photo basel, Switzerland’s first and only boutique art fair dedicated to photography, shifts to a digital version this June 17 to 21. You can finally have the chance to experience this world-class exhibit in Europe’s art capital without leaving your bed and the hassle of elbowing your way through crowds of tourists.

You can go through the galleries and artworks via virtual reality. You can see the artworks on your screen and even project them onto your wall to see how it will look in your home also before you buy it through augmented reality. You just need to download the free KUIO app. From there, you can choose which gallery you wish to browse.

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Thirty-eight galleries are participating this year, including Magnum (Paris), Terry Etherton (Texas), Photon (Ljubljana), and AKKA Project (Dubai & Venice), showcasing exclusive and rare photo collections from leading classic and contemporary photographers.

Sven Eisenhut, founding director of photo basel, said, “It’s with pleasure that we present the very first virtual edition of photo basel this June (when our physical fair would have taken place), welcoming many galleries from our roster. Although we are fully aware that no virtual fair can replace a physical one, we merely look at it as an opportunity and added value to our physical one.”

Tulpen – Anna Halm Schudel, Archival Pigment Print Diasec 100 x 100 cm Edition of 7. Galerie Wertheimer

Two activities are of note for this edition. First is the Special Virtual Projects. It focuses on the third iteration of the Master Cabinet, which presents a selection of vintage prints provided by the participating galleries, all of which are for sale. New for this virtual edition will also be a Cabinet for young artists to present their work at the virtual fair.

Other Voices 5 (2011) – Hideyuki Ishibashi, Dye inkjet print 26.5 x 26.2 cm Edition of 5. Courtesy Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp

Second is the Digital Program. Here, you can listen and watch various pre-recorded talks featuring photo basel’s chosen artists and gallerists. Furthermore, virtual guided tours will take place with the help of Zoom conferences.

Shanghai 2002 – Peter Bialobrzeski, C-Print on Aludibond handprinted by the artist Edition 1/5 120 x 160 cm. Courtesy Galerie Susanne Albrecht, Berlin

Lifestyle.INQ had the pleasure of attending the fair last year, where they displayed the works of Italian photographer Mario Giacomelli. Read about it here.

To learn more about photo basel and to participate in this year’s edition, visit www.photo-basel.com. You may also email [email protected].