Editor’s Note
Does anyone go to an art fair opening night to look at art? Well, maybe one or two dedicated aficionados, but they’d need a lot of focus to take in anything amid the “hello darlings”, quaffing of sponsored beverages and deep queues of people shouting their wine or champagne preferences at the hopelessly inadequate bars. (Don’t organisers ever learn? The more bars and bartenders, the more profit.)
Art fairs are such social events that a September (art month in Joburg) without one, let alone three or four, is a dire prospect.
Fashion events have a particular flavour — at some point you’re required to sit down, shut up and watch a fashion show. Gallery openings and art fairs are of a different order. You can spy out your glamorously dressed friends, make a beeline for them, pregnant wine glass in hand if you got lucky at the bar, and spend a few delightful minutes in front of a beautiful image deep in superficial conversation — before heading on to the next one (friend, painting, conversation).
The other great thing about art fairs is the artists — usually a Bohemian bunch who can be relied upon to get drunk and obnoxious (highly entertaining), dress like exhibitionists (they are) and tell interesting stories (if you’re not a natural bullshitter you’ll never make it in the art world).
I miss it all terribly.
I went to RMB TAF (Turbine Art Fair) online last week (from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands), and while it was exceptionally organised, very interesting and beautiful (plus I could lie on my back on the couch and visit each “room” with a swipe of my thumb), it lacked the vibe, the energy and, really, the fun.
Latitudes founder Roberta Coci says her art fair will definitely have a physical event next year, but in the meantime, digital sales have been exceptionally good — and from all over the world.
At least in this format you have to really know what you want, and there’s sure to be a decline in returns of art works in the week after the fair — due to ecstatic, spontaneous drunken purchases. For comments, criticisms or praise, write to nagela@sundaytimes.co.za