stick n poke III is a group exhibition curated by Alana Alireza and Geraldine Belmont, featuring over 20 artist-designed hand-poked tattoos by artists including Sylvie Fleury, Liam Gillick, Louisa Gagliardi, Filwa Nazer, and Shuang Li. Presented at Basel Social Club in a former bank building, the show explores tattoos as acts of resistance, intimacy, and authorship. Inspired by the 1990s Tattoo Collection at Air de Paris, designs are displayed like a tattoo parlor—vinyl blueprints for permanent gestures, all available to be hand-poked on skin by a professional tattooist.

"REAL LIFE… and how to live it", curated by Alana Alireza and Geraldine Belmont, is an exhibition that critically examines the dynamics of security and insecurity and how they manifest through contemporary art practices. Integrating selections from the Baloise collection with newly produced works from Ahaad Alamoudi, Nooshin Askari, Noémie Degen/Simon Jaton, Jack O'Brien, and Hannah Weinberger, the show establishes a cross-generational and cultural discourse. It confronts the traditional confines of security beyond national contexts and repositions insecurity as a fundamental part of the human experience.

Drawing inspiration from the provocative work of Ross Sinclair from the Baloise collection, which boldly challenges viewers to "BURN YOUR PASSPORT" and "ANNIHILATE NATIONS," the exhibition confronts entrenched narratives and invites a new generation of artists to respond and create works that not only invite fresh perspectives but also serve as catalysts for an expansive discourse.

As lead curator of the inaugural Bait Shouaib residency program in Jeddah (2024), Alana Alireza oversaw the Open Studios, working closely with three artists to develop and present a cohesive body of work. The residency culminated in a successful public event in Al-Balad and a publication authored by Alireza, featuring an anthropological reflection on the neighborhood's cultural landscape.

In 2023, stick n poke, co-curated by Alana Alireza, was invited to Kunsthaus Zürich as part of the city's Lange Nacht der Museen. Visitors could pre-book or spontaneously receive unique artist-designed tattoos. Works by Sarah Abu Abdallah, Anne-Lise Coste, Chino Amobi, and Kristina Lovaas were tattooed live during the event.

Alana Alireza co-curated stick n poke at FOMO Art Space in Zurich, featuring new tattoo-based works by Liam Gillick, Sylvie Fleury, Sarah Abu Abdallah, and Cudelice Brazelton IV. Emerging and established artists were invited to submit designs to be tattooed during the opening. Presented as wall vinyls in the style of a traditional tattoo parlor, the show culminated in a live "happening," with six visitors receiving tattoos onsite from a professional tattooist.

Photography: Nicolas Duc

A group exhibition co-curated by Alana Alireza that challenges the perceived fragility of artworks by treating their transport no differently than any ordinary object. All works were sent to the gallery by the artists via standard post and exhibited exactly as received — including any damage sustained in transit.

The show rejects the illusion that art exists outside of history or material reality. It confronts the notion that artworks can be fully elevated above their objecthood. Contributing new works, artists such as Sylvie Fleury, Women's History Museum, and others explore themes ranging from the banality of postal systems to the enforced stillness of the artwork. Together, the works reflect on how value, care, and context shape our perception of what art is — and isn't.