Art Basel's Satellite Fairs Introduce Up-and-Comers

by Brice Brown
Mon, 3 Dec 2007 at 5:21 PM

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The annual Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) art fair officially kicks off Thursday, with exhibitors, artists, collectors, and other sparkling art-world celebrities converging for an exhausting, days-long round of high-stakes buying, selling, and socializing on a scale befitting one of the largest –– and arguably most important –– contemporary art fairs in the world..

But while the champagne is being swilled, a handful of the satellite fairs will also be hosting their own premieres to celebrate the launch of their respective exhibitions. In fact, over the next few days, the various satellite fairs — more than 15 — will host a slew of opening receptions, brunches, lectures, concerts, nightly cocktail hours, and other activities as they attempt to draw some of the main fair-goers to their locations.

Most of these fairs feature emerging artists shown by emerging galleries, with work ranging from post-graduate-school scruffy to well-known, top-tier artists. Most of the dealers are from America, but international galleries are also well-represented.

And the venues also run the gamut. A cluster of fairs take place in hotel rooms along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, while the majority take place in converted warehouse spaces peppered throughout the Design and Wynwood Art Districts in downtown Miami. And the high rollers at the Delano Hotel will most certainly be making the rounds to some of these fairs, because it is often here where the next big breakout art star is found.

A peek into two of the more prominent satellite fairs today –– the New Art Dealers Alliance Art Fair and PULSE Miami –– found them to be veritable hives of activity as they readied for tonight's events. Since Sunday, dealers have been busy battling with oversized shipping crates and bubble wrap as they attempted to set up their booths. At the NADA Art Fair, the installation by Adam Cvijanovic at Bellwether was in place, anchoring the booth nicely. At ZieherSmith's booth, a large optically charged painting by Chuck Webster hung next to Eddie Martinez's painting of a wide-eyed Willem de Kooning-esque figure. In an attempt to spotlight their artists, this year many of the galleries are mounting single-artist booths, such as Kamrooz Aram at Oliver Kamm/5BE and Amanda Ross-Ho with Cherry and Martin. New to The NADA Art Fair this year is a publications-specific tent, featuring emerging presses and journals, which should prove to be an exciting addition.

Just north at the PULSE Miami fair, Kinz, Tillou and Feigen had installed a large horizontal still from one of Jeremy Blake's films, as well as a sweetly melancholic photograph by Kim Keever. At P.P.O.W., Bill Smith's brass wire and beaded hanging sculptures looked wispy and elegant, almost invisible. One of Nick Cave's disturbing yet beautiful Soundsuits fronts the Jack Shainman Gallery booth. Out in the courtyard at PULSE, several installations were under way, including Duke Riley's "The Voyage of the Acorn," a re-creation of the submarine Riley built and launched in the Brooklyn Harbor.

The premiere of GEISAI Miami, a new exhibition debuting young Japanese artists to an American audience, was also being installed in the courtyard and looked to be a highlight of the show.

If all goes as planned, these satellite fairs should provide a good look at the new, up-and-coming artists –– and dealers. And the sheer proliferation of these fairs shows the market is strong and healthy for fresh young talent.

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