Tickets to the Art Basel Inside Conference in Abu Dhabi, a ‘New Kind of Experience,’ Cost $15,000 (Without Airfare)

Want to go to Art Basel’s new
“immersive” conference initiative in Abu Dhabi this February? It
will cost you a hefty $15,000. 

The art fair company announced
the launch of the three-day event, called Art Basel Inside—which
happens to coincide with the second edition of competitor fair
Frieze Los Angeles, running from February 14 to 16—earlier this
week.  

A representative for the fair
says that the hefty ticket price covers “access to all elements of
the three-day program as well as luxury accommodation and curated
culinary experiences.” Flights, however, are not
included. 

The ticket is $5,000 more than
it costs to attend TED’s marquee conference, an application-only
event that hosts speakers ranging from blockbuster film producer
J.J. Abrams and U2 frontman Bono to Microsoft’s Bill Gates and
Google co-founder Sergey Brin. (First-timers can attend TED for
even less, $5,000 a head.) 

It is also just $4,000 less than
admission to Davos, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting,
which brings together the world’s most powerful political and
business leaders. (Though, to be fair, that $19,000 ticket is just
one part of the cost; in order to be invited to Davos, you must be
a member of the World Economic Forum, which has various tiers of
membership that can run anywhere from around $50,000 to more than
$600,000 annually.)

Art Basel is aiming to attract a
group of around 300 people for its event—which, if they all paid
full price, would result in a cool $4.5 million in revenue for the
company. 

What can participants expect to
receive in exchange for their hard-earned $15,000?
According to a statement,
the three-day event is a “framework
for discoveries” that will include “dynamic dialogues and workshops
with visionary guest speakers from the worlds of technology and
science, addressing topics such as intelligence, environments,
sustainability, and the role of the arts.” 

Veteran curator and art
historian Marc-Olivier Wahler, who is organizing Art Basel Inside,
told ARTnews the platform is neither art fair nor museum nor summit, but
will offer “art lovers a kind of experience that doesn’t exist
elsewhere.” He says site-specific installations will simulate the
“feeling involved in the elements,” adding, “This is in the desert,
but you can walk underwater and listen to poetry.”

The fair declined to disclose a
lineup of speakers or events, but a spokesperson said more
information will be made available later this
fall. 

The post Tickets to the Art Basel Inside Conference in Abu
Dhabi, a ‘New Kind of Experience,’ Cost $15,000 (Without
Airfare) appeared first on artnet News.