NADA, installation view. All photos by Marsha Owett unless otherwise noted.
Back in October NADA explained that in response to their members, they would move their fair dates from May, when they showed alongside the Frieze Art Fair, to March,when they would open alongside the Independent, The Armory and the ADAA. Their members felt that more collectors were in town during Armory Week. That may be right, but herein lies the problem of being beholden to a membership. They ask for dumb shit. Sure, more people are in town, but there’s five times as much competition from other fairs, making it difficult to attract quality exhibitors.
And that shows. This year’s iteration of NADA is by far the worst showing I’ve ever seen of the fair, in any location, in my 12 years of reviewing it. In this show, art stands out not for uniqueness of vision, but rather because it’s been placed on an unusually colored wall or within an immersive installation. Long time dealers showing subpar versions of art fair standards—minimalist squares, droopy ceramics, squiggly abstraction—sublimate the more adventurous work of struggling emerging art spaces. Vast amounts of space are left open for visitors, yet dozens of exhibitors, in row on row arrangement are given minuscule exhibition booths.
This last aspect of the fair I actually found offensive. It’s one thing for a commercial endeavor that exists for the purpose of making money to make the mistake of not sharing enough of its resources. It’s quite another for a non-profit like NADA to make the mistake, because its very existence can only be justified by its generosity. If NADA can’t demonstrate that, then what is its purpose anyway?
Now, I suspect they’re aware of these issues and working on them, which is good and important, but in the short term they’ve got problems. The fair is a complete disappointment and were it not for a few stand out booths, hardly