Claus Mueller

Held from September 9 -13  at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion  the Affordable Art Fair  served   more than 10,000 visitors and  72 US and international exhibitors with work from more than 1000 artists with sales  amounting to $2.5 million..   Arranged twice a year in New York the AAF displayed in its 14th edition affordable contemporary art work in all media and will return next spring to the Metropolitan Pavilion from March 30-April 3.

Art work was offered in   the $100 - $10, 000 price range with more than half priced under $5,000. Many galleries participated in previous years and a significant number were foreign, including many exhibitors from Europe but also newcomers from Pakistan and Latvia.  Inclusions of exhibitors from China, Singapore, Argentine, Israel and other overseas location reinforced the international flair of the show. Well known and emerging artists were represented covering all media. Virtually all participating galleries have their own web sites and engage in online sales, a few dealers do not operate galleries. For dealers attending the fair remains essential for serving and attracting clients and detecting new trends.

The affordable art fair was started in 1999 by Will Ramsey in London introducing price ceilings for the work shown and transparent pricing, thus creating a user-friendly setting. Now the Affordable Art Fair has expanded to eleven countries including the United States and Western Europe but is also presented in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. Seventeen fairs will be held in 2015.  To date art work has come from 1,500 galleries and 1.4 million people have visited the fairs, spending $316 million for art work.    In New York attending the fair is only $20 ($18 online), below the ticket cost of for museum admission in this city.  Reflecting the growth of the low cost art market   far more galleries apply for space than the organizers of the affordable art fair can accommodate, a squeeze that also holds for mid and upscale art fairs.  Only established galleries or dealers representing at least three contemporary artists are considered by a professional industry committee.

At the fair actual and prospective,  collectors could focus on galleries specializing on emerging artists,   purchase work that benefits nonprofit causes, participate in a silent auction  to support the Art Therapy Outreach Center and benefit from numerous  educational programs  over the four days of the show covering art appropriation, the impact of childhood art education and other topics.  Visitors could also arrange personal shopping sessions with the fair director Christina Samastrelli or acquire limited edition prints created by Lizze Gill for the fair.

Overall, the exhibited art work was appealing and innovative, thus certainly worth to invest in. There were several artists drawing my attention. Barbara Van Den Berg from the Dutch House of Art presented intriguing portrait of imaginary characters in digital collages. It included the outstanding startling 2015 images of Heparestus selling for $4500. Jane Ward from the British Eye Storm gallery had an impressive fragmentary landscape with a large number of minute images derived from her photography. She executed the work through painted transpositions and digital manipulation into a large striking composition. Her The Other Side of the Mountain had a tag of $1000. Hong Wai hailing from Macao and represented by the non-profit education oriented AFAMacau (arts for all society) group had selections from her Forbidden Sin painting series which relayed and juxtaposed feminine intimacy through attractive yet disturbing lingerie images, specifically if juxtaposed to guns from a different series.  Tamura Yoshiyasu rebuilds in his carefully executed seemingly photographic paintings a link between classical Japanese painting and anime and manga, which follows his “ornamental and excessive” orientation. In his words “The female figures I draw are not portraits of actual females, but idealized characters, like icons”.  Among contrasting yet attention grabbing mini sculptures were   Johnston Foster’s two rhinos made from recycled traffic cones offered by the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery for $7.500 each.  Within the lower price range of $100 – to the upper $10,000 end the Brooklyn based Sugarlift gallery sold several pieces, an impressive success since the gallery serves young New York artists with numerous coming from minority groups. As with many other galleries, Sugarlift will return for the spring 2016 fair. Bolderton Contemporary Art   has the role of an agent for artists and transacts independently or with other galleries. It showcases in close cooperation with artists their work at international art fairs and has participated since September 2014 in eight affordable art fairs. Bolderton does not have its own space, an approach shared by some other gallery participants.

As noted by some sellers who plan to return to the AAF edition, participation in the fair is productive since it provides for easy access to an interested public and ensures sale of art work. As distinct from other art fairs, it offers an open forum without pretensions, an impression I certainly share.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com