Sam Rolfes: Otherworldly Portraits at the Pulse Art Fair

by Sam Rolfes on March 7, 2015 Art Fair + Artist Commissions

Rolfes ArtF 3

MC2 Gallery: lit by their phone as much as the "Win Win (Flamingo’s Dream" ping-pong table by Trong Gia Nguyen. Here, Nguyen's work has been turned into a lamp.

MC2 Gallery: lit by their phone as much as the “Win Win (Flamingo’s Dream” ping-pong table by Trong Gia Nguyen. Here, Nguyen’s work has been turned into a lamp.

After visiting Pulse, artist Sam Rolfes ended up making a series of digital sketches related to the fair. They’re not true-to-life, these alien-like, expressive portraits.

“I ended up being entertained by the gallery attendants,” says Rolfes. “Once the scent of collectors had faded from the booth’s vicinity, they slouched over their iPhones—in contrapposto—or other various states of digital repose.”

What follows are Sam Rolfes’ figure studies, his digital sketches of gallery dealers and attendants, set next to his favorite work in the booth. All captions by the artist.

Rolfes- ArtF 1Philip Bloom Gallery figures in front of a few good paintings.

Rolfes- artf 2A thoroughly sweatered representative of C24 gallery and a top view of the sweet glass video jar by Katja Loher, which reminds me of fellow Chicagoan Yaloopop‘s work in the best way possible.

Rolfes- ArtF4The booth attendant for Pictura Gallery balancing on “Municipium” by Conner Green.

Rolfes- ArtF5

Lesley Heller Workspace: reclining against “Bungalow und Zimmer I, (Zempin, Germany)” by Katherine Newbegin.

Rolfes artF 6Galerie Frey against “Wing” by Herbert Golser

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