Founder, Blogger and Content Creator Girl in Basel

VOLTA Voices is a recurring interview series with vanguards of the contemporary art world, whose insights into their experiences, concerns, and practices exemplify the very best of creative culture today. More than simply experts, these friends of VOLTA are supporters, colleagues, friends, family.

Leading up to the Basel fair in June, Kamiar Maleki speaks with Magdalena Getreuer, or better known as Girl in Basel. Magdalena is the founder, blogger and content creator behind the famous Basel Instagram account. A Baslerin in the making, Magdalena shares her ideas and inspirations for Basel, Swiss travels and more.

Kamiar Maleki: Dear Magdalena, tell us a bit about yourself and the story behind Girl in Basel.

Magdalena Getreuer: I’m originally from Poland and first arrived in Switzerland back in 2016. Before I moved here, I just finished my law degree and had just met my (now) husband during an internship in Florence, Italy. And then I moved here to join him. It was not an easy period in the beginning, as I was searching for a “normal” job and couldn’t find one. The city was completely new to me and I didn’t know where to go or how to live life here. I started using Instagram to document my experiences here and to share my new life with family and friends. At the time I got quite a lot of positive messages from my Basel-based followers, telling me my posts motivated them to also go out and explore. That was the moment Girl in Basel was born.

Kamiar Maleki: From a background in the legal field and once feeling lost in a new city, to a blogger and an expert travel guide author. How has this journey changed your connection to Basel?

Magdalena Getreuer: With all my knowledge now and the community we build, I feel a sense of responsibility to this city, to represent and show how life is here and to help people who first arrive, to feel a bit less lost than I was when I came here. Basel became my home and I am proud to be one of its official ambassadors.

Kamiar Maleki: What are your plans for the future and where will Girl in Basel be in a few year’s time?

Magdalena Getreuer: Girl in Basel will hopefully still be around in a few years. My vision is to build out the format to an online magazine, where we can reach even more Baslers and visitors on what to do and what’s happening in and around the city.

Kamiar Maleki: Every June, Basel turns into a stage for the art. How do you experience the change of the city during the art fair week?

Magdalena Getreuer: The atmosphere the art fairs brings to this city is so unique. It’s amazing to see the city turn into a hotspot for the arts and to see the international crowds it brings with it. Basel itself is already a cultural hub with its many museums and art collections and Art Basel and satellite fairs such as VOLTA are one of those events that make this city so special to visit.

Kamiar Maleki: VOLTA Art Fair and Girl in Basel collaborated in 2021 already, what are you most looking forward to the upcoming June edition?

Magdalena Getreuer: I can’t wait to meet all the artists and see the artworks on display at the VOLTA Art Fair. I was really impressed last year how intimate the experience can be, for being such a large venue. You could often talk to the artists themselves directly and understand the motivations behind the artworks.

Kamiar Maleki: Do you collect art yourself? And which advice would you give to the next generation of collectors that are making their first steps into the art world?

Magdalena Getreuer: We do collect art ourselves. Art gives life and personality to your home. My advice would be to always try to find art that fits in with your interior and personal style, but mostly buy what you like.

Follow Magdalena Getreuer on Instagram at @girlinbasel and connect with Kamiar Maleki at @kammaleki.