Brooklyn based artist Balint Zsako lets his imagination run amok with his intimate watercolor works on paper. His narrative lexicon is boundless, mischievous, errant and intriguing. Thats why I chose to show him in San Francisco!. Nice to see figurative portrayal of women in such a natural non abusive way– Just a lot of fun with a capital ‘F’! I look forward to seeing what comes forth next with a body of ’supersized’ narratives for an upcoming show in New York. Thank you San Francisco for coming out and helping celebrate this natural talent.
This year, I thought work was particularly strong- the only difference being that a lot more seemed to have been sold early. Artists like Chris Offili and Gary Hume and Thomas Ruff saw even higher prices this year at Frieze. Pieces of note were 2 huge photo pieces staged in China by Isaac Julian at Victoria Miro. Nice to see him moving into different subject matter and scale. Newcomers, Maria Nordin at Galleri Magnus Karlsson from Sweden and sculptor Marie Lund at Laura Bartlett caught my eye. Also lovely were small abstract paintings by California based painter, Lesley Vance. Best spaces were the Cabinet, Sadie Coles and of course, Hauser & Wirth who had my favorite piece, ” The Gambler” above and the work that had the general public in stitches was David Shrigley’s dead pan drawings and sculptural pieces. Marcel Dzama also showed 3 fabulous collage-d Dioramas at David Zwirner that were snapped up. Once out of the upbeat swirl of color and fresh playful energy that London exudes at Frieze, the icing on the cake was strolling the grounds at Regent’s Park at the turn of Autumn to view the Frieze Sculpture exhibits. I came away contemplating Gary Hume’s sensory repertoire….first his enormous Jurassic egg sculptures and then his large inflated canvases which I desperately secretly covet …how on earth does he get his shiny vinyl surfaces to swirl and be raised in such a delicious edible manner? Just a little slice of what I enjoyed but I think everyone always asks after leaving an art fair,
” Well, did people sell?, was contemporary art ‘up’ from last year and can it defy the odds of a still lingering recession as still a favorable investment over more conservative traditional investments? – How did London fare compared to NY or Basel ?. Whose work is priced alarmingly higher than imagined and whose work is really carving a good and honest trajectory. Its always hard to gauge the real situation of success rates, because people will tell you what they need you to hear and galleries cover their asses. Most large galleries only have to sell one major piece to re-coup their investment whereas the small ones need to work harder, creating positive hype and drawing in the collectors.
But all in all as the top performers in Contemporary art sales have dropped a bit, back to the values set in 2004-2008, collectors are still very hungry for emerging artists, with photography and furniture design showing strong buoyancy. The only medium that had softer sales is video art. For an overview please check out the latest Art Price Contemporary art report from FIAC 2009 – 2010.
Friday, 2nd April at 6.00pm-9.00
Five Senses Art Consultancy is proud to present the work of 4 very different artists, all working in an array of mediums.
We shall be debuting the work of Takming Chuang, San Francisco based Taiwanese painter whose work is currently gathering so much momentum, taking London and NY by storm with 2 recent gallery shows . It will be the first time he has shown here in his home town. His work is abstract and refreshingly gestural and comes from a liberated emotional pulse.
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I am extremely fortunate to be showing the stunning ceramic work of Vivienne Foley, a British ceramicist at the top of her game. Her work is highly sought after, collected by the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jacques Chirac. Her mastery of her craft has defied the typical limitations of ceramics. Each piece is unique and exquisite.
The sharp realist paintings of San Francisco painter Tom McKinley, whose technical painting skill and attention to architectural detail leave you wishing you were in the houses he depicts, messing up the furniture having a sneaky party!. We love his sharp observation and tongue in cheek subject matter.
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And finally the hauntingly beautiful photographs of John Casado, a Bay Area photographer whose prime focus is the respect for ‘process’. His lith prints depicting nudes are one off masterpieces, the figures somehow trapped in the grain of dreams long past. The anonymous human bodies seduces us with its texture and its strong contours.
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LA ART Show this year was a mixed bag. A strong show of Korean and Chinese art that seemed fresh and new caught my eye. The Berlin Wall fragment installation organized by Kamilla Blanche in The LA Twin Cities stand stood out and received a great deal of attention. I couldn’t keep up with all the foreign languages abuzz in that stand. Most notably, newcomer, Balint Zsako was my hot favorite. Hungarian water colorist and illustrator had particularly exquisite pieces at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery. See below: Were you there at the LA Art Show?. If so, please send in your feedback.
See you next week!
Alex Ray
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Dear Art lover;
It is with great excitement I launch my art consultancy this side of the channel. After considerable success in the UK, I have relocated to warmer climes and a different market place in the art world.
2010 will be year for hosting a number of art soirees and events in collaboration with various West Coast galleries and international artists. If you would like to attend some of this events, please e-mail me at: alex@fivesensesart.com and leave your address and contact details.
This month kicks off with the LA ART SHOW, where I shall be showing the work of British digital artist, Pete Stern at the Curated Project Space at the Sister Cities of Los Angeles booth. www.petestern.com. January 20-24 at the LA Convention Center.
I shall be including all my observations in trends, successes and failures after the LA ART SHOW and welcome your comments and feedback to if you happen to have been there.
Be in touch soon!
Regards
Alex Ray
We may be in the 10s but it’s the kids of the nineties who have still got the majority stake in the British art market. The insatiable thirst for diamond skulls and unmade beds seems to prove that the YBA’s still have that golden touch. However, who are the rising new generation of artists to emerge from the current British art scene? Who’s the next Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Doig, Hume, Turk or even Chapman Brothers? With your toes in the Atlantic how do you know which wave will take you out into that fresh current of new British art?
London has always attracted many a student coming to bask in new found cultural abundance and artistic freedom. These multi cultural students stay on creating new criteria in their work that are breaking down notions of British. The concept of a ‘British quality’ has been cast aside as the London art scene takes the spotlight on the global stage of contemporary art. “New Generation British Painters” will allow Bay Area collectors to step off the Golden Gate Bridge onto London’s Southbank, but most importantly get beyond the bricks to the bare bones of what defines British art now; the quest for a new international synthesis. This is a unique opportunity to invest in the race before the odds become too high as demand for their work will only increase, and galleries have already started the uphill trend.
