We attended the press preview for ART (212) Wednesday night, and were quite pleased by what we saw. We stayed for the VIP reception, which had a much nicer vibe than such things typically do. It appeared the organizers (it's headed by Helen Allen of Pulse and Affordable Art Fair) were pretty generous with extra passes for galleries' artists, which is always a good thing. It was not your typical sharp-elbowed mean collector crowd I often encounter.
The fair lasts through Sunday, and there is free admission tonight (Friday) from 6-9PM, if you can fit that in along with Cory Arcangel's opening at TEAM. I have a few extra passes for any art bloggers or starving artists or starving art bloggers that would like to e-mail me.
My one complaint about the fair was that the 26th and Lexington Armory, as usual, was too warm inside. Here is a somewhat random selection of highlights. There is also a flickr photoset of my images.
Best new discovery:
Robert Waters's bleach and iodine works at p|m Gallery (Toronto). They fade over time. The ones pictured here were from 2004, and the fading process had slowed, according to the gallery. They provide digital images of the works at the time of purchase, so that some people keep a running record on their wall of the states of a piece. He also has some pieces that use packing tape on walls that are then cut away with an exacto knife to form images.
Most consistent aesthetic: The always reliable Gallery Joe (Philadelphia) had a booth that looked like a curated exhibition, with an emphasis on obssessive / compulsive drawings featuring artists such as Jacob El Hanani, Xylor Jane, and Astrid Bowlby.
Most amusing/annoying person: The man who described himself to every gallerist as representing a "high end art magazine in LA."
Best Bargain: A piece donated by Exit to Aid for AIDS that was for sale in their booth for $300.
Additional things to look for:
Dan Rushton at Moti Hasson.
Emily Noelle Lambert at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art.
Jeremy Boyle's self-playing midi-controlled guitar at Hudson Franklin.
Katsumi Hayakawa at M% (Cleveland).
