Ruba Katrib Appointed Curator of Unlimited at Art Basel 2026

From 2026, Ruba Katrib will take on the curatorial direction of Unlimited, Art Basel’s pioneering platform for large-scale projects. Currently Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at MoMA PS1 in New York, Katrib succeeds Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, who has overseen the sector since 2021.

Unlimited has established itself as one of the fair’s most anticipated highlights. The sector is dedicated to artistic practices that go beyond the traditional art fair booth, including monumental installations, expansive sculptures, immersive wall paintings, extensive photo series, and ambitious video works. With Katrib’s appointment, Unlimited will gain fresh curatorial perspectives. She will join Stefanie Hessler, Director of New York’s Swiss Institute, on the Basel curatorial team under the leadership of Fair Director Maike Cruse, who is committed to shaping a diverse, ambitious, and forward-looking program.

Renowned for her bold exhibitions and dedication to amplifying new artistic voices, Katrib has curated influential projects at MoMA PS1 such as The Gatherers (2025), Rirkrit Tiravanija: A LOT OF PEOPLE (2023), and Jumana Manna: Break, Take, Erase, Tally (2022). She also organized Simone Fattal’s first comprehensive retrospective in 2019. Previously, as Curator at SculptureCenter in New York (2012–2018), she organized more than twenty exhibitions, including 74 million million million tons (2018, co-organized with Lawrence Abu Hamdan). In 2018, she co-curated SITE Santa Fe’s biennial Casa Tomada. Her writings appear regularly in leading art periodicals and museum catalogues.

Reflecting on her new role, Katrib said: “Unlimited is a unique and vital platform that allows artists to realize works of a scale and ambition rarely possible in other contexts. It is an honor to shape this celebrated sector and to collaborate with artists and galleries on projects that will resonate with audiences in Basel and beyond.”

Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director, Art Basel Fairs, added: “With Ruba Katrib, Unlimited gains a curator whose intellectual rigor, responsiveness to contemporary urgencies, and visionary perspective will open new possibilities for how audiences encounter large-scale artistic practice. Her appointment reflects our mission to not only present the most ambitious art of our time but also to foster the voices that will shape its future.”

Art Basel in Basel 2026 will take place at Messe Basel from June 18 to 21, 2026, with Preview Days on June 16 and 17.