Recap Miami: Satellite Fairs Part 1

A snow-day in Dallas has made it possible for me to finally update my blog! Since I already showed the recap for the main fair in Miami back in December, this recap will be filled with pictures of the Miami satellite fairs. Excuse my brevity and enjoy the images!

Scope Miami

Shi Jindian, White Wire No. 1, Unique

Coloured Stainless Steel Wire, 185 x 65 x 40 cm

Contemporary by Angela Li (LA/Hong Kong)

Jose Maria Mellado, Hotel by Tequendama Falls

Giclee, Pigmented ink print on fiber based paper, 110 x 223 cm, edition of 5

Crown Gallery (Brussels)

Anthony Ingrisano, Power Lines #2

Ink on paper, unframed 42 x 40 inches

Muriel Guepin Gallery (Brooklyn)

Design Miami

Jean Prouve, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier, and Jean Royere

Galerie Patrick Sequin

Ingrid Donat, Hommage a Klimt Fils, 2002

Chiseled and partially gilded bronze, 45 5/8 x 29 1/2 x 15 3/4 in, edition of 8

Barry Friedman Ltd.

Simon Hasan, Chair

Johnson Trading Gallery

Johnson Trading Gallery

Ceres

Graft Architects, Phantom Table

NADA Art Fair

Baer Ridgway Exhibitions (San Francisco)

Toshiyuki Konishi

Arataniurano (Tokyo)

AIDS 3D (Daniel Keller and Nik Kosmas)

Andreas Melas Presents (Athens)

Nolan Hendrickson, images from Faggot Carnival 

Above Right:  Last Resort Wear, 2010, Acrylic and Latex on Canvas, 72 x 48 in

Ramiken Crucible (New York)

Recap: Art Basel Miami

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but in the meantime I have made the move across the ocean back to Texas. After a short reunion (and break) for the Thanksgiving holiday, it was off to Miami for the most important collection of art fairs in North America. 


There were many things going on and I took in a lot of art. So, in this post, I will just very quickly try to recap the central fair Art Basel Miami, the sister counterpart to Art Basel. 


The main event was at the convention center in South Beach. Much like those I have described for Basel, Berlin, and Turin, the fair is a winding labyrinth of white wall gallery sets. There were many images caught my attention. Too many to show in a few blogs. I also noticed, perhaps because of my personal interest in the area, that the Latin American community is showing up more and more at these fairs. Enjoy!


If you would like to know more about the events in Miami, check out my collaborative article on Berlin Art Link. Where I recently became the editor, so keep checking out the site to keep up with the emerging Berlin art scene. 

Bernd Ribbeck, Galerie Kamm, Berlin

Untitled, 2010, acrylic, pigment marker / mdf, 35 x 35 cm

Untitled, 2010, acrylic, ball point pen, pigment marker / mdf, 30 x 40 cm

Ross Bleckner, Lehmann Maupin, New York

Overexpression, 1998, oil on linen, 84 x 72 inches

Jesus Rafael Soto, Sicardi, Houston

Guitar Sonata, 1959, Acrylic on masonite with black wire, 17 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches

Ivan Navarron, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York

Reality Show (Black), 2010, LED light, aluminum, wood, mirror, one-way mirror, and electric energy, 92 x 45 x 45 inches

Anthony James, Patrick Painter Editions, Santa Monica

Birch, 2010, birch aluminium, glass, fluorescent lights

Mondongo, Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires

Lo que temes te sucederá, 2010, Stickers, plasticine, thread and wood, 256 x 334 x 11,4 cm

Hot Hot Hot: 1980s and Basquiat!

Andy Warhol, "Enzo Cucchi (turquoise)" (1982)

Francesco Clemente,  "Red, White, Black" (1998)

"Story of My Country II" (1990)

Jean-Michel Basquiat, "The Dutch Settlers" (1982)

The 1980s are Hot Hot Hot right now. We've seen it in the fashion, music, and unfortunately, hair trends. It was only a matter of time before the surge of popular was noticed in the visual arts. 

However, I wasn't sure whether to post my opinions on the spike in interest in 1980s art that I noticed in Basel in an earlier post. I thought one month devoted to Art Basel was quite enough. But, when I read the latest article about a previously unseen video of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), which also remarked on the exhibition of his work at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, I knew I couldn't keep this to myself.

