incidental, making them the overarching subject of her exhibition.

Besides the Point is Toner’s most extensive institutional solo show to date. An accompanying artist book, Hands on, will be published in fall 2025 as part of the exhibition. This volume presents a series of smartphone photographs taken by Toner between 2014 and 2024. In these images, Toner’s hand interacts with the people and objects shown on advertising posters displayed in public space. Her actions subvert the original messaging, playing with the intentions of the advertising world.