1-54 @ Christies - Art Fair Picks
I think the fair was so refreshing to explore compared to what's happening in general in the "art world" (like Frieze) as it does not adhere to the same feel of global homogenizing and contemporary "cool" conceptualism. A lot is very labor-intensive, employing a mixture of traditional and nontraditional materials, and artists favor the figure and portraiture as subjects of humanity and black identity.
Attendance and sales at the Paris Fair were so successful with collectors that they did it again, online until June 6th in New York. Artists that were of interest who were exhibited for the first time, were either quickly sold out or found larger, more established galleries thereafter. Therefore, the fair is now an important talent pool, as not only collectors but dealers look to and watch. In general, it seems the fair has been received to be representative of good work and of very good value.
The fair and the artists’ aesthetic appears to speak to a new generation of cultural awareness, those perhaps unburdened from Western art world bias and concerned with expanded notions of identity and inclusion. The works are both meaningful & significant as they represent an evolution of taste intergenerationally.
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