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46 | traVelite
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Li Shurui, Untitled, 2012, acrylic on canvas;
Li Shurui, Inner Rainbow, 2011, acrylic on canvas;
Zhu Jinshi, Epoch Color, 2010, oil on canvas;
photos courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami
ARTS & dESIGn
art basel and its approximately 18 satellite fairs are the “silk road” of the art world; a vibrant
marketplace where artworks are sold on extremely short timelines, where emerging artists
get exposure to internationally renowned collectors, and where beginning collectors can find
artworks from all areas of the globe at all prices.
The fairs, however, are not simply a marketplace for collectors; rather they are a site for first
hand cultural exploration. the art fairs represent “a co-mingling of international aesthetics and
concerns, a visual cultural symposium,” says andrew Goldstein, editor of artspace. although i
have extolled the virtues of the internet for providing the ability to discover art on the other side
of the world or in geographically remote places, there is no substitute for seeing art in person,
meeting the team of gallerists who believe in the quality of the work and the reputation of the
artist, and in some cases, even having the opportunity to meet the artist. and the best of the
best is there to behold at the fairs. art basel, the main fair and namesake of the weeklong
art gathering, represents a microcosm of global trends and interests, showcasing 258 leading
international galleries from across 31 countries.
While there is generally more international presence at the fairs, one must ask, given that
these cultures have increased access to one another, has Contemporary art become more of a
melting pot where, through this greater exposure, the specific styles once attributed to certain
cultures become mixed together and what we are really seeing is a reflection of global trends in
contemporary art?
ARt FAiRS ARe not JuSt FoR BuyeRS
each year, art galleries, artists, institutions and collectors from around the world
flock to sunny South Beach, Miami to check out the best art of the moment.
Bleecker Street Arts Club new york Head Curator JeSSiCA Hodin recounts
highlights from 2013’s year-end spectacle.
Bleecker street arts Club is an innovative, contemporary art and design space in downtown New York.
www.BSACny.CoM
Nor are art fairs a place solely for art world insiders. even
if you don’t hold a Vip card, there are numerous ways
to engage through integrated activities, some associated
with the fair and others independent. art basel itself held
a vibrantly diverse program of talks, performances, and
film screenings. And outside the walls of the convention
centre, one can find anything from open-air concerts with
cultural music tastemakers such as French dJs spinning
decidedly trendy parisian club music, to a new fair called
prizm dedicated to showing the works of artists from the
african diaspora. these representations of culture bring
a strong international presence and mood to the week’s
menu of activities.
other fairs with lower price points such as Nada (New
art dealer’s alliance), scope, pulse, and untitled also
have a solid mix of galleries from around the world and
pose very interesting cultural juxtapositions. stereotypical
Japanese kitsch and playful aesthetics were represented
in two booths at the Nada fair: XYZ Collective (tokyo,
Japan) staged a colourful installation of fake sunny side
up eggs bearing purple yolks by soshiro Matsubara; and
MuJiiN-to production’s booth, also from tokyo, displayed
lyota Yagi’s 3d paintings required to be viewed through
those retro gimmicky plastic 3d glasses. Yet, in between
both wild Japanese galleries was the Green Gallery from
Milwaukee, usa who brought works by spencer sweeney
and anicka Y with a more traditional, painterly aesthetic.
by the same token, there is plenty of cross cultural mixing,
as we all know that aesthetics can travel fast, artists can
study and have residencies all over the world, thereby
picking up as well as depositing cultural morsels, and news
of successfully selling styles can disperse the quickest!
the famed rubell Family Collection, free and open to the
public, showcased “28 Chinese,” one of their most exciting
exhibitions in years. “the show displays how Chinese art
has changed since the first wave of contemporary work
gained world attention in the early 2000s. At first, much
of it dealt with the omnipresent symbols of the regime
in power for decades – pictures of Mao were riffed on
endlessly… Now artists have turned inward.”1 Mera rubell
says, “they are dealing with a loss of culture. there’s
a lot of dealing with how to maintain the power of the
individual.” it was a chance for anyone to see compendium
of Chinese contemporary culture, and even don and Mera
rubell, the patrons of the collection along with their son
Jason, admit, “the excitement is discovery.” 1 ted Loos, Cultured Magazine, Winter 2013, page 136.
traVelite | 47
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