My round up from MAF 25 – is that fair !
It is the day after Melbourne Art Fair and the reviews are coming in thick and fast. So here you have my take from Booth E2 – MARS, which was well positioned for an eagle eye to observe all the goings and comings, diagonally opposite Sullivan and Strumpf (love those three expensive BIG Tony Albert’s - so rich and so bitey - BIG thanks to Margaret Preston), next to Neon Parc (YES to the Diena Georgetti's because who doesn't love a painting started with AI generated imagery and with the frame painted on so you can save on framing costs) and behind me an amazing installation by New Zealand artist Yona Lee from Fine Arts, Sydney which got more pics than anything else at the fair cause how often do you see a moving mop these days? Well certainly not in my house - only at an art fair. Thank God contemporary art can still be confusing, which Yona knows and does so well.
The MAF vernissage was like one big giant art wedding with some truly spectacular fashion. Were guests thinking this was the Melb Fashion festival launch? Yes - there was full on glam and I can confirm the day of a gallerist in all black is over! I kissed more people than at my own Italian wedding which is really saying something. Missing in action were the big gallery cats - Michael Reid, Anna Schwartz and This Is No Fantasy, but a few new gallerists turned up so all was not lost. In fact, a lot was gained with fresh young artists and visions .
With all the sadness in the world of Australian art at the moment, it was reassuring to see a smiley sales success by most galleries at this commercial fair, to forget all our big international art troubles and just for a moment to hug artists, collectors and curators alike, and to look at some art and what people are making and buying.
My favourite activity is to watch at the vernissage the number of outrageous fashionistas. I was visited by a stunning young girl in full sequins strapless frontless ballgown with a long train. It worried me that she may trip into my ceramic show but I didn't have to worry as my art didn't match her dress she said, so on she went, on looking for just the right art for her insta pic.
My art didn't match many people's clothes as it was a shopping list show by Kenny Pittock - next year I will try harder to find a suitably coloured show as those fashionistas are the new art buyers.
There was a lot to look at the Melbourne Art Fair, with sneakers being the most important thing after the art - it used to be tote bags but now the tote has been replaced by ongoing runner discussion - where did you find them? - better cache if they were picked up at an art fair no one had heard of in a European town no one ever knew there was an art fair in. If you did not have a pair of runners with an obscure brand in a very bright colour you were not in the running whatsoever at this fair. I will be looking for a new pair of runners today on netaporter .
The exhibition next to us in the exhibition centre was parents and children’s show - it was very well attended and of a morning I was greeted by so many nappy sales people with big showbags full of crayons for the kids. There were no show bags at the art fair, only art and my greatest challenge - the kids who kept trying to put pen to ceramic and complete the shopping lists.
The art at the fair was way prettier and more illustrative I felt this year. More flaura and fauna than I have ever seen, blobby ceramics still are having their moment in the sun, but in general the gallerists were all smiling which I think always means they sold well.
I personally did some art shopping from my own list and let the moths escape my wallet for Tolarno Gallery with Hannah Gartside for making those vintage gloves into bunnies was brilliant and timeless, (the three bunnies were the best both sculpturally perfectly balanced and the red colour so rich) Daine Singer Gallery with the Kate Tucker ceramics, so tonal and yet so gentle for a ceramic, and finally a controversial pick (I do like a little controversy when choosing art ) was Stephen Boswell at LON Gallery - I loved the small figures that could easily be from a archaeological dig and will look great on the mantlepiece.
“Did we make money?” seems to be the question after an art fair - the cost of stands, ads, hangers, movers ,staff, parking, deliver, insta – yep, it all adds up. The fact is yes, I had totally new art buyers who asked me where my gallery was and came in from places I had never heard of around Australia - places I won’t be going to and they saw it strangely as an glam adventure coming to the art fair. I had sales on line from the fair, increased attendances at the gallery increased enquiry online. Yes it was worthwhile and I will see you there next year but in new bright runners.
My art wish is to remember that we ALL love art. Is that fair?