Project

DOCK Art Space, Archive, and Library is a self-organized and independent art space. It was founded in 2009 and is supported by the non-profit association Dokumentationsstelle Kunst der Region Basel (Basel Region Documentation Centre for Art). The aim is to offer a platform to regional contemporary artists and to invite the general public to participate in art through different forms of exchange. With its large shop windows on the threshold of public space, DOCK sees itself as a meeting point in the heart of Kleinbasel, an information point, and a space for exhibitions and dialogue surrounding the diversity of regional art. A physical and digital art archive that currently contains more than 290 artists and artist groups lies at the heart of this project. DOCK was developed to make the professional work of artists from the Basel region more visible and to showcase it in an accessible way. It is based on three main pillars: an art space, an archive, and a library. Each pillar consists of various branches, organized by different project teams on their own initiative. The space functions as a multi-purpose area for exhibitions, dialogue, and experimental appropriations, with up to seven exhibitions and nine discussion evenings being held each year. In addition to an administrative team of four people and the six-strong board, another ten people work across the individual project teams. Since May 2020, art can be rented by members of the public via the online catalogue. DOCK is a space for network creation and is open to initiating new collaborations and projects and creating new docking sites.