Those Other New York Fairs
Lauren Gunsel
-Scope, by definition, is freedom, range and capacity. The show itself is an opportunity for up-and-coming artists and buyers alike to take advantage of the draw of a larger fair (cough, cough Armory). Coming off a successful weekend at Art Basel Miami Beach, -scope is primed for success in its third New York City installment that will take place March 10th through 13th.
The allure of fresh new talent drew more than 8,000 people last year and their worldwide numbers are on the rise in Miami, London and the Hamptons as well. A committee has already completed the first gallery selection round, with a second taking place during the end of January. Due to the large quantity of submissions, 27 galleries have already been accepted to host rooms at the exhibition and more will be announced. Some of the early decisions include: Galerie Andreas Binder (Munich, Bavaria) displaying paintings by Paule Hammer, RARE (New York) showing the unique graffiti style of Kira Wager, Galerie Schuster (Frankfurt, Germany) displaying work from Jutta Rossman, Galerie Magda Danysz’s (Paris, France) own Eric White, as well as Merry Karnowsky Gallery’s (Los Angeles) Camille Rose Garcia. M% from Cleveland, koelsch gallery from Houston, artMbassy from Berlin, Gallery 55 from Shanghai, patirck heide art projects from London and Miller Block Gallery from Boston are also all apart of the eclectic mix.
Besides the actual exhibition rooms, the jam-packed four-day itinerary includes Performance-scope, Cinema-scope, the VIP lounge and Culture on the Verge–an off-site celebration of Brooklyn and New York bands. Last year’s reported sales capped off around the $2.5 million mark, which means a lot of selling was going on since the fair boasts affordable prices (a drawing on a Post-It note at Miami Basel was on sale for $20–what a deal!).
Also taking place the same weekend (March 9th – 12th) is DiVA–Digital and Video Art Fair. The Embassy Suites Hotel will host this event for the second year in a row. Solely devoted to works of film, animation, video and photography created digitally, DiVA features work of innovative new media artists and welcomes international collectors, museums, art dealers and artists. Frere Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing artists who fly just below the radar of the established art market, is the exclusive sponsor of the fair. As described by the DiVA herself: "Since the invention of photography, nothing has had a greater impact on artistic practice than the emergence of the personal video camera, and later, digital technology." DiVA trumpets the artists that utilize this medium to express themselves and carry fine art to the next chapter.
