There are certain events where violence might not be so surprising. Art Basel, however, is not generally considered a likely source of bloodshed. At least not until now. The relatively upscale Art Basel became a bit of a bloodbath this weekend. There was a report of security guards gone wild at the Delano Hotel, where DJ Mazurbate was playing at a Le Baron pop-up on Friday. At approximately 3:30, Mazurbate was involved in an altercation with security guards, who allegedly forced him to end his set early for no reason and then assaulted him. The guards maintain that it was the DJ who initiated the conflict. Mazurbate later tweeted the above photo of his boyfriend’s bloodstained pants after the incident.
Meanwhile, in the vicinity of an art installation by Naomi Fisher and Agatha Wara, a woman wielding an X-Acto blade stabbed another woman. Fortunately the injury proved not to be fatal, but the victim’s clothes were clearly covered in blood. Both of the aforementioned incidents are being sloughed off as isolated occurrences, but you can’t help wondering whether something unsettling is starting to brew that makes such things possible at an event commonly regarded as a sophisticated gathering of artists, musicians and aficionados.