Hello, Here are my first impressions of Artropolis and the NEXT fair, a bit late, but still floating around in my head. I don’t attend art fairs. Haven’t been to Art Basel, or Frieze or elsewhere. Art fairs seem to be outside the comfort zone of most art-minded people I know because they are over-crowded, completely commercial endeavors in which art is garishly displayed under fluorescent lighting. Plus, none of my comrades really have the means to buy art, even from artists of the “emerging” or “under-recognized” variety.

I went to Artroplis last year, but honestly, I went because I was given a vip pass at work that entitled me and a guest access to the vip lounge where beer, wine, champagne, espresso and snacks were available. I practically set up shop in one of the vip lounges and had various friends come visit me and share a beer. We’d go to a lecture or walk around for about five minutes, but really it was similar to going to the mall or something and I developed fatigue pretty easy. The only remedy to that seemed to be to partake of the complimentary beverages in the vip lounge.

Last night was chaos. From the guards who seemed to yell at a range that I only thought was reserved for the likes of Mariah Carey, to the four foot elderly ladies in Chanel who roughhoused everyone to get on the elevators, the preview night was not completely enjoyable. I started off at Intuit looking for the tasty hors d’oeuvres--had heard through that network that their catering was going to be amazing. The floor was packed and I made a rookie mistake of stopping at the first bar in sight. It had a huge line. It was also a cash bar, which was irritating because there was a mix of complimentary and cash bars throughout the various floors and I’m not sure why. After we secured a Prosecco (ahhh…sweet relief) and did not see a canapé to save our lives, we then waited back in line to go up to floor 12 to see Art Chicago. There it was like a mosh pit as we tried to make our way through. I swear I almost lost consciousness as I jockeyed for space to inhale fresh oxygen. I had some appetizer with duck that was dry and not very flavorful and a couple of others that were unremarkable. Finally it was 7pm and we waited, again, for the elevators to take us back down to the 8th floor to the NEXT fair.

Things were quieter there and…they had more bars. Come on people! You know that we all work so hard in one or more underpaying positions, are overeducated and overwhelmed with student loan debt from art school and the small compensation we receive is the joy of free drinks at art openings and the ensuing sociality of it all. I’m not the only one. I was with a friend who ranks way higher up in the art world than I do and her friend works at one of the galleries participating in NEXT. The gallery owner came over. The friend of a friend introduced her to him and flat out ignored me, didn’t even mention my name (which she knew). It’s good to know that even at “alternative” galleries that art world distinction hangs on. That woman also raved about the “dive bar” that had been created especially for NEXT. Glad to see the art world embrace culture in all of its myriad forms. Here's an image from it (called the "Old Country Bar")

We looked around a bit. I was actually able to have space to see the work at the NEXT fair, unlike the other floors, but I was spacey and tired from the over stimulation until I reached the Taché-Lévy Gallery from Brussels. There they were showing the work of Tracey Snelling, who creates these amazing miniature versions of cheap motels, dive bars, and other buildings that incorporate video and audio. These sculptures are reminiscent in some ways of movie sets. Meticulously crafted, they are dollhouses of a different and more scintillating sort; engaging but make one feel guilty in the role of voyeur. You may view her work at www.tache-levy.com (go to “artists” and then “Tracey Snelling”).Here is an image and some video:




I knew it was time to leave when I gravitated towards the sound installation on the wall and realized it was an air conditioning vent. As I left, I did have a chance to see Deb Sokolow’s drawing “Understanding Scarface.” You really need to have mental clarity when looking at her work because it involves reading a bit o’ text, but it is not dense or heavy handed. Instead, it is hilarious, clever, and unpretentious. Here is a link to her website: http://debsokolow.com/home.html


















I never made it to the CUE space. I thought I would just end up at it, but the mall fatigue got the best of me. I’ll get there tomorrow when I am well rested and am able to present myself better.