Art Basel Unlimited Performance: Atelier Van Lieshout. Joep van Lieshout reads the “Obituary”, an eulogy in honor of the unknown artist at “The Tomb of the Unknown Artist” as part of his large-scale installation “The Voyage – A March to Utopia” at Art Basel 2025 Unlimited.
Art Basel 2025 Unlimited sector. Basel (Switzerland), June 17, 2025.
The Tomb of the Unknown Artist
Hoc est sepulchrum eorum artificum qui in aeterna recognitionis acie vitam amiserunt.
“This is the grave of those artists who lost their lives in the eternal battle for recognition. They will turn to dust and rise from the ashes and rise up to lead us all to a better future.”
Friends, colleagues, seekers of beauty and truth,
We stand here today before a special place. Not a traditional grave, but a monument, a silent witness to an unceasing struggle. This is the resting place, the symbolic last breath, of those artists who gave their lives in the often merciless arena of recognition. They fought their battle with brush, chisel, word, note, movement – with everything their soul inspired them to create.
Many of them remained unheard during their earthly journey. Their genius was not seen, their passion not felt by the eyes and ears of their time. They toiled on in solitude, driven by an inner fire that was sometimes the only light in their darkness. The recognition they sought, the confirmation that their work had meaning, often remained absent. The toll this took was sometimes their very life force.
Look at this monument. It is an invitation; it is the open arms for those who come after them and experience a similar struggle. A place where the physical remains of those who fully dedicated themselves to their art can find a place. A common ground, saturated with the blood and energy of creation and the pain of under-recognition.
It is a question that challenges us all. Will the stories of these unknown heroes of creativity be forgotten? Will their efforts have been in vain? Or will a new generation arise from their legacy, from the ashes of their unfulfilled dreams? Artists who build upon their foundation, who learn from their fate, and who, through their work, indeed lead us to a better, more understanding future?
Let this place be a reminder of the fragility of the artist in a world that is sometimes blind to true value. A memory of the importance of appreciation, of seeing and hearing those who lay bare their souls in their creations.
But let it also be a source of hope. Hope that the sacrifices of those who symbolically rest here have not been in vain. Hope that future generations of artists may receive the recognition they deserve, and that their work may enrich the world in ways we cannot yet imagine.
Today we honor their memory. We acknowledge their struggle. And we hope, with all our hearts, that from their ashes a future will blossom in which art and artists receive the appreciation and the place in society they deserve.
Rest softly, pioneers of the imagination. Your legacy lives on in the stones of this monument and in the hearts of those who will, one day, discover your work.
Joep van Lieshout, Basel, June 2025
