Art Basel UNLIMITED 2026

Unlimited / U48

For Unlimited, acb presents Zsófia Keresztes’s monumental installation Mother Tongue II.. The open throats of the glass mosaic-covered relief release soft, braided textile tongues that merge into a single plait. The rigidly formed mouths evoke regulated systems of language, while the checkered tablecloth fabric of the tongues highlights the work’s connection to repetition and intimacy. The gesture of braiding also recalls childhood care and domestic labor. The piece tries to reframe language as a living organ shaped through touch, vulnerability, and emotional proximity, suggesting that language is learnt not only through rules and grammar but also through the body’s intimate encounters with others. Indeed, Mother Tongue II. envisions language as an embodied inheritance, balancing nurture and discipline, autonomy and interdependence.

Zsófia Keresztes (born 1985 in Budapest) has developed an object- based practice that connects sensuality with affective and symbolic registers, often using physiological references to explore connection and transformation. She represented Hungary at the 59th Venice Biennale. Keresztes lives and works in Budapest.