Armory Art Fair Week - The MAO Standouts from the Volta Art Fair 2009
Armory Art Fair Week - The MAO Standouts from the Volta Art Fair 2009
So many of our MAO Art scouts said the Volta fair was not as good this year.
We actually liked it. We love Art Fairs with solo shows..it's one of the best ways to get to know the work on a new artist in our not so humble opinion.
We only got to Volta on Sunday morning (the last possible day), and it didn't look like much was sold out at the fair. Every booth, even the best ones had work left. But we guess it's just a sign of the times.
Well.. here were the MAO high points...
And, so sorry for the delay...in getting this post recap up.. but. it's been a busy few weeks for MAO.
There will be more to come over the next few days.. we did manage to get to all the Major Art Fairs, and there are several artists we still wanted to point out to readers.
1. Taro Nasu Gallery from Japan, showing paintings by Futo Akiyoshi.
These were small, almost mono-chrome gold paintings. Gold on gold.. but sometimes simple also sings. These little jems were great.
They had depth, texture and drama. Sometimes it's impressive what a real painter can do with just a little gold and canvas.
(Photo #1, by Futo Akiyoshi, 12" x 10", Oil on canvas)
2. The Loock Galerie from Berlin showing photography work by Charlie White.
The show was called "Girl Studies." Some totally witty brilliant photography, and hysterical video. Plus, we just loved his bright pink walled booth. Also Charlie White has a new book out, Charlie White : American Minor...well worth checking out.
(photo #2, by Charlie White, 2 color c-prints)
3. T20 Gallery from Spain showing a video work by Kaoru Katayama.
This simple video short had us totally entertained.
It was just 2 traditionally dressed women dancing in their traditional style to some modern hypnotic trance club music.. but it completely worked.. We laughed, we cried..
4. Walter Maciel Gallery of Colver City CA, showing several sculptures by Margarita Cabrera.
These were a series of ornately decorated farming equipment turned into adobe clay sculptures.
(photo #3, Margarita Cabrera, "Saw" 2008, Ceramic, and Slip Paint)
5. Thierry Goldberg Projects from NYC showing paintings by Hayv Kahraman.
At times these paintings all look a bit like John Currin doing his best imitation of Asian art.
But these paintings somehow work. The more time we looked at them, the more their magic emerged.
(Photo #4, Hayv Kahraman, Oil on Canvas).
So.. my little MAO-ettes, more to come of NYC Art Fair MANIA tomorrow..
Wow, I was a huge fan of Futo Akiyoshi as well. From the jpg's I wouldn't think I would be, but, I totally was. And Maciel's booth was fantastic. And so was Kavi Gupta's. And did you see those plushies at Art Palace? Those were great. And that's about all.
Posted by: KennyT | March 12, 2009 at 04:11 PM
Many of china contemporary artist indite about china chief "MAO" I've just visited your website and I was wondering .
Posted by: oil painting | March 14, 2009 at 03:40 AM
I, too, was a fan of Futo Akiyoshi"s small paintings. Taro Nasu has a great program so I'm always interested to see what he brings. I've bought photographs from him before including Maiko Haruki. Charlie White was shown at Loock not Looch from Berlin. Friedrich Loock is the founder of Wohnmaschine in Berlin and a founding member of Volta. FYI. Typos are no big deal but I thought it might inhibit searches for the gallery.
Posted by: Evan | March 17, 2009 at 07:51 AM
Chinese are indeed gifted when it comes to art. I must agree to what others have said.
Posted by: JC- Artist ads | March 26, 2009 at 02:20 AM
I like the three textures of gold on the canvas painting...how the textures are used to form 3d shapes. Creative.
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