An empty display case. White walls, a fluorescent tube, a power socket. That's what it looked like before AKCNSTUDIOS took it over. Now it's pink. Torn open. And in the middle stands THE XX – the figure you can't buy anywhere yet. In the middle of Basel. In the city where the art world feels at home.
We're exhibiting in Basel
Basel is the art city. Every June the entire art world comes to Art Basel, the most important art fair in the world – collectors, galleries, museums, celebrities. Add Fondation Beyeler, the Kunstmuseum, Tinguely, around 40 museums within a few square kilometres. Whoever exhibits here exhibits where art isn't the exception, but everyday life.
AKCNSTUDIOS is now permanently on view in Basel's old town. Not four days during the fair, but all year round, right in the flow of the city. For a studio that has so far placed its figures in showrooms and YouTube studios, this is more than a placement. It's an address.
Kunstmeile Basel – where art lives
Kunstmeile Basel is a passage with 47 display cases in the heart of Basel's old town – the Rümelins-Passage at Gerbergasse 16, between Marktplatz and Barfüsserplatz. Not a gallery with opening hours, but a place where art happens in passing: artists fill the cases, passers-by stop. Kunstmeile sees itself as a platform for art – and above all as a platform for people. AKCN is listed there as an artist, with his own case.
The display case is the artwork
Most display cases show art. This one is art. The pink surface was built by hand, painted and then broken open – as if something had blasted through the wall from inside. Behind it: a black, carved structure radiating outward like an explosion. The pedestal is hand-hammered, with traces of pink and scratched-in lettering. And on top, perfectly still: THE XX. Matte black, 28 centimetres. The only thing in this scene that doesn't move.
The principle is contrast. Pink against black, loud against quiet, destruction against precision. The case screams, the figure stays silent. That's exactly the idea behind NOT A TOY: an object that holds the calm in a room, no matter how loud it gets around it.
THE XX – the figure
- Size: 28 cm
- Material: resin, matte black, handcrafted
- Signature detail: slim white line eyes – no face, just a gaze
- Origin: digitally modelled, finished by hand – cast in resin, hand-sanded, refined, numbered and signed, made in Germany
THE XX is the figure AKCN himself wears – the mask the artist appears in publicly, as a sculpture. In Basel it stands behind glass. In the shop it doesn't exist yet. And there's a reason for that.
The drop: €1 – and every sale doubles the price
THE XX has no release date. The drop starts as soon as @akcnstudios reaches 10,000 followers on Instagram – the community decides, not marketing. And then a pricing model applies that the art toy world hasn't seen before: the first figure sold costs €1. The second €2. Then €4, €8, €16, €32 – with every sale, the price doubles. Early birds pay almost nothing. Those who wait pay the price of waiting.
The full mechanic is explained in Unlock the Drop. Short version: follow @akcnstudios, comment “2” under the current post – and you'll be the first to know when the display case in Basel turns into a shop.
If you don't want to wait: THE NOIR has the same size, the same handwriting and is available now – edition of 100.
Where to find the display case
Kunstmeile Basel · Rümelins-Passage · Gerbergasse 16 · 4051 Basel · Switzerland. If you're in Basel: walk into the passage, the pink case is impossible to miss. Take a photo, tag @akcnstudios – every follower brings the drop closer.
About AKCNSTUDIOS
AKCNSTUDIOS is the designer art brand of the artist AKCN. Under the NOT A TOY label, limited designer sculptures in resin are created – from the first stroke to the signature, one pair of hands: digitally modelled, finished by hand, cast in Germany, every piece individually sanded, refined, numbered and signed. What separates art toys from toys is explained in the big guide for collectors. Contact: studio@akcn.de · Instagram @akcnstudios
FAQ
Where is THE XX on display?
At Kunstmeile Basel, Rümelins-Passage, Gerbergasse 16, 4051 Basel – in a display case built by AKCNSTUDIOS specifically for it.
What is Kunstmeile Basel?
A passage in Basel's old town with 47 display cases filled by artists – art in public space, freely accessible. More at kunstmeile.ch.
Does AKCNSTUDIOS exhibit during Art Basel?
AKCNSTUDIOS is on view in Basel all year round – at Kunstmeile in the old town, including during Art Basel in June. For the 2026 fair, THE NOIR was additionally shown at ARTE Lörrach.
Can I buy THE XX?
Not yet. The drop starts once @akcnstudios reaches 10,000 Instagram followers. Starting price €1, every sale doubles the price. Until then, its sister figure THE NOIR (28 cm, edition of 100) is available in the shop.
Is the display case an artwork?
Yes. The pink surface, the break, the carved black structure and the hammered pedestal are all made by hand – the case is part of the work, not just its frame.
ART BELONGS WHERE ICONS LIVE.