Bike Çetinel Şahin, International Collaborations and Strategic Development Manager, Gate 27

This June, for one of the busiest and most dynamic weeks on the international art calendar, I was in Switzerland representing Gate 27. During the few days I spent between Bern and Basel, as I took the pulse of the global art ecosystem, the idea emerged to launch a new newsletter series that would strengthen our institutional memory and ensure the longevity of our international agenda. In the first issue of this series, which we’ve titled Gate 27 Dispatches, I wanted to share with you the key institutional trends that stood out during my trip to Basel, as well as our position within a global network.

Throughout my trip, my primary focus was not just the Art Basel fair itself, but the broader cultural landscape that takes shape around it. Following a comprehensive itinerary that stretched from museums like the Fondation Beyeler, Schaulager, Kunstmuseum Basel, and Zentrum Paul Klee, to innovative institutions such as HEK, the Liste Art Fair Basel, the Basel Social Club, and Maze Design Basel, as well as independent spaces like PROGR Bern, I had the opportunity to explore the intersections between foundations, nonprofit organizations, and various residency models. In every conversation I had and every observation I made during this packed schedule, I realized once again that at the heart of long-term collaborations lie, above all mutual curiosity, trust, and a commitment to investing time in relationships.

Furthermore, when I evaluate Basel Art Week through the lens of Gate 27’s international artist-in-residence program, several questions that are currently shaping the global art ecosystem come to the fore. How artist-in-residence programs foster meaningful exchange and long-term impact across art, science, and industry, and how cultural institutions can measure and communicate the value they create, beyond traditional metrics like visitor numbers and visibility, are of great importance at this time. At the same time, questions about what kinds of collaborations between cultural institutions, universities, and civil society actors will take center stage in the coming period, and how international partnerships can create lasting and sustainable value for local communities, are also at the heart of these discussions. Consequently, these global themes, which we at Gate 27 have been reflecting on and developing strategies for over a long period, once again demonstrate that we are at the heart of the same current discussions as our colleagues around the world.

This trip also presented a wonderful opportunity to share Gate 27’s current standing on the international stage and its vision for the future with new audiences. In my meetings with various institutions, we brought to the table discussions that align perfectly with Gate 27‘s strategic vision. In particular, our new models at the intersection of art, science, and industry, along with our recently published Social Impact Report, garnered significant interest in our discussions on international partnerships and residency structures.

Today, the international art world is heavily focused on the interdisciplinary future of residencies and new methodologies for impact measurement. The few days I spent in Basel demonstrated once again that Gate 27 is at the very heart of these universal and timely discussions, pursuing the same questions as its colleagues around the world, and is closely connected to the global ecosystem.

Until we meet again in new issues and on new routes.