Notably, the newest issue of Art Krush doesn’t mention The Affordable Art Fair in their list of Art Basel competitors who are also opening their doors this week to collectors. I’m sure the offices of the online zine will be quick to tell you that since the fairs they had featured were “upstart competition”, the AAF (which was formed in 1999), hardly qualified. While this is true, given that it would have taken all of two minutes to throw in a sentence about the AAF it seems like something else might be at play. I suspect the problem is that like most in the art world, Art Krush buys into the maxim “you get what you pay for“. “B or C list artist with no prospects” is synonymous with the word affordable these days, so it’s not surprising that the fair gets overlooked by a variety of media sources.
Now, I’ve never been to this fair, so I can’t pass these kinds judgements until tomorrow, but given what I’ve just said, I’m sure it will come as a surprise to noone that I attend with a healthy amount of skeptism. In the meantime, I offer all sorts of alternative feedback for the fair. For instance, one thing the AAF seems to be missing is a shopping blog. Looking at what goes for a hundred bucks these days sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Or not. But at these prices, I don’t think anyone needs to worry about the blog “cheapening” the work.
For those who insist upon getting some sort of a blog fix during the weekend, there is actually a bloggerfull panel on developing a photography collection this Sunday that you can attend. The members include Daniel Cooney, MAO, and my favorite photographer of the season Simen Johan. I’m not sure what qualifications Johan has that make him such an authority on collecting (other than being someone whom has made work that has sold well), but in the hopes that he’ll talk about his work I think we should all attend. This discussion will be moderated by W.M. Hunt.
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