New York’s Mitchell-Innes & Nash gallery kicked off Art Basel’s Unlimited section last night (13 June) with a new performance by Pope.L, the US artist who tackles issues of race and angst across a variety of media. When asked about the reactions he expected from the crowd, he said: “Thoughtfulness,” adding: “I suppose people throwing things might be okay. I can defend myself. I’m not a beast without a mission.” Pope.L debuted The Problem (2016) by throwing white plantains from the window of a white limousine on the Messeplatz before emerging, holding a white umbrella and wearing a white gorilla costume. He then dashed inside, swiftly followed by photographers and videographers. “I’ve committed to just chasing after him like an idiot at this point,” said someone who works at the gallery. “Finally, a good piece of performance art,” said a critic, mid-sprint, whom we’d seen earlier at a different performance. The gorilla stopped at other popular stands before arriving at Mitchell-Innes & Nash’s stand, where he peeked behind some of his paintings. There, before a crowd of art-world heavyweights who’d clearly been told to be there for the climax, he found stacks of €100 bills. He gathered them up and sprinted back to the limo, squeezing himself, at the entrance, past the dealer Jeffrey Deitch, who showed no reaction to any of this whatsoever.
