Welcoming Two New Advisory Board Members to VOLTA: Tallulah Patricia Bär and Dr. Florian Treu
At VOLTA, we are committed to fostering a fair that not only champions contemporary art but also reflects the diverse voices, expertise, and perspectives shaping today’s cultural landscape. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome two new members to our Advisory Board: Dr. Florian Treu and Tallulah Patricia Bär.
With over 20 years of experience in the financial sector and a deep engagement with the art world, Florian brings invaluable insight into the intersection of art and investment. Tallulah, founder of AfroSwissters, brings a powerful perspective on community building, representation, and cultural dialogue in Switzerland and beyond through her experiences in the worlds of finance and culture.
Meet our new Advisory Board members below as they share their perspectives on the future of art fairs, the values guiding their work, and the emerging artists to watch at VOLTA and beyond.
What excites you about joining VOLTA’s Advisory Board?
Florian: VOLTA has long been a source of inspiration during Basel’s Art Week. I have attended all the fair’s former Basel locations, and I am delighted that VOLTA has now found its rightful place at the heart of the week.
With its strong gallery presentations and high-quality booths, VOLTA represents an important part of the international art market: a place to encounter new artists and discover exceptional works that are both accessible to buy and full of potential.
As members of VOLTA’s Advisory Board, we support a platform that champions lesser-known and emerging galleries and artists. Through our networks, we will help to shape an engaging programme, including unique VIP openings in the years ahead and always with a focus on what matters most: the artists and their work.
Sophia the Robot in collaboration with Hang Wai, represented by Artbridger at VOLTA Basel 2025
Tallulah: In 2024, VOLTA welcomed the BlackFutureWeek Collective, which I am part of, as cultural partners and it was clear that this is a fair unafraid to welcome new networks, new communities, and new perspectives. That openness defines VOLTA’s DNA: it is not only an art fair but a cultural hub that reimagines who has a seat at the table.
This year’s edition reaffirmed that for me, from Sophia the Robot’s co-creation with Hong Wai, which sparked deep questions about the future of humanity and art history, to the discoveries in the MENA Pavilion that expanded my horizons. VOLTA is more than a marketplace - it is a forum where culture, technology, and society intersect. Joining the Advisory Board excites me because it means helping to shape that dialogue for the next chapters.
What values guide your involvement with VOLTA?
Tallulah: For me, access, inclusivity, and connection aren’t abstract ideals - they’re practical commitments. In cultural partnerships, that has meant creating platforms where emerging artists and communities can be seen alongside established voices. In philanthropy, it has meant linking resources with vision. And in community-building, it has meant holding space for dialogue across disciplines and generations. VOLTA is a fair that reflects these same commitments: it opens space for artists who take risks, for galleries that champion fresh perspectives, and for conversations that connect the cultural to the societal.
Florian: I grew up surrounded by intellectual art professionals and serious collectors. From early on, I learned that works from every epoch, culture, and material can coexist, as long as the quality remains high. For me, quality is non-negotiable. At VOLTA, I will advocate for galleries, artists, and artworks that stand the test of time - for decades, and hopefully centuries.
How do you see the role of art fairs evolving?
Florian: It’s a complex question. Yet I am convinced that as long as there is art, there will be marketplaces for it - and art fairs are central to that. Art is driven by passion and new ideas, and that cannot be replaced by online auctions.
Emerging artists especially need spaces where their work to be encountered, discussed, and experienced in person. No other platform offers this at scale. For this reason, VOLTA will continue to play an important role, even in challenging markets where sales are more difficult and high-end prices are in decline.
Talluah: Art fairs are not simply marketplaces. They are evolving ecosystems where culture, commerce, and dialogue intersect. They are places where artists meet entrepreneurs, collectors engage with communities, and societal questions surface.
VOLTA exemplifies this evolution. I see VOLTA — and art fairs more broadly — as spaces that cultivate not only markets but also literacy, leadership, and legacies.
What do you hope to bring to VOLTA’s future?
Tallulah facilitating VOLTA Basel’s EMERGE + ENGAGE Program. Image: Casey Kelbaugh
Tallulah: A perspective shaped by international education and cross-sector work — from finance and philanthropy to cultural programming and grassroots initiatives — has taught me that impact grows where different worlds meet. I approach my work through interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and intergenerational lenses, connecting ideas and people that might not otherwise encounter one another. What I hope to bring to VOLTA is not just that bridging ability, but also the humility to listen, the curiosity to keep learning, and the conviction to nurture spaces where emerging artists and bold ideas can flourish. My goal is to strengthen VOLTA’s role as both a marketplace and a cultural meeting ground — a place where emerging talent thrives, diverse perspectives gain visibility, and values guide growth.
Florian: People. I want to bring more collectors from across the world to VOLTA, drawing greater attention to emerging artists represented by less-established galleries.
What is in your art collection?
Florian: Having grown up among “real” collectors, I hesitate to call my own artworks a collection. I am simply passionate about art. Every work I own tells a story - of meeting the artist or of the moment I fell in love with the piece.
For example, Mary Visser, whom I discovered at this year’s VOLTA Basel, brings wonderful Matisse-like vibrancy and depth into my home. I also treasure my small Jean Arp print, which I acquired while working as a student at Atelier Lafranca, Arp’s paper producer and printer in Ticino, Switzerland.
Thabiso Phepeng at Botaki Factory
Tallulah: My collection is shaped by both inheritance and encounter. Taken together, it is a living archive of dialogues, travels, and inheritances — one that links antiques with contemporary practice and keeps art close to daily life.
It began with sketches from the Indian modernist painter Hebbar, who was a friend of my godfather’s family, and it has since grown into a mix of figurative illustrations, lithographs, and paintings — often centered on feminine forms — alongside diasporic prints and modernist works on paper. Travel has added its own layers: from the “Picasso” of Marrakech, to works by Thabiso Phepeng in Zurich, Jocelyn Ohoka’s illustrations, and discoveries in Paris. A resonant piece in my collection is by Chike, a Jamaican artist whose work I first encountered at Zurich’s Botaki Factory — a movement I continue to follow. And, I live with pieces from my mother’s collection, including Gabriella Crespi’s iconic Fungo table lamp.
What artists are on your watch list?
Tallulah: At VOLTA itself, I was drawn to Charles Jean-Pierre, whose work continues to resonate with me. And in Switzerland, I’ve been inspired by Christin Khaukha, whose contemporary sculpture feels both urgent and grounding.
One defining spark, however, came years earlier at the Saatchi Gallery, standing before Jorge Mayet’s Entre dos aguas — a suspended tree split between two floating islands, its fragile roots balancing belonging and displacement. That sculpture reshaped how I see the world and myself. In many ways, it was this encounter that gave birth to TheSwissPanAfrican — my commitment to create space for those of us whose lives are split across places, cultures, and histories, yet who continue to grow and root ourselves in new ways.
Jorge Mayet (b. 1962), Entre Dos Aguas (Between Two Waters)
Florian: This year at VOLTA, I discovered several exciting artists. At Lechbinska Gallery, I was fascinated by the work of Luo Mingjun and Ursula Palla. I also met the Ukrainian-born artist Andrey Kozakov, represented by Cincinnati Art Underground, whom I look forward to following closely.
After almost 20 years, it was a pleasure to reconnect with Konrad Winter and his wonderful works at Alex Schlesinger Gallery.
Beyond VOLTA, at Art Unlimited at Art Basel, Arcangelo Sassolino stood out as a favourite this year, with truly mind-blowing works.
Luo Mingjun, A little balloon seller