It’s going to be one busy town this weekend – I mean even breakfast was insane. at 10:30 on a thursday you would think breakfast was starting to slow – in fact it was just getting busier. Saturday morning this town just might explode. While the town is getting heated, so are some of the major collectors. The Art Newspaper which told the story yesterday about the hotels jacking up prices, the collectors are saying the same about the dealers. Leslie Waddington is quoted as saying, “What are they complaining about? dealers also hike the prices when things are going well.”
I’m thinking as the fair gets bigger, the next step will be the larger galleries hosting their own show around the fair – there are enough empty store fronts that a Pace or Gagossian could easily host their own event – catering to clients with a larger inventory, and more exclusivity. This has been the norm in traditional retail for years – shows within shows. I would not be surprised to see the mega galleries take this route at some point – soon.
AQUA Art Fair
Aqua had more ups and downs this year than last. However the highs are higher but the lows are much lower. I would rather not name names – and I will not. That said there are a few galleries here with the stink of trying to be too far ahead of some “avant-garde” curve, which is not going to come. However I would like to point out a few galleries that are really showing a rigorous and exciting program.
Steve Wolf Fine Arts out of San Francisco has a great showing of a number of artists. Soil from Seattle is an interesting artist co-op. Isaac Lymon (image above) has some very interesting photo/collage work – well worth looking into. I hope to interview him one-on-one Saturday. I’ll be sharing that conversation as long as my fingers hold out. Other Gallery (Winipeg) is the biggest pleasant surprise on the whole show. This gallery is showing innovative, original and somewhat quirky artworks. Michael Dumontier (bottom) is a real standout to me, with his reductive, simple and engaging artworks. Especially his “matchstick” works. Irivine Contemporary (DC) had a strong showing – especially interesting are the photo works of Kahn & Selesnick (below) whose work is showing in January. This is well staged work but not like a Gregory Crewdson – these have a depth and a feeling of authenticity – not of a fantasy, but of reality. Amy Kaufman at Trawick (SF) I could use a good bit of research on her work as it seemed interesting as well. Sixspace Culver City CA, has a interesting group of artists including Coop, and Glen E. Friedman.
More on AQUA later in the week.
ABMB – Art Positions
There is a type of High Art/ low art game that is being played in the Art Positions containers. Almost all of this work is forgettable and I hate saying this – I’m lead to believe that these are people with new ideas and approaches, however it seemed like it was a well organized attempt to take the mantle of cutting edge art from whoever is currently holding it and I have no idea who that is. Artists have been working on the high/low for quite awhile now – it’s not like this is a terribly new idea or even approach. So where are we going?
This dour thought has lead me to think about the long form video that is presented in the “black cube”. People rarely “sit” through these videos all the way – so I wonder about it’s long term power as an art form. Is there a better way to present this kind of work? I know that art needs to grow, and video is doing this – but where do we go from here? Because the current approach to presentation is about the worst possible.
ABMB
I saw a husband and wife buy a Warhol “Brillo Box” today and it was a great thing to watch – you could see the pride in the collectors buying it, you could see the happiness in the sellers selling it, then a pragmatic question came from the wife. “Is there a way to protect it when we entertain guests?” which was a great question because along with the pedestal that the “Brillo Box” was sitting this sculpture became the perfect height for all their friends to put empty glasses on during a party. So I sat back and listened to the five of them (husband, wife, gallery owner and two assistants) come up with ideas to temporarily protect the box. It was almost like a scene out of a sit com – charming as well as amusing. Still watching the couple buy that piece – beaming with pride – and I’ll admit a was proud for them as well.
INK
Ink was a charming and wonderful small show. At the same time it was held in hotel suites – which made it nice not to have to go into someone bathroom to look at the art for a change. The whole fair was different – very polished and sedate – but lacking that go, go, go, sell, sell sell approach of the other fairs. I had a lovely conversation with Diane Villani about how great it was to see Jennifer Bartletts “Rhapsody” at MoMA as well as her beautiful series of prints called “House”. If I could I would have bought them there and then. INK just had a happiness and calmness that has not been seen elsewhere.
If I’m not mistaken INK has come about due the Art Basel not inviting the Print House’s back to the big show – I do believe that there is a certain school of thought that believes the print arts are second to the other art disciplines. I can see this happening to the book/artist book crowd next – they have been relegated to a hallway out side of the show, but in the same building. The ateliers and books as art crowd needs to be represented under the big tent somehow – lets hope that INK can carry on, but that ABMB will find a way to bring some of the print houses back.
Tomorrow: Flow, Bridge and ~Scope art fairs
The Brillo Boxes I’ve seen in homes have both been in form-fitting, plexiglass slipcovers, so you could put a drink on them.