The Art of the Art Fair.

A lot of art purists have plenty of disdain for the big international art fairs.  I, myself, can’t seem to get enough of them.  In fact, my husband and I are art tourists. We plan our weekend get-aways and often entire vacations to coincide with fairs or museum exhibitions we want to see.

But let’s get one thing clear here: Art fairs are set up for art dealers to sell art.  

If you keep this fact in mind, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Collectors come from all over the world and have the chance to do some “one stop shopping” rather than traveling to 20 different exhibitions in 20 countries every year. 

But you don’t have to be a buyer to benefit from flying to one of the big “Jumbo Fairs” as I like to call them. For an artist, especially emerging artists, an art fair is a great way to do research. 

Where else would you have the opportunity to see what thousands of other contemporary artists from all over the planet are creating?

No matter what part of the art world you prefer to belong to or what path you want your own career to take, you can’t really afford to stick your head in the sand and ignore what’s going on in the art world around you. You owe it to yourself to find a way to visit one of the Jumbo fairs every so often.

So what have I seen this year?  

Here’s a quick and dirty review and summary:

 Nuit Blanche Toronto

Nuit Blanche isn’t exactly as art fair as much as it is a city wide all-night celebration of contemporary art.  If you can get past the circus atmosphere, it really is a blast.  Plus, it was great to see so many people in the city of Toronto so enthusiastic and really excited about such a diverse and weird mix of experimental art.  Click here for photos.

 Le Printemps de Septembre – Toulouse, France

Mona Hatoum's "Hanging Garden".

Wandering around the beautiful French city of Toulouse is already a treat, but discovering art installations tucked into its architecture was truly breath-taking.  Printemps de Septembre is an annual citywide festival that could more accurately be described as a series of exhibitions.  I picked up my map at the main office and then spent two days wandering from location to location.  Click here for full photo set.


 

LISTE 17- Basel, Switzerland

Beer.  Sausage.  Johnny Cash.  What's not to like? (Note: Orange pants sighting #24 on far left.)

My husband and I couldn’t quite wrap our heads around this fair.  Every year LISTE bills itself as “the young art fair”, but frankly I think they're trying too hard.  This year LISTE 17 was filled with plenty of absolutely incomprehensible installations and sculptures.  Apparently this is what "young" looks like? We counted no less than five old-school, reel-to-reel film projectors before we got a headache from rolling our eyes. We finally gave up, pushed our way past the throngs of orange pants-wearing hipsters and made our way down to the beer garden----which was undeniably awesome!  

With the help of two very sweet bartenders, we were able to pickle our brains in cheap cocktails and rest our very tired feet as Johnny Cash blared from the speakers above our heads.  Also---they had sausages!  LISTE 17 ties for "Best and Worst Art Fair of 2012". Click here for photos…of the beer garden.

SCOPE - Basel, Switzerland

Ruby Anemic's "No Guts No Glory"Neon, 19″ x 48″

Don’t tell anyone, but this is the best fair during Art Basel week.  Sure, sure, it’s technically a “satellite fair”, but the simplicity of the lay-out and some very shrewd curation on the part of the organizers made it the best looking fair of the bunch. Click here for photos.

ART COLOGNE – Cologne, Germany

Me scribbling down notes in front of 4 AMAZING prints by Jannis Kounellis.

Art Cologne is literally the oldest art fair in the world, but somehow they manage to keep it fresh.  This year they partnered with NADA (The New York New Art Dealers Alliance) which made for an interesting mix of artwork.  In fact, there was a LOT of great art in this show and the size was large but manageable. I found myself scribbling down pages and pages of notes because I wanted to look up some of the artists later so I could see more of their work. Even my husband agreed that this was a really great fair. Photos here. 

SLICK- Paris, France

Aside from the rude bartender who was subliminally begging me to punch him in the face, this was a GREAT fair.  Held in a place called La Garage, (which used to be an actual parking garage) it was filled with really interesting and mind-blowingly affordable art.  And by affordable I mean, if you walk in with $200 cash, you can take something home with you and have money left over for a cup of coffee. I added three pieces from a gallery in Berlin that are now at the very top of my official “art wish list” for 2013-2014. 

The work was great, the dealers were talkative, and relaxed, and everyone in the place seemed to be having a great time.  I even got a VIP brunch invite from one of the directors of a small gallery from a new gallery in the 20^th arrondissement.  When’s the last time you went to an art fair and got offered breakfast?  A++ in my book!  Photos here.  

FIAC - Paris, France.

One of the most expensive and most exhausting art fairs in Europe. (And I'm not just talking about the art.  It costs 35 euros/ $45.50 USD just to get in the door.) I only make it to FIAC once every three or four years. If you somehow manage to see everything, you definitely leave feeling like you ran a marathon. 

That said, there is so much work to be seen here, that there truly is something for everyone. But even from a collectors standpoint—it’s a bit noisy and overwhelming for my taste.  Even the absolutely exquisite setting of the Le Grand Palais can’t dial down the crazy. I’ll probably visit it again in the year 2020. Maybe.
At least 80 glorious photos for your viewing pleasure here.

So what about you?

What have you seen recently in your neck of the woods?

Which fair was your favorite and why?

What art fairs have you visited?

What did you see/learn/buy?

Leave your answers and other thoughts in the comment section.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

 

p.s. Not sure where to start? Comprehensive list of International art fairs and links to their websites here:  http://art-collecting.com/artfairs.htm