The Door is Always Open at K11 in Shanghai, China, December 5, 2014 – March 5, 2015

The Door is Always Open travels this winter season from MOCA Taipei to the K11 Art Mall in Shanghai, China. Featuring over 500 works created by Baseman over three decades, the retrospective is the most comprehensive look into Baseman’s career to date.

Spanning from the world of publishing to television and film, to fine art, theatre and dance, music and fashion, photography, and toy design, Baseman is a poignant storyteller and artist. His work uses aesthetically raw and childlike imagery that often addresses challenging and complex subject matter – referencing history, the human psyche,and what Baseman calls, “the beauty of the bittersweetness of life.”

For this exhibition, K11’s space is transformed into a unique experiential home environment in which guests are invited to sit on a sofa or at the dining room table and explore, participate and visit. Each room, thematic in nature, evokes visitors to reflect and share their own stories about family, friends, love, and celebration.

Featured spaces include the Living Room (Welcome), the Dining Room (Celebration), Hallway (Journey), the Study (Exploration), the Bedroom (Dreams), the Den (Play), the Studio Office (Work), and the Backyard (Performance).

“The Door is Always Open” was a phrase used by Baseman’s late father to welcome his son home. Baseman interpreted this phrase as an invitation to march through multiple doors of creative opportunity. Reflected throughout Baseman’s work—much like his predecessors Andy Warhol and John Baldessari—is a playful experimentation to broaden the definition of art, and a collapse of the boundary between high/low and fine/commercial art.

Baseman has approached the fine art world over the past 15 years with the perception that “art is not precious, it’s magical.” Baseman strives for his work to be accessible and appealing to broad audiences, inside and outside of museum walls.

Showing the breadth of Baseman’s oeuvre, the exhibition includes illustration works (published in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The Los Angeles Times); Baseman’s designer toys including Dumb Luck, Hotchachacha, and Toby; costumes and fashion collaborations; photographs and videos; and new artworks and installations created especially for K11.

About K11

A revolutionary museum retail concept and a hybrid model of art and commerce founded by Adrian Cheng in 2008, K11 is the world’s first original brand to pioneer the blend of three essential elements of Art • People • Nature. The flagship K11 in Shanghai was launched in June 2013.

For more information on K11 Shanghai, visit: www.K11.com
300 Huaihai Middle Rd,
Shanghai, China
+86 21 2310 3112

Gary Baseman is one of today’s most prominent and multi-faceted Los Angeles-based artists. From his early works as an illustrator and his Emmy award-winning animation series, to his complete line of designer toys and his imaginative paintings and photographs, Baseman’s work is enchanting, insightful, and provocative. Over the past 15 years, Baseman has exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. His current work continues to explore the human condition through painting, performance, film, and fashion.

For press and media inquiries directly to Baseman Studio: press@garybaseman.com