Not only am I am interested in the art from the 1980s, but I am also drawn to this decade for some very silly personal reasons. Who doesn't love the Brat Pack and Nintendo? Aside with this cult interest in the decade, I am also drawn to this decade because I have been researching it, and in particular the Neo-Expressionists, for more than 2 years now. Neo-Expressionism was a style that burst onto the art scene in the late 1970s-early 1980s. It called for a return to painting and figuration after a nearly two-decade focus on conceptual works and abstraction. 

The images I have included above were all taken while I roamed the hallways at Art Basel; these are just those in the Galerie Bruno Bischofberger area. Of the artists in the images, Francesco Clemente and Basquiat are more of a focus than Warhol, whose art fits more in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s than the paintings of the 1980s.

Clemente is a particularly important part of my thesis, as are Rainer Fetting, Eric Fischl, Ida Applebroog, and Robert Colescott. But enough about my research, lets get back to some current articles and events that highlight these 1980s artists.

While I was at Art Basel, I had the unique opportunity to meet Francesco Clemente at a private dinner for the artist and attend a public interview between the artist and a staff member at the Fondation Beyeler. More than just an interview, it was an open conversation between the two. I must say I was highly impressed by the moderators very loose flow of a conversation that succinctly covered ¨the voyage¨ Clemente's art has taken since the 1970s. They were also able to pull it back to Basquiat, whose work is currently on exhibition at the Beyeler. The exhibition space is incredible. For you Dallas-based readers, the architecture is similar to the Nasher, since the architect was none other than Renzo Piano. Much like the Nasher, the work is highlighted by the blank canvas of the space it sits in. I have to say that I personally prefer the Nasher Sculpture Center's layout, but that may have to do with the amount of Texas sunshine that pours into the glass walls on two sides of the building.

Anyway, back to the 1980s. For those of you budding collectors out there, this would be my little tidbit: keep on the lookout for this art. Non-collectors, students, et al, don't worry. By what I saw at Art Basel and what keeps on popping up in art blogs, magazines and newspapers, I am sure that some 1980s art is headed to a museum or gallery near you, if it isn't there already!

Want to know more about this decade, and in particular Basquiat? Check out the Houston Press' article on their Art Attack blog.

Basel Recap: Satellite Fairs- Scope

Along with Art Basel, which I will continue recapping throughout the month of July, there were plenty of satellite fairs in Basel. Of them, I attended Scope, Volta, and Liste. Here are a selection of images from Scope, the satellite fair I first attended. 

All in all I was really impressed by Scope. Unlike Art Basel, whose 40 year anniversary boasts a beautifully designed and enormous layout, Scope was a bare essentials kind of fair. Nonetheless, the younger art and galleries presented did not fail to make their mark in the space provided. I think what really struck me as a common theme in this fair was the intersections made between East and West, high and low, historical and mythical, etc. 

Mattia Biagi’s work deals with the intersection of faith and war. The mixed media sculptures, like Heaven and Hell, are meant to show the absurdity that drives parents to send their children to fight in wars, while they in turn sit at home and pray for their offspring's survival. In this piece the artist pushes this interplay further by mixing a classical sculpture with a black-tarred weapon. This same type of intersection continues in Kris Kuksi’s assemblages. The artist takes low (mass commodity) objects and forms them into history-laden surrealist sculptures, as seen in Colonel Wilhelm Von Howitzerhead. 

I wish I could continue talking about all the pieces I love, but I hear my thesis calling. Instead I will just add their images and stress how much I enjoyed Scope's galleries and artists, as well as the fair's no-frill, no-confusion environment. 

Photograph of the Fair Area, Kaserne, Basel

Mattia Biagi, Heaven and Hell

Year Unknown, Multimedia Sculpture

Holster Projects, London 

Kris Kuksi, Colonel Wilhelm Von Howitzerhead

2010, Mixed media assemblage, 32 x 30 x 12 in.

Joshua Liner Gallery, New York

Michal Macku, Glass Gellage III

Year Unknown, Glass, 

PaciArte Contemporary, Brescia

Scope Installation Artist 

Robert Montgomery 

THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE BECOME GHOSTS INSIDE OF YOU

 AND LIKE THIS YOU KEEP THEM ALIVE

 2009, Painted wood, LED lights and recycled sunlight

Courtesy of Analix Forever

Basel Recap: Art Basel

When I entered the Art Basel building, I knew immediately that I was out of my comfort zone and my league. It’s true that I love art, but my first impression was that this fair was what one would imagine if the Uffizi in Florence became a department store for art. Sure the art was impressive; there is no questioning that. But for someone new to this type of fair, it was overwhelming. 

