What happens when care, curiosity, and collaboration guide the creation of an art space? “ELEVEN TEN STUDIO: How We Built a Gallery That Feels Like Home”, a new book by Basel-based artist and curator Aleksandra Cegielska, offers one response. The publication documents the three-year journey of ELEVEN TEN STUDIO—an artist-run space that redefined the gallery experience.
Founded in 2022 in a former pharmacy on Feldbergstrasse in Basel’s Kleinbasel district, ELEVEN TEN STUDIO was never intended to follow traditional gallery models. “The idea wasn’t to build a program,” Cegielska notes. “It was to build a way of life.” Over three years, the space hosted more than 30 exhibitions and featured work from over 50 international artists, such as Duncan Passmore, Matthias Amsler, Luca Harlacher and Viviane Herzog. Rooted in vision rather than a business plan, the studio became a trusted platform for artists engaging with themes such as feminism, shame, digital rituals, and displacement.
The studio offered something rare: a welcoming environment where artists could experiment, take risks, and grow without institutional constraints. From its grassroots beginnings, it prioritized emotional resonance, trust, and shared experience.
This ethos carries through the book’s structure. Designed by Viviane Herzog, the publication blends emotional storytelling with curatorial reflection. Bold in layout and tactile in form, it features photographs, artist insights, and exhibition documentation. Each chapter traces a distinct moment in the studio’s evolution, from THE POWER OF SHE to SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON ME and WENN SIE NICHT GESTORBEN SIND DANN LEBEN SIE NOCH HEUTE. The focus remains on connection, experimentation, and inclusivity—welcoming both emerging and established artists alike.
ELEVEN TEN STUDIO also stood out for its inventive curatorial approaches. QR codes expanded narratives beyond the gallery walls. Display windows became interactive platforms. Exhibitions blurred the boundaries between art, life, and activism, inviting audiences to reflect, question, and participate.
Printed in a limited edition of 200 copies, the book is a labor of love. Cegielska oversaw each stage of its development—rewriting the text five times, refining image selections, and working through multiple design iterations. The result is more than a record; it’s a physical embodiment of the space’s identity.
The launch of the book coincides with “Small Disturbances”, the final exhibition at ELEVEN TEN STUDIO’s original location. As the studio prepares to relocate to Werkraum Warteck pp in Basel, the book serves as both a farewell and a foundation for the future. With greater flexibility and expanded facilities, the next chapter will carry forward the core values that defined the studio from the beginning.
“ELEVEN TEN STUDIO: How We Built a Gallery That Feels Like Home” is a testament to what can happen when an art space prioritizes care over convention. It reminds us that art is not only about what’s displayed, but about the connections we forge and the courage to create with honesty.
Related: ELEVEN TEN STUDIO
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