First Color Gallery at Art Basel Miami


Miami Beach, Florida — Kendra Jayne PatrickDuring the VIP opening at Art Basel on Tuesday, the booth was buzzing as visitors gathered to admire and consider purchasing the works of tapestry artist Qualeasha Wood, whose work is currently on display. at sight At the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In the past, Patrick would not have been eligible to attend the fair as the New York gallery did not have a permanent physical space. But over the past year, Art Basel has changed its admission requirements and made a concerted effort to invite previously marginalized galleries to apply.

“We wanted to lower the barriers to entry – it’s not about quality, it’s about how long you have to be in business and the nature of your business,” said Marc Spiegler, global director of Art Basel. “Without these outdated regulations, these galleries have enough barriers.”

Considering the online iteration of Art Basel in June 2020, the change was remarkable. did not contain a single African-American owned gallery. This year’s 253 galleries at the Miami Beach Convention Center hosted color exhibitors for the first time, including four Black American, three African, eight Latin American and one Korean galleries.

This increased diversity was just one of the ways the pandemic changed the Art Basel Miami Beach show’s first in-person meeting since 2019. There were also necessary health screenings, scheduled visitors, and mandatory masks (speaker reminders to keep them on). And some galleries reported not receiving their artwork (and booth furniture) on time. supply chain issues.

Four galleries from South Africa arrived at the fair just below the wires, given the emergence of the Omicron variant and President Biden’s decision. restrict travel from the country From 29 November. These galleries said that instead of feeling left out, visitors go out of their way to welcome themselves at the fair – though it’s a joke to keep a few distances.

The discussion of NFTs – non-exchangeable tokens – was also running in warm air, although they were slow to catch up with veteran collectors. Pace Gallery did first NFT art fair sale — A $500,000 collaboration between Studio Drift in Amsterdam and musician Don Diablo (plus $50,000 donated to climate protection efforts).

In general, however, besides the fair, numerous satellite events, such as untitled, NADA and Design Miami — provided further evidence that the art market is largely immune to social and political turmoil.

Most galleries, especially blue-chip vendors, reported strong sales. Noah Davis $1.4 million in David Zwirner and the Ad Reinhardt abstract went to more than $7 million, plus $1.75 million in Gladstone to Keith Haring and $725,000 to Elizabeth Murray. Sold a pair of Dutch jump rope statues by Hall 94 Karon Davis For $150,000 to the streetwear mogul James Whitner.

“It felt a bit like Groundhog Day,” said Tim Blum of the Blum & Poe gallery. “If you pass the fair, you might think it’s 2019.”

Indeed, evenings were packed with dinners and parties — Alicia Keys performed in the immersive exhibition space super blue In the Miami Design District – where most fancy guests don’t wear masks (and complain about traffic jams). Many have noted how happy they are to get together physically in Miami Beach to see the art and cuddle again (yes, the air kiss is back).

“There’s nothing like seeing people in person and chatting,” said Jo Stella-Sawicka, the group’s senior director. GalleryThe company, which has locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and London, added that it was already flying to Florida when news of the new variant broke out.

While the fair’s timed entry prevented the usual confluence of opening bells from the doors – and some collectors complained they weren’t getting the time slots they wanted – gallerists said the more spaced entrances allowed for calmer and more meaningful conversations with visitors.

While most of the artwork was pre-sold – as usual – via online previews or emailed PDFs, many dealers said a few pieces were purchased at the show.

Art fairs have long been considered ripe for a fix or consolidation due to their proliferation and cost. New company LGDR — four powerful merchants joining forces — He said he plans to take the oath against such events in the US.

But a few early galleries said Art Basel offers significant exposure (including the Rele Gallery from Lagos). recently opened a branch in LAand Nicola Vassell, Newly opened in Manhattan’s Chelsea).

“Miami Basel is very international,” said New York dealer Patrick. “You can meet a lot of customers,” he said.

Joost Bosland of the South African gallery Stevenson Before Omicron changed all that, he had planned to come to Art Basel for a short time.

“I was supposed to be here for a day,” he said. “Then the rest of the team didn’t make it.”

SMAC GalleryIt has barely made it to Miami, with locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg. “We had to do it or the booth would be empty,” said Baylon Sandri, one of the directors, adding that the ban was “unjustified” because South Africa had only detected the presence of the new variant.

Bonolo KavulaShown by SMAC at the booth, the artist said, “Not coming was not an option – Art Basel is a great opportunity.

“I’m not just here for myself,” he added. “This shows other artists that it’s possible in their home.”

KJ Freeman, owner residential gallery There has been another newcomer on Manhattan’s Lower East Side benefiting from the expanded involvement of smaller galleries. He planned to show artist Arlene Wandera, whose sculpture pieces never showed up. So Freeman decided to present Nathaniel Oliver. When all of Oliver’s work was sold, he affixed a QR code to the wall of his booth, where visitors could view Wandera’s work.

“I used to be a performance artist,” Freeman said. “So I can install pretty much any day of the week.”

While Freeman said that he was happy to be invited to apply to the fair, he also said that his modest operation did not necessarily rank among the giants.

“I’ve never sold anything beyond five figures—low five figures,” he said, adding that Wandera’s work was priced between $5,000 and $22,000 and Oliver’s was priced between $3,000 and $18,000.

Among the dealers Art Basel invited to apply, Daudi Karungi from Afriart Gallery in Uganda said he appreciated this access. “Better than knocking on that door,” he said.

Credit…Alfonso Duran for The New York Times

Karungi’s booth solo presentation Tanzanian artist Sungi Mlengeya’s work quickly sold out, and each piece was priced between $50,000 and $75,000.

Ivy N. Jones Welancora Based on a sandstone in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, the gallery said it was “an honor” to bring the work of Helen Evans Ramsaran, an American sculptor in her 70s. “There are a lot of older artists who need someone to believe in them,” Jones said.

Similarly, Marcus Gora, co-founder of First Floor Gallery in Zimbabwe, said the fair provides significant visibility for an artist as he exhibits in Miami. Troy Magazine, combining painting and sculpture. “We’re growing and building,” Gora said. “This is our gateway to the North American market.”

Afriart’s Karungi said that nearly 20 years after creating her gallery, attending the fair looks like an important milestone and she hopes to become a model for other African galleries. “I started the industry from the bottom,” he said. “And now we are here.”



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