Fountain Art Fair:

Fountain Art Fair brought in its sixth edition of emerging artists, independent galleries and collectives to Miami this year, and I was glad to see this friendly fair back in Wynwood. It’s a perfect fit inside of the old industrial warehouse space. This fair reminds me of the newer Seven Miami project, but it’s been around the block a few more times. I enjoyed the electric energy of the galleries and showcased artists. It’s like a mini Wynwood Art Walk rolled into one space; very reminiscent of the local and familiar street art, DIY spaces and cutting edge contemporary boutique galleries that buzz all year long down here. This is the inviting, accessible, out of the box, punk rock attitude fair you have to see at least once in your art loving lifetime!

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

Pulse Miami VIP & Press Preview Night:

Pulse launched it’s seventh edition in the lower Wynwood Arts District with a bang! Amidst the opening party, overflowing drinks, endless buffets and upbeat music, the booths inside were buzzing in the spirit of Basel. Pulse offers a variety of programs that mixes up the fair nicely  and allows each gallery to showcase its artist(s) on a proper platform. Pulse Play> was one of my favorites due to my love affair with video art. This year it was curated by artist Lucie Fontaine and featured works by Ciprian Muresan, Daniella Isamit Morales to name a few. Also inside, was the Wagner + Partner Gallery, from Berlin, with its first ever American solo exhibition of artist Natascha Stellmach. They showcased the widely talked about artist with her “Fuck Art for Letting this Shit Happen;” a project based off of her former exhibition that involved Kurt Cobain’s ashes, a joint and much controversy. The outside garden allowed space for some larger-scale installations. Some of the installations from the Pulse Projects were: A nastolgic treasure trove of over a thousand found nic-nacs was Mac Premo’s The Dumpster Project, one of the longest experimental videos to date by Josh Azzarella and German based artist Michael Laube’s 22-11 installation.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

Enjoying the undercover street vibe of the Pheonix Hotel, we headed into the imaginative re-purposing of this Miami-esque hotel to report back on the ArtPadSF experience.

Pool installation

First off, let’s consider the location: the Pheonix hotel was a “pay by the hour” location that was bought by Joie de Vivre Hotels and renovated into a boutique hotel. Made famous for hosting raucous parties and rockstars, this is not the first time a hotel has functioned as an art fair (numerous references were made by visitors to ArtPad’s more extravagant and humid counterpart in Miami), not is it the first time this particular space has presented such an event.  The Pheonix hosted an art fair in 1996, organized by celebrated ex-San Francisco gallerist, Jack Hanley, that included many top-tier and critically exciting galleries. This version lacks it’s predecessors global and critical reach.

Hanley was one of only two galleries based outside the Bay Area to present at this fair, begging the question for locals of whether or not an art fair can be useful if they generally present what was already on offer here. However, the fair does give locals a forum to discover or re-acquaint themselves with a selection of local galleries that often work with emerging artists. Visitors to the preview opening were also made aware of a certain problem in the Bay Area considering the role, funding and circulation of “art”. The event was billed as a benefit for the Black Rock Arts Foundation, the organizer of the annual dust covered ritual of excess and expenditure, Burning Man. Though one must also remember that BRAF funds public projects outside the single week of their main event, such “benefits” (that are ubiquitous throughout the Bay Area) often exist only to raise money for self-professed “eccentrics” and rich hangers-on to party and decorate. This attempt to bridge two of the Bay Area’s art scenes that often compete for attention and public funds  demonstrates that both forms are not fully serving publics outside their own, are not only not in dialogue, but diametrically opposed, and each operate under certain myths of their usefulness.

People’s Gallery

Pushed by the organizers to use the spaces thoughtfully and not present overloaded liquidation sales, few of the exhibitors did so, and even fewer used the systems of display of the hotel itself to determine their choices. Many of the exhibitors treated their room like any other kiosk, a fact made most apparent by a portfolio of photographic prints that presented in situ images of more prominent art fair exhibitor’s displays.

Erin Riley and Ben Baumgartner

There were a few exceptions, however, where the gallerists and artists teased the context of the hotel. Guerrero Gallery, for instance, turned the anonymous hotel suite into almost a teenager’s dorm room: juxtaposing Erin Riley’s woven tapestries of internet-derived pornographic and party-heavy images with a bed outfitted with quilted Heavy Metal comforter and pillows by Ben Baumgartner. Other galleries filled their bathrooms with abject installations, Another notable use of the space was Jack Hanley’s bathroom.

Jack Hanley Gallery

Overall, ArtPad succeeded in slowing the art fair shuffle and allowing for more contact between the viewers and their surroundings. The gallerists themselves were more available creating a enjoyable atmosphere despite the close quarters of the hotel rooms.

Rachel Kaye at Triple Base Gallery

Dina Pugh of Triple Base Gallery and René de Guzman of the Oakalnd Museum of California

Mission and Oakland galleries seemed to be taking advantage of Artpad to show their wares including: Johansson Projects, Krowswork, and Swarm Gallery from Oakland and Steven Wolf Fine Arts, Galeria de le Raza, Triple Base among others from the Mission.

Daniel Tierney at Steven Wolf  Fine Arts

More Steven Wolf Fine Arts

Kimberly Johansson and Matthew Draving of Johansson Projects

Last but not least, the smaller and even Tenderloin and outer Market based (where the Pheonix Hotel resides) galleries made their presence known, like Ever Gold, Park Life, and Unspeakable Projects.

Ever Gold Gallery

Unspeakable Projects

This post was written by Emma Spertus and Post Brothers.