During the September Labor Day week, the art world was back in full swing in New York with five art fairs and multiple gallery openings and exhibitions. For art lovers, NYC offers so many opportunities to attend art fairs during the months of May and September. I attended two art fairs during the weekend that did not disappoint. Both offered cutting edge, experimental discoveries of what the human mind is capable of creating. Here’s what I like and didn’t much care for …

But First, Why attend Art Fairs?

When I write about art fairs, I always like to start with a bit of a broken record of why art fairs are important. Here goes that broken record….

“Art fairs are about exposing audiences to an imaginary world documented on canvas or molded into some strange or unique sculptural piece. It’s a window into exploring what is trending among both emerging and seasoned artists throughout the world. But more than anything, it’s about inspiration and the power of creativity. From collectors to curators, influencers, artists and art lovers like myself, art fairs are a break from the mundane”— G. Ubarry

So What About the Art Fairs?

The Armory Show

Let’s start with the Armory. I was disappointed to miss last year’s show which featured Latinx and Latin American artists. The show is held annually at the Javits Convention Center consisting of 225 galleries from 35 countries. The Armory show has its origin in introducing avant-garde works of art of which it continues to this day. Some of it, a bit too outlandish, at times confusing, provocative and over the top.    

One of the unique features I most enjoyed about this art fair is the variety of inclusion programs to open doors for nontraditional artists and emerging galleries. The two that most interest me are the Focus’ Section that targets artists whose work is outside the mainstream, and the section titled ‘Platform’ which is dedicated to large-scale installations. 

This year, the Armory sponsored 12 very large sculpture pieces. By far, the best installation and my favorite was by Jean Shin, an Asian female artist. Shin’s massive sculptural work “ Huddled Masses“ represents three large rock formations of obsolete mobile phones surrounded by a sea of cables spotlighting the impact of e-waste on our society and the distractions that mobile phones have on our daily lives. Shin’s installations are outstanding, conveying powerful messages about the fragility of our environment.

This year, the show under its FOCUS section featured  31 galleries that represented the work of Native American artists and their use of natural materials and practices that are passed down from generations. This concept is referred to as “material inheritance”  an important trend in the art world as it relates to indigenous communities.

I always like to spotlight several artists whose work inspired me. Besides Jean Shin, two other artists whose work I loved are:

Narsiso Martinez, who migrated from Oaxaca, Mexico uses his artistry and activism to portray the plight of farmworkers who are mostly Latino undocumented migrants. He does this by painting on used produce cardboard shipping boxes smiling faces of migrants with the symbol of a QR code used to track their pickings embedded in their faces. These are Narciso’s coworkers having been a farmworker himself. This powerful message of today’s labor exploitation and how the US feeds itself is not lost when viewing his work. 

Arleen Correa Valencia, originally from Mexico, also uses her artistry and activism to depict the experiences of undocumented farmworkers during the California wildfires. She uses a combination of painting, textiles and drawings to spotlight the pain and loss associated with the immigrant experience families endured while working in unsafe conditions as farmworkers. Her work reminded me of the Nigerian artist Sanusi Olatunji who uses the same techniques to depict the pain and suffering that parents and children experience when they are separated for any reason. It’s interesting to view the similarities of both these artists from two different worlds. Click here to view my write up and photos of Sanusi at the Harlem Fine Art Show.

Final Note: There is so much artwork to see, a good amount of variety, both provocative and uninteresting. Overall, I found the show to be more inclusive, representing BIPOC artists and women. Annually, it also features a section on nonprofit art groups showcasing their work in advancing artist residencies and art programs in low-income neighborhoods. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the Armory Show, as it was recently purchased for 22 million by Frieze, a competitor.

 New York PhotoFairs 

PhotoFairs is an international photography fair having its first showing in New York City. At this inaugural edition, the fair consisted of 56 exhibitors and three days of ongoing presentations from experts in the field. I actually spent two days at this fair attending the presentations and engaging with photo artists, exhibitors and gallery owners. 

Photography is rapidly evolving, and it now represents a combination of both digital art and diverse forms of media as its next frontier. I was surprised to see quite a bit of both films and video installations at this fair and how so many art works resemble paintings. At times, it can be puzzling to determine what is photography from what we know as art. One of the most interesting developments is the field is the role of technology and AI which many have embraced, others not so much. It’s already having a huge impact on the field as it may get harder to determine what is real or artificially developed. 

The presentations offered were excellent as it helps understand the future of photography both as an art form and as a business. One take away was the growing use of the word “lens based artist” vs photographer or photo artist to be more representative of the digital world. The growing trend of combining photos with paint, textile and digital is not only more interactive but appealing to a younger generation who use their phone camera all the time. For example, the blog’s feature photo for this story is a digital art rendering that combines photography, textile and painting. 

 Final Note: If you have a keen interest in photography, collecting or learning the craft, then this is certainly an art fair to consider attending in the near future. The admission fee is about $35 and well worth the experience.

As always, I am sharing photos of both art fairs, mostly of works I found interesting or provocative (there was way too much stuff not worth photographing). The photos from  PhotoFairs are much more interesting and illustrate how much this art form is changing. I also provided links to the artists that I featured in this story. Remember to click the center of the photos for a full view.

I for one, beginning next year, will take a break from my yearly excursions to NYC to attend art fairs, as I plan to travel for the next several years, hopefully discovering other art venues on the way. 

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