Saturday, February 24, 2007
Those crazy British artists...
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Can't believe I skipped the Armory this year. I could have seen this:
by Tracy Emin (an artist I'm not particularly crazy about), or this...
by Martin Creed (an artist who in my opinion has done some really great work). But don't these works just scream ART FAIR! Let's take every cliché that's ever been associated with our work, wrap it in neon, and sell it for 6 figures!! Can't wait for the real show in Venice this year - oh wait, I forgot that's just a feeder for Basel. My God does art sometimes make me cynical...
All above images courtesy the good people at IonArts.
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10 Responses to “Those crazy British artists...”
February 26, 2007 at 1:02 AM
Shuuuuuut up who gives a "shit" art needs this, y'r just pissed because you didn't think of it first.
February 26, 2007 at 1:33 AM
how is the armory so different from basel miami beach which you all were so crazy over? is it great if you go, sucky if you don't?
February 26, 2007 at 10:43 AM
That pretty much sums it up. It's one of those things that for the month or two before the fair, I swear to myself I never want to look at art in that format again. And then the week before I can't believe I didn't book my ticket.
Don't get me wrong, there is always good work to be seen. It's just the fair atmosphere has replaced the biennial and it is here to stay. The fairs are evolving and hopefully will continue to do so.
They're just ripe targets for cynicism right now. Also, Miami has traditionally been much stronger but it sounds like NY had some really strong projects this weekend.
February 26, 2007 at 7:34 PM
It's just interesting that now you're willing to speak about the good and bad of fairs but before Basel Miami it was all excitement and you were so flabbergasted that someone might not think art fairs were as important as they are made out to be. maybe you be more accepting of other people's opinions and not immediately jump to the conclusion that they are less informed about the artworld than you are.
February 26, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Despite whether the fairs are good or bad, it doesn't change the fact that they are still important. No one would ever say that fairs are the best way to view art. The fairs still hold sway over the current art market. As for artists, these fairs offer more exposure in a single weekend than many of these artists could expect in a year or more of gallery exposure. I think this is even more important to artists who are not showing in the realm of Chelsea.
February 27, 2007 at 9:52 AM
Well said Scott. I would just add that all fairs are not created equal. Art Basel both in Miami and Switzerland does an amazing job at curating and presenting artwork in different ways throughout their respective cities. It appears the NY fairs are catching up, but with a few exceptions they have been ho-hum in the past.
February 27, 2007 at 11:11 PM
Art fairs are important, certainly, but they are changing the way people view art and not necessarily for the better. To believe that artists should participate in whatever form grants them the most exposure without demanding that the artists think carefully about the context is to take away one great thing that artists (used to) do well: think critically. We now have a population of young artists who are great at getting exposure, at getting rich and semi-pseudo famous quickly, but to what end? Artists need to regain some kind of control over how their work is seen and thought about. Fairs are not necessarily great for artists or for art, they're great for dealers and collectors. (And I have participated in major art fairs, so this isn't sour grapes or some uninformed rant)
February 28, 2007 at 8:42 AM
I think you bring up several important points. The art fairs do have an effect on how you view art works. I think it takes a lot of knowledge, research, and some blind faith when you are looking for an artist at a fair. But perhaps we do not give enough credit to those who are able to see the diamond in the rough. Art fairs will not take away from gallery exhibitions and certainly not from institutional exhibitions. In these venues I expect an artist to prove themselves and allow for the audience to think about their work in a more critical way. And at worst, the art fairs may have fooled some galleries, institutions, and collectors with their candy coated art stars who make bad drawings on paper with glitter. I just hope I can avoid those shows when I can. While I have yet to ever participate in an art fair, I have been to a handful and often stummbled upon a few artists I had never seen or heard of before who I have since followed and grown to admire. Maybe somewhere there is a middle ground where art fairs and quality art viewing experiences can come together. Oh wait, wasn't that what international biennials all about?
February 28, 2007 at 9:35 AM
There does seem to be a shift in how many artists are doing work for these fairs. A lot are even thinking critically about the environment and how their work fits into that context. I think in particular of Urs Fischer and his installation at Gavin Brown's booth in Miami. It was brilliant.
February 28, 2007 at 9:14 PM
What about art Chicago going into the crapper?
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