Art Fair Review: 1-54 @ Christie’s, Paris

Image Above: YINKA SHONIBARE, CBE, PLANETS IN MY HEAD, YOUNG MATHEMATICIAN, 2019, FIBERGLASS MANNEQUIN, DUTCH WAX PRINTED COTTON TEXTILE, GLOBE, STEEL BASEPLATE, LEATHER AND ABACUS, 51 1/8 × 27 1/2 × 54 IN

ARTIST: http://yinkashonibare.com/

JAMES COHEN: https://www.jamescohan.com/art-fairs/1-54-contemporary-african-art-fair3/selected-works?view=slider

Although 1-54 was first founded by Touria El Glaoui in London (2013), I first attended its 2015 inception to New York, during an over-saturated art fair milieu. As the first fair “dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora,” it was a standout then, even if it was mostly attended by the hardcore art world, as it offered a small and intimate environment. At that time, many dealers included were new to the fair circuit scene and were more than pleased to engage in a dialogue about their artists, rather than the typically reductive transactional conversations large fairs tend to cultivate. Some booths sold but the entry and feeling of accessibility was palpable: it was, representative of an art community more akin to the art world á la 1990s. Simply, I-54 was a relief to fair fatigue.

IMG COURTESY: 1-54 ART FAIR

It is a redemptive success, perhaps, to see the expansion of this fair with its entré into Paris, which now hosts iterations in four cities (London, Marrakech, and New York), without losing its soul. After the great success of the Fall 2020 London fair- its first partnership with Christie’s- became a powerful platform to expose it to a large collecting audience, and it was surely at risk of becoming a sell-out or a tawdry commercial endeavor, at best. However, the fair in Paris has proven to remain a standout for its small, cultivated dealers and its exhibition of fresh aesthetics, variable media of expressions, and new emerging artists. The fair now also includes a handful of western blue-chip galleries, such as Gallery Lelong & Co., Galleria Continua, and James Cohan, which feature midcareer artists, but their presence did not overshadow younger gallery programs from the likes of Africa and Cape Town. The mixture, which could be problematic, worked well enough as there was a sensitivity to curatorial ideals, complimented by the flattening of booth size in the digital space, eluding potential inequities in and maximizing cohesiveness. However, even with 20 carefully vetted galleries, the fair is no longer a niche player, attested to by the pace of buying and the robust attendance which was robust and indicative of the fair’s new status of a “must do” on the contemporary art circuit, its globalization further bolstered by the art market’s pivot to an online reality. It was somewhat surprising that the fair chose a hybrid model of online or in-person experience, albeit highly orchestrated, given the extreme pandemic lockdowns in Europe. But by and large, the dealers I spoke to (via text, WhatsApp, email, and phone) were extremely pleased with their participation in both the online and brick & mortar venues.

TREVON LATIN, UNTITLED (NATHANIEL), 2020, FABRIC, OIL ON CANVAS, PONY BEADS, BARRETTES, 48 × 48 IN

ARTIST: http://www.trevonlatin.com/

LUCE GALLERY: https://www.lucegallery.com/

Much akin to the origins of art fairs in America the pricing and the responsiveness of dealers retained a feeling of authenticity as entry to buying art remained at reasonable levels. However, the speed at which one had to vet & close a transaction was no longer a relaxed process as most booths sold 60-80%% by the close of Friday and many artists (perhaps 80% of those inquired after), were sold out by Saturday. Although it was possible to acquire several pieces a day after VIP day, several other buys were missed on Saturday, as requests for “second holds” were not fulfilled due to the limited works available. The upside was that “booths” were not overly saturated by choices and didn’t fall victim to the “mixed salad” display so unsavory at many art fairs, especially commonplace during art market recession years. The virtual tours were helpful to support collectors, as they allowed my buyers to appreciate the assessment of texture, materials, scale, and 3-dimensionality. That process, however, under the pressure of limited time to vetting new artists and dealers, tended to disadvantage one’s deep immersion before buying and to revive regretful habits of fair frenzy.  

BUNMI AGUSTO, BRAIDED COCOON, 2021, PASTEL PENCILS ON SANDPAPER, COLOURED PENCILS & ACRYLIC ON PAPER, 65 1/2 × 41 IN

ARTIST: https://www.bunmiagusto.com/

POLARTICS: https://polartics.com/

One significant advantage of this fair, which should not be understated, was that the feeling of adventure was back. Finding fresh artists and evaluating new dealer programs was a welcomed return to the hunting mentality where one can rely more on the intuitive knowledge of what’s relevant and worthy rather than mere market mechanics and indicators. Furthermore, smaller fairs can provide a sense of accomplishment to visitors, and especially newer buyers, to be able to “do the whole fair” within a palatable amount of time. Rather, a successful niche fair leaves one with a more expansive view and understanding of the zeitgeist – allowing for both deep immersions into artists as well as a big picture takeaway.