So I did what any good assistant would do and followed my boss around like a lost puppy. Boy, am I glad I did. Not only did I learn the fine art of selective ‘gaze-walking,’ but also I was introduced to more art people than I have word count to list. 

In my jaw-dropped, frozen state my camera skills became non-existent. I apologize for the lack of images; most of the shots I took were to capture the essence of the fair and not so much the art. However, I don’t think I can be blamed for this methodology. Let me explain. I returned to the fair a couple more times during the week. As you can imagine, once was not enough. Each time I just was not able to focus on the art. There were too many people talking too much. Not just talking, schmoozing. The art lost value in this setting. It was just a commodity. As some of the artist and gallery owners reiterated to me, at the end of the day- Art Basel is a giant sale.

The last evening of the fair, while at the Art Basel Finale and then at the Art Basel dinner, I spoke to several artists of my sincere desire to walk through the fair with headphones on. They all agreed that it was a terrific idea. But it wasn’t just the sound of networking that was distracting; it was also the lack of interest and respect for the art.

Despite these drawbacks, I have no doubts I will return to the fair again. Why? Because, where else can you experience so much art created by artists from so many locations around the world. Also, the art is great and if you get a chance to be VIP, then you do get a few hours to search the fair grounds without the mobs.

(1) Gagosian Gallery; New York, Beverly Hills, London, Rome, Hong Kong
(2)White Cube; GB- London, Central Work: Damien Hirst, Anatomy of an Angel, 2008
(3)L&M Arts; US-New York, Central Work: Tom Friedman, Untitled (School Chair), 1992-2010
(4)Matthew Marks Gallery; US- New York, Central Work: Katharina Fritsch, Madonnafigur/ Madonna Figure, 1978/2009

Recap Basel: Public Art

Public art is FANTASTIC!

Okay, I know, I will elaborate on this opinion. Let’s get past the bureaucratic concerns about public art, public opinion, and what artists are allowed to do with tax payers money. It would take too long to discuss this and take time away from enjoying the public art at Art Basel/ Art Public and from Art Parcours. Both of these public art events are connected with Art Basel, but they are very different in their concepts. 

In front of the entrance to Art Basel and scattered throughout the giant pavilion at the Messeplatz were selected Art Public installations and happenings. It was nice to know that those who couldn’t afford the hefty price tag that came with the Art Basel entrance card, could still eat lunch next to Thomas Houseago’s Giant Giant and enjoy the random sounds escaping from Alberto Tadiello’s LK100A. 
Although I missed most of the happenings, I was pleasantly surprised by certain installations that I did not truly notice until the last few days, such as Eric Hatten’s Déplacement/version 2010 (aka a streetlamp). It caught me by surprise, and it was fun to see other spectators sitting or leaning against it- not noticing that all the while they were interacting with art.

Art Parcours was a scavenger hunt around the old center of the city set at nighttime. On this particular night it was cold and rainy. Not fun. But the scavenger-hunt for art was very fun. Although I had a pretty awful sore throat and was not dressed to ‘muddle through puddles,’ I sucked it up for the art.* And it was worth it. I bought a set of costume jewelry from Martha Rosler at her Fair Trade Garage Sale, I succeeded at achieving equilibrium with two other ‘viewers’ on Damien Ortega’s New Balance, and I enjoyed the sights and sounds of the eight other pieces (events). The two pieces which I thought were the most visually striking were Daniel Buren’s Colors on the Rhine and Angela Bulloch’s Night Sky: Mercury and Venus.

Ai WeiWei, Field, 2010

Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, Luzern

Thomas Houseago, Giant Giant, 2010

Xavier Hufkens, Bruxelles

Alberto Tadiello's LK100A, 2010

 T293, Naples

Damien Ortega, New Balance, 2010

City Hall, Court Yard

Angela Bulloch, Night Sky: Mercury and Venus, 2010

Münster Cathedral

Daniel Buren, Colors on the Rhine, work in situ 2010. 

Old University

Quick Note: All daytime pictures are Art Public events, while nighttime shots are Art Parcours.

*I was lucky enough to have been invited to a VIP Reception at the Kunstmuseum. Great food and a great collection, but my attire was not meant to go from parading around the halls of a vast museum to wadding through the cobbled paths of the city.