So we didn’t spend much time at Pulse but it looked great! As we said, we were too busy schmoozing and then we ran out of time. We are grateful that we did see a few terrific things while we were there. Zoe Charlton‘s gnomes of color at Conner Contemporary (which the gallerist told us sold in a rush shortly after they opened) made us laugh. They are bought gnomes that the African American artist repainted with varied skin tones.
It was an edition of 150 that she initially installed on a lawn. They got sprinkled on and everything. Asking price was $350–the gallerist said the “price point” was right.
The artist also had several walls of drawings and we loved the ones that focused on the rococo hair.
We also liked Markus Hansen’s series at Virgil de Voldere of paired photo portraits — himself and a sitter — in which he imitates the expression on the sitter’s face.
Onward to Fountain
All Fountain required was the twinkling of an eye. Our eyes twinkled in the direction of Stuart Shepherd Gallery. The New Zealand gallerist, also an artist, is a missionary for rescuing his country’s self-taught artists and placing them on the world stage. He told us he had been at the Outsider Art Fair in New York and heard about Fountain so he stayed. He also said he was working on a book documenting the self taughts because everyone believes anything in print. The work in his booth was terrific. We loved Colin Korovin‘s ballpoint pen scratchings and Andrew Blyth‘s word art. Ray Ritchie‘s focus on the big eyeball was captivating. We wished Shepherd and his flock well.
One of Fountain’s organizers, David Kesting of Leo Kesting gallery, said he had recaptured his expenses for the booth so that is good.
Fountain was a funky little fair–the anti-Armory. No glitz; and hardly any roof–a patchwork tent and some poles. We enjoyed looking at the New Yorkers looking for a bit of nature out on the edge of the pier. And then we had a New York celebrity sighting — Ethan Hawke with his dog and with people who looked like they might be family.
That’s it from the artblog on the fairs. We don’t know how people do those 25 fairs in Miami. We can barely do 4 in New York. There was so much good stuff to see and we would have liked to see more. Next year!