MERCEDES MADUKA, UNAPOLOGETIC, 2020, OIL ON LINEN, REPURPOSED PLASTIC BAGS, 37 × 25 IN

ARTIST: https://www.artsy.net/artist/mercedes-maduka

POLARTICS: https://polartics.com/

At 1-54, the buying experience was good enough, sufficiently easy but with some delays and glitches in the interface of the site and interrupted some sales. But by the most part, I bypassed any technical delays by hosting simultaneous, virtual tours on my platform to an agreeable level of success. This approach worked well, with the one exception of being able to request instantaneous pricing (which surprisingly enough VIP access did not afford published prices as we now see in other fairs for transparency and transactions). In my experiences, it seems like a chat feature or “DM” would have been extremely helpful to get quick pricing so once could easily “walk” and “talk” with one’s client, but I thought it by and large as a very successful fair.

OMAR BA, SANS TITRE, 2010, PENCIL AND ACRYLIC ON CARDBOARD, 79 1/2 × 59 1/10 IN

ARTIST & WILDE GALLERY: https://wildegallery.ch/artists/omar-ba/

Of the nearly 70 artists featured, I think several trends were evident: there were a strong focus and conceptual interest in post-colonialism and social justice, with a predominant number of artists utilizing the traditional figuration. Realism or a neo-realism abounded, often executed with nontraditional materials or fresh approaches. Notably, the variance in artists' conceptualism of these themes from different diaspora traditions – the Caribbean, North American, European, and African, was a precious addition to the larger dialogue in our post-historical moment. This offered a fair landscape as nexus, providing a complex intersection of different lenses focused on some of the most pressing global issues. The media of choice was mix-media, but the variance with sculpture, painting, and photography was healthy and did not feel over-programmed nor socially constructed by the dealers. The slick western interest in “produced” works, and kitsch, was largely absent and many collectors found this an encouraging break from the endless works of mechanical reproduction displayed in larger fairs. The presence of the hand, the touch of the artist, all more than welcomed returns to the intimacy of authorship.

BARTHÉLÉMY TOGUO, URBAN REQUIEM, 2015

ARTIST: https://www.barthelemytoguo.com/

GALERIE LELONG & CO: https://www.galerielelong.com/

The collecting experience of 1-54|Paris represented the best of what fairs can offer, because of the immediacy of a direct engagement with the intersection of art, artists, and dealers. It provides a window into what under-representation looks like, without the intervention of curatorial or administrative bias. Thus, the typical heavy “invisible hand” of commercialism and the art market felt absent, I-54 appears to have jettisoned institutionalized bias, and perhaps explains why the fair has become so successful, as it departs from the hegemony of “taste” often experienced at art fairs. To be truly contemporary, one needs to continue to experience the unknown and unexpected. Thus, by remaining true to what is the reliable “secret ingredient” to the best of the fairs, 1-54 has managed to retain its identity with the added benefit of increased accessibility. Hopefully, after the great success of this Paris iteration, its reputational growth will remain congruent with its current recipe of authenticity, accessibility, and experimentation. If the fair continues to balance these delicate traits within our pandemic art ecosystem, 1-54 will not only continue to provide a significant voice within the art market but help shape a more inclusive cultural history, which is well overdue.

DELPHINE DESANE, PECULIAR TINT, 2020, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 30 × 24 IN

ARTIST: https://www.instagram.com/delphinedesane/?hl=en

LUCE GALLERY: https://www.lucegallery.com/

LARRY AMPONSAH, THE THINKER IN PURSUIT, 2020, PAPER, ACRYLIC PAINT ON ARCHIVAL PAPER MOUNTED ON CANVAS, 59 1/10 × 43 3/10 × 4/5 IN

ARTIST: https://www.instagram.com/larry.collections/?hl=en

50 GOLBORNE: https://www.50golborneart.com/

PASCALE MARTHINE TAYOU, TOTEM CRISTAL, 2019, CRYSTAL AND MIXED MEDIA

ARTIST: https://www.pascalemarthinetayou.com

GALLERIA CONTINUA: https://www.galleriacontinua.com/

1-54: https://www.1-54.com/news/

All image & creative rights © artists & courtesy of galleries cited

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