...
| Panel |
|---|
Elena Cestero The famous Art Basel international contemporary art fair began in Basel, Switzerland in 1970 founded by gallerists Balz Hilt, Trudy Bruckner, and Ernest Beyeler. The event brings together art, artists, galleries, and dealers from around the world and quickly became the largest such show in the world. Art Basel Miami Beach, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, is fast gaining attention that may even surpass that of the Switzerland show. It is clear that the popularity of the Art Basel Miami Beach event has rapidly increased as more than 60,000 people now attend, many of whom are elites and celebrities. The event has become a major signaling event for the wealthy. Guy Trebay of the New York Times writes that,"...the fair has stealthily evolved from a simple trade fair into a holy gathering on the annual pilgrimage route of the super-rich, " and is now an "art fair slash millionaire mosh pit slash cross-platform branding frenzy..." This signaling of wealth and power could easily be compared to that of Renaissance Italy. For the city of Miami the event is a welcome economic boost since, "...nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line...(Trebay)." Local restaurants, shops, businesses, and artists all benefit greatly from the temporary influx of wealth and spending. Interestingly, it is also noted in Trebay's article that this year much of the art sold was to American patrons which is change from previous years and I do not doubt that this is attributable to the Miami location. An artist who caught my attention at this year's Art Basel Miami Beach is Wilfredo Prieto who had two separate exhibitions represented by the Annet Gelink Gallery of Amsterdam and Nogueras Blanchard of Barcelona in the Art Nova category. Prieto is a Cuban conceptual artist who has gained international recognition for his unusual work. His medium is constantly changing but his work is, as described by Susan Welsh in W Magazine, "...accessible...while retaining a disquieting ability to leave the viewer questioning his or her assumptions about reality." One of Prieto's most famous installments, "Apolítico", is a series of thirty national flags devoid of color (image below). Prieto also won the Cartier Award 2008 which is awarded to an emerging artist from outside the UK and enables them to produce a major project for the Frieze Art Fair for which Prieto created a "flag of celebrity" made of a red carpet extending from a flagpole (image below). The location the Art Basel Miami Beach should be particularly beneficial for Prieto due to the fact that he is Cuban and there is a notably large Cuban population in Miami that may be particularly interested in his work. Miami is also an advantageous location for any artist from the Americas as it can be assumed that the galleries and patrons from the Americas will be especially well represented because of their proximity to the event. In general, Art Basel Miami Beach helps both artists and galleries (especially those not located in the Americas) by increasing their visibility in the global market and potentially attracting new audiences and patrons. Below are the images of Prieto's work that was displayed at Art Basel Miami Beach 2012: Annet Gelink Gallery
Wilfredo Prieto Wilfredo Prieto Nogueras Blanchard
Wilfredo Prieto Wilfredo Prieto Garden, 2011 dress |
| Panel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kelly Zona To call Art Basel Miami Beach an "exhibition" would be to severely downplay its multifaceted role in the art market. It is a catalyst that brings the different elements of the market (including social and economic factors) to a degree of hyper-condensation, resulting in increased benefits not easily found in other areas of the global art market. Art Basel is structured so that both its exhibition spaces and programs are hyper-condensed, as seen in the following image.
A seemingly endless floorplan of individual stalls featuring artists from all over the world are brought together in a relatively small space, with hundreds of events taking place around it. Within many of these spaces the exhibits change over the course of the day. Art Basel is not so much meant to be experienced in its entirety, as there are more things going on than one could possibly see in a day, rather, it is meant to maximize the interface between different exhibitions and events. The result of this hyper-condensation is twofold. First, a micro version of the larger art market is created, resulting in a sort of "hypermarket" in which social and economic benefits are maximized (artists from vastly different communities are able to engage with each other, huge profits are generated, the local economy gets a temporary boost...ect.). Secondly, this temporary "hypermarket" creates long lasting effects on the global art market (artists build reputations, new business relationships are established, new audiences are reached...etc.).
This blurring of other elements with art is reflective of current trends in the global art market, and can be seen particularly well at the Art Video side show held a few blocks away from the main venue at Soundscape Park. A street level perspective of the event space is shown below.
The unique venue of Art Video, highlighted by Friedman's Dancer, is reflective of current trends in the global art market, and may influence future designs of public events and spaces, as well as inspire new means of reaching public audiences in the art market. Bibliography:
|
...