A dozen art fairs took over Manhattan last weekend, and examiner was there to fill you in on all the details. From the popular Armory Show to the newest SPRING/BREAK show, we brought you photos and highlights from some of the best and most innovative galleries showing at each fair.
This week, the numbers are coming in, and it seems like Arts Week was a great success for the galleries, the fairs, and New York! The Armory Show reported recently that over 210 galleries exhibited at Piers 92 and 94, and show director Noah Horowitz proclaimed this year's edition "our strongest in years." Galleries that fared well this year at the Armory Show included London's Victoria Miro Gallery, Los Angeles' Michael Kohn, Amsterdam's Upstream Gallery, and Munich's Galerie Thomas Modern. The SPRING/BREAK show noted on Thursday that their second year brought a 70% increase of visitors, and auction sales still continue through the end of March. SPRING/BREAK is the only fair to be organized on a curator/artist basis instead of with galleries, and the artists have gained increased exposure through the show. VOLTA NY reported today that 22,000 visitors traversed the halls of the show's new SoHo space, and that the show received much great press. Exhibitors who noted success from VOLTA included New York's FOLEY, London's Fred [London] Ltd., Copenhagen's Galleri Christoffer Egelund, and East Hampton's Halsey McKay Gallery.
One of the typically more interactive and fun shows on the roster during Arts Week is Fountain Art Fair, which took place this year at the 69th Regiment Armory, the same place where the original Armory Show began 100 years ago. Fountain reported yesterday that over 70 exhibitors displayed works this year and over 10,000 visitors walked through the Armory, spending in excess of $400,000 total. Galleries who noted increased sales this year included Philadelphia's Arch Enemy Arts and New York's Gentleman's Game.
In case you missed out on visiting Fountain for yourself, view the slideshow and read the below for highlights:
- Janet Hyun, Art-Flow. Art-Flow represents and promotes the arts of the tri-state area. Janet Hyun's work, on display this year at Fountain, instantly hits the viewer with her brilliant colors, wide brushstrokes, and arresting images of beautiful and proud creatures like the lion and the eagle. One particular image of a lion with his mouth open, mid-roar (or mid-yawn, depending on your interpretation) is beautifully executed. This work went for $3000.
- Ikko Ozawa, Yonabe. Ozawa, a Japanese artist, was one of the more exciting exhibitors at Fountain, presenting works that were not overwhelming or even entirely innovative, but they were certainly attractive and pleasing to the eye. Once a viewer caught sight of them, it was hard to pull them away from the mesmerizing effects of the swirling lines that make up each of Ozawa's wood works of creatures both natural and fantastical. One artwork of a rearing horse made with differing shades of brown and thick outlines seemed to glow and represents the majesty of the animal itself. The gallery sold small prints of his works for only $20 apiece.
- EMP Gallery. This Tokyo-based gallery had some of the oddest pieces here - little jars of natural specimens were on display on a desk here, drawing a small crowd of curious onlookers. A few specimens of small sea creatures, colored in different hues, were encased in blocks of plastic, presented in a clear tower. A few visitors were curious enough to actually purchase the oddities for a reasonable price.
- #Pillow Talk, The So&So Collective. The installation in this gallery booth was probably the most unexpected in the fair. A queen-sized mattress, covered in plain white sheets, rested in the center of the space. Two pillows on the bed were fitted with one glowing tablet each, which had live twitter feeds flowing between @Jan_SoandSo and @Brad_SoandSo. The gallery encouraged visitors to lie down on the mattress, follow the "tweeted desires" of these two unknown individuals, and become a part of the art.
Did you get the chance to stop by Fountain or any of the other art fairs last weekend? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in the space below!
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