DAILY DÉRIVE
Mohamed Almusibli (Director Kunsthalle Basel)
& Shahryar Nashat (Artist)
The emblematic Daily Dérives, a programme of conversations led by leading figures from the art world, will again welcome this year’s visitors who are eager for expert guidance and the sharp eye of the invited professionals. Each « dérive » remains true to the Situationist meaning of the term, to wander and be drawn “by the attractions of the terrain” (Guy Debord). These unique moments warmly invite visitors to discover the exhibition through the eyes of an expert in a more intimate setting, thus giving rise to invaluable insights and affirming each person in their relationship to contemporary art.
Mohamed Almusibli is Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel. Since assuming the role in 2024, he has developed a widely recognized artistic program that engages with contemporary and experimental artistic positions of his generation, an innovative approach to emerging technologies, and a sustained interest in fostering connections between local and international art scenes.
Since 2026, he has been a member of the Swiss Federal Art Commission (EKK) and the Artistic Committee of Mécènes du Sud. He regularly serves on international juries and curatorial committees, including La Becque | Artist Residency, the 2027 Infinities Commission at Tate Modern, and as a nominator for the curatorial committee of the Biennial of Moving Images in Tunis (2026). Almusibli publishes and edits artist books and contributes to art publications and exhibition catalogues. He is also a guest tutor at Fire Station Artist in Residence in Doha and a mentor for Tondra, an initiative of the Dhaka Art Summit.
Previously, Almusibli served as an advisor to the Hartwig Art Foundation in Amsterdam and as a lecturer at ECAL – École cantonale d’art de Lausanne. In 2019, he co-founded Cherish, an independent art space in Geneva that became a platform for emerging artists. In 2021, he launched “Almusibli Panorama”, a year-long online video program for the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève that culminated in the inaugural Swiss Moving Image Award.
Shahryar Nashat’s work examines the shifting relationship between the human body and contemporary technologies, probing how perception, desire and identity are continually reshaped at the intersection of the digital and the physical. Working across sculpture, video and installation, his exhibitions often form immersive environments that act as meditations on embodiment and mortality.
Solo exhibitions include: Aspen Museum of Art, Aspen; Swiss Institute, Rome; MASI Lugano, Lugano; LUMA Arles; The Renaissance Society, Chicago; Ordet, Milan; The Art Institute of Chicago; and Force Life, MoMA, New York. He participated in the Made in LA Biennial at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, the 20th Biennale of Sydney; the 8th Berlin Biennial and the 54th International Venice Biennale, Venice.
Nashat shows with Sylvia Kouvali, Piraeus/London; Gladstone Gallery New York/Brussels/Seoul; and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles/New York.