July 14, 2014

OSit

I brought eleven artists to Art Market Hamptons this past week-end, using the clout and hospitality of the Joy Wai Gallery to exhibit where I otherwise could not, at this juncture in my short art business career, gain entrance. There are those who will tell you that Hamptons people are snobbish and difficult and it may, in fact, be true of some. But my experience at the fair was quite different. People were interested in the art, seemed to enjoy talking about the work and the artists and seemed genuinely appreciative to learn more about what they were seeing. Everyone I met was pleasant, courteous and friendly. Maybe it was because they were in the midst of so much art.
Attendance was a bit off this year, I believe. A combination perhaps of good weather for the beach, competition with two other art fairs and the World Cup final on the last day of the fair are at least a few of the possible reasons for the relatively small turnout.
But we had a wonderful time being there. We showed the work of several of the artists you can see listed on our web-site and we brought some new (to us) artists whose names and some images of their work will shortly grace the pages of the web-site. These include Raquel Rabinovich,, whose series “River Library” consists of mud taken from rivers all over the world and applied to hand-made paper produced in Pondicherry, India. Her piece using mud from the Arno was the first work we sold at the fair, on opening night. We also showed silkscreen prints from a portfolio entitled “Gems” from Charles Hinman, produced by Gary Lichtenstein Editions. These works on paper from a master American painter whose work is currently on view at the Marc Strauss Gallery on the Lower East Side, really are gems and drew an incredible amount of attention at the fair. Another big attention-grabber was “Six Staves” by Jaye Rhee. It, and a companion piece, “Movement For Colors and Lines,” both large, lively, imaginative inkjet prints extrapolated from her video work, “The Flesh and the Book,” were at the center of our exhibit booth and really pulled people in to the booth. We also kept a copy of the video going so people could see where the work originated.
It was only our second art fair and we are learning as we go. But we love the energy and the communication with the art-loving public and look forward to more such experience. My thanks to the artists, to Joy Wai, to Art Market Hamptons and to the people of the south fork.

Mud and Bronze