Seven Days- The Fair

Ok, I'm caught up.

Before this chapter was assigned, and well before I am giving my thoughts on it, I had a discussion about art fairs, and the art market with a family friend. I always knew he was into art, but I did not know to what extent, so when he started talking to me about how he collects and how he goes to these fairs I was a bit skeptical, but when I took a glimpse at his Rolex casually wrapped around his wrist, I knew he was serious.

The art market is a confusing one. I always thought it was simple exchange of money and art. But when you jump from something like painting, that is one of a kind, to lets say photos or prints, where there is a series, the numbers start changing and different rules apply.

"The art world has no rules". A simple quote from the chapter, but on the contrary, it does. I saw this chapter more as the dealing of art, more then how weird the art fair is. There are a lot of rules in the art world. There is proper etiquette for it. The fact that we have to write a bunch of artist statements, and resumes is already proof that there are rules. One cannot simply set a booth up for himself in a fair and try to push his work. This isn't a flea market, although it would be really sick if it was.

I also attribute this chapter to the trade shows clothing lines go to and how my oldest brother attends this things. Clothing lines are I guess a different form of art. It's putting the new stuff out there for potential buyers to see, and duh, buy. There are forms for these things. Like how an artist is represented by galleries, these clothing lines are represented by their financial backers. Or maybe the other way around. The artist is representing the gallery. I don't know.

"I am an atheist, but I believe in art. I go to galleries like my mother went to church. It helps me understand the way I live." Art can help understand life, but like religion, it is a system of kneeling, sitting and standing. The art market seems to me like a machine. Whatever though, people make money and their living this way.

The thing that floored me the most with the conversation I had with the family friend was that how picky collectors are. It's like wall street. Artists are projected on how big they might be in the future and collectors buy according to that. This is what my family friend says though. So like what was said in class, the fair is a little discouraging. Who knows if you'll ever get big, EVEN if you show in Basel.