- (c) Franz West: 'Lying Knot', 2008, sculpture, courtesy by Gagosian gallery and MCH
Art Basel (preview-) opened its sister fair in Miami Beach, Florida, for the eighth time now.
There was much at stake:
- Is ABMB still the leading contemporary art fair of the Americas?
- Will it loose the leading role to the urban Armory Art Fair in New York City?
I would say, both questions can be answered with 'yes': Many US and International collectors came back this year and bought again.
There were 265 leading galleries from 33 countries - about half of the art dealers were from the United States. However, after last year's disappointing performance, 60 galleries left the fair.
The art market had been severely hit by the current economic crisis - especially the important US market. Yet, some 40,000 art lovers visited the show.
One could notice more Latin American collectors and artists than the years before. Especially works by the Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco, who will have a large retrospective at New York's MoMA later this month.
Even UBS continued the partnership with ABMB as main sponsor (despite its legal problems with the US government because of its tax haven consulting business).
- Robert Indiana: 'Hope', 2009, sculpture of painted aluminum: white/blue/red, 18 x 18 x 9 inches, 45.7 x 45.7 x 22.9 cm, Edition of IX + 1 AP courtesy of Galerie Thomas, Munich and MCH
As often in uncertain times, many art dealers (and collectors) went for the well-established blue-chip art:
At the booth of German art dealer Galerie Thomas I saw a new sculpture by the 81 years old pop artist Robert Indiana. In the 1960s, he created the hippy icon 'LOVE' - in 2009 he created 'HOPE' in the same style. It was offered for US $ 140,000.(I am sometimes wondering what this visionary 60s generation thinks about the present time: Hope - for what?)
- (c) Marc Bijl: 'Porn', sulpture, courtesy of The Breeder Gallery, Athens / MCH
Greek The Breeder Gallery offered a contemporary interpretation of Robert Indiana's piece: It is the reflecting scupture 'Porn' made by Marc Bijl.
- (c) David Hockney: 'Astray', oil on canvas, 60 x 48'', 2008, courtesy of Pace Wildenstein, NY and MCH
New York art dealer Pace-Wildenstein offered a wonderful Yorkshire landscape painting by David Hockney of 2008.
This year's most important art exhibition, the 53rd Venice Biennale, was also quite visible at ABMB:
A number of art dealers offered works by the artist duo Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset. At the Biennale, they did the spectacular Scandinavian pavilion 'The Collector'. I liked their scary installation 'Last Performance' of 2009 at the booth of Galeri Nicolai Wallner, Denmark. The edition of 2 + 1 AP was offered for US $ 83,000.
Art dealer Claus Robenhagen told me about this work: 'It deals with the transitory qualities of life and death. A clown's nose, a make-up brush and pot, a whithered noose, and a chair that has been knocked over suggest a tired joker has finally put down his mask and hung himself.'
- (c) Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset: 'Last Performance', 2009, installation of mirror-polished steel, light bulbs and chair, 200 x 70 x 110 cm, Ed. 2 + 1 AP courtesy of Galleri Nicolai Wallner
It is obvious that the overheated hype on contemporary art from China is over. However, the best Chinese artists will retain their position umong the leading artists of the world. Ai Weiwei is certainly one of them. I love his current show at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany.
Urs Meile with spaces in Lucerne, Switzerland, and Beijing, China, offered a cube by Ai Weiwei in Chinese porclain for US $ 300,000. When I was at the booth, there was allready a hold on it.
Carolina Nitsch Contemporary Art from New York offers his edition 'Kui Hua Zi (Sun Flower Seeds)' of 2009 for US $ 7,500 each. The sunflower seeds are all fake: They are made of porclain and then put in a regular Ikea container. I am fascinated how he plays with the antipodes 'natural' and 'artificial'.
- (c) Ai Weiwei: i Hua Zi (Sun Flower Seeds), 2009, 1000 sun flower seeds in porcelain, sculpted and painted by hand, manufactured in Jingdezhen, China, in glass jar, inscribed with title and artist name, 6 3/8 inches x 4 3/8 inches x 4 3/8 inches, Edition of 30 with 12 A.P. Published by Carolina Nitsch for the New Museum, New York, courtesy of MCH
As on Frieze Art Fair in London, Grayson Perry presented an edition of his 'Walthamstow Tapestry' at 'The Paragon Press'. It shows the stages of a man's life form birth to death. Brand item logos and every day life scenes confront these images. If you like, you can read this piece as a critique on consumerism. I like it.
- (c) Grayson Perry: Detail of 'The Walthamstow Tapestry', 2009, The Paragon Press, London courtesy of MCH
Here in Miamai, I counted 17 (!) satellite fairs. These are even for a place like ABMB to many and it was also not possible for me to see all of them.
On Scope Art Fair I found an interesting installation by the young Swiss artist duo Comenius Roethlisberger and Admir Jahic: At an auction they bought a rubber eraser formerly owned by young Lady Diana.
They made drawings from media photos depicting Princess Diana and her husband Prince Charles. Ironically, the rubber had originally 'For big mistakes' written on it.
- Comenius Roethlisberger and Admir Jahic: 'For Big Mistakes / Erased Princess Diana Drawings' part of the installation; rubber eraser, drawings; 2009 (c)
Then they rerased these drawings and exhibited the empty sheets of paper with the rest of the rubber. Cool piece!
- Comenius Roethlisberger and Admir Jahic: 'For Big Mistakes / Erased Princess Diana Drawings' installation view; rubber eraser, drawings; 2009 (c)
I still recommend to go to Miami Beach: It became less a place for a party trip, rahter than a place to buy great art.
by Chris Neuschler
- ABMB Miami Beach Convention Center (c) MCH
- Lisa Yuskavage: 'Piggyback Ride', 2009, oil on canvas, 152 x 127 cm / 60 x 50'', courtesy of Greengrassi Gallery, London (c) photo by Premier Art Scene
- Mark Handforth, 'Platz', 2007 courtesy by Galerie Presenhuber, Zurich (c) photo by Premier Art Scene
- 'The Collectors' curated by Elmgreen and Dragset / Nordic pavilion (c) photo by Premier Art Scene
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Innovative Art Story
Press Contact: Harry Gottlieb 305-457-3453 hgplace@bellsouth.net
Aleloop Street Art Mobile Installation Art Basel 2011 www.artbasel.aleloop.com
CREATIVE COUPLE COMBINES LOVE OF ART & THEIR NEW MINI COOPER
WHERE ART & GUERILLA MARKETING MEETS BIG BUSINESS
RESULTING IN UNIQUE STREET ART WITH WHEELS
Coconut Grove, FL - Oct 10, 2011
Since 2002, everyone who is anyone in the art world knows, that "the place to be" during the first week of December is Art Basel and its satellite art shows which practically take-over Miami Beach, Design District, Wynwood and the surrounding areas.
It has been estimated more than 300,000 well-heeled art collectors arrive in town each year, many of them by private jet. During this one week each year nearby Opa-Locka and Tamiami Airports are expected to land more private jets than any other place on earth.
And while all of this is exciting news to highly-capitalized art galleries it presents both a frustrating challenge and an exciting opportunity for professional artists who have not yet captured the attention of the high-end art collector world.
If you're a fan of bestselling author Seth Godin and creative marketing ideas you're going to love this.
If you're an art lover you're going to love this.
If you like a good human-interest-story and you're interested in one of the hottest new approaches to marketing, where low-budget guerilla marketing meets big business and it's all surrounded by millions-of-dollars of the world's finest art, some of the most wealthy art collectors in the world and the occasional juggler too, well then you're going to love this. . .
The Artist known worldwide by her small but growing fan base simply as "Aleloop" (a.k.a. Alejandra Leibovich) has been attending Art Basel and all the Satellite Art Shows surrounding it, ever since she was recruited to Miami by MTV to serve as Sr. Art Director for VH1, Nickelodeon and Logo for MTV Networks.
But until 2010 Aleloop had never had her work shown in a fine arts gallery. In fact before 2010 Aleloop had never painted. Though her work digital work for MTV, VH1, 7UP, Dr Pepper, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon, LOGO and Cartoon Network garnered Aleloop more than 20 Promax Awards. The "Promax" is the highest award in the television motion graphics industry, roughly the equivalent of winning an "Oscar".
"I decided at the 2009 Art Basel that I would translate my experience from on-air, animation and motion graphics to the fine arts world." says the Argentine-born artist in accented English while wearing clothing emblazoned with her characters. "I decided I would find a way to show at Art Basel 2010!" And show she did.
Just one year later four of Aleloop's paintings appeared in more than three different shows including Red Dot, Multiversal and Miami Independent Thinkers show.
In fact it sold out. Which as it turns-out was part of the problem.
"The day the opportunity was given to me to have my own booth this year I had just sold one of my last originals in-inventory to a collector in Texas. So I had no originals to show. And besides, for the amount it would cost to buy a booth I knew I wanted to have a bigger audience".
Enter RJon Robins who is Aleloop's husband. Together they decided to try applying some of the low budget guerilla marketing techniques and strategies that he uses to build million-dollar solo law firms "...and give it a try to see how many of these would translate to the art world". Says Robins. "One thing is for sure, you can't win if you don't try", says Aleloop.
So one night while touring "The Walls of Wynwood" after enjoying dinner at Joey's Restaurant nearby, the couple hit upon a unique idea: "What if we pack-away our fear and set our sights on how to dominate the collective consciousness of Art Basel? What if instead of just being discovered by ten or twenty thousand art lovers who pass by my booth, I could be discovered by EVERYONE by giving everyone something amazing to talk about?" recalls Aleloop of that fateful night?
The Challenge
Art Basel is too big with too many different locations to hang Ale's art everywhere. Instead, if we create a spectacle we will bring the right people to us. If Mohammed cannot go to the mountain, sometimes it is possible to bring the mountain to Mohammed.
"The exciting part about Art Basel Week is that there are so many places to go, so much to see. The frustrating part about Art Basel Week is that there are so many places to go, so much to see". Says Aleloop. "Traditional advertising and marketing can get to be very expensive and then your ads still get lost in this sea of visual stimulation. There had to be a better way"
The Objective
Dominate the collective consciousness of Art Basel 2011 so that Aleloop gets "discovered" by all the right people. Exactly who are all the right people? Gallery owners, serious collectors and fans.
The Solution
A Seth Godin-inspired Mobile Art Installation! "We thought, 'Now that would be something
Remarkable," says Robins.
The Concept
Quantity creates interest. Quantity combined with cute creates more interest. And Quantity, cute and unusual creates even more interest. Aleloop's Mobile Art Installation features ten (10) thematically matching Mini Cooper automobiles "wrapped" with Aleloop's Happy Art.
"It's art that makes you smile" says the artist. "Everywhere we go, people stop and look and smile and it gets them talking about the art" she says about the reaction people have to the art cars. "I think there's something about the art being on a cool looking car that makes it more accessible to some people. It's fun!"
So during Art Basel Week (December 1-4, 2011) the Ten Mini Coopers and a cadre of live performance artists who travel with Aleloop's Mobile Art Installation will make 17 scheduled stops each stop for about two hours to engage the audience as combination travelling carnival, serious art installation, and marketing machine promoting an estimated 5 different corporate sponsors who have expressed serious interest in this unique new way of showing support of the arts "...and of course they want to sell their stuff too, which is just fine by me" says the artist.
Each stop will have a carnival-like atmosphere at each installation. Each installation will be "layered" with the cars, the people, the art, and interactive activities designed to create a "pied piper" effect so that wherever the installation goes, hundreds of fans are sure to follow.
To our knowledge, nothing like this has ever been done before. This makes it newsworthy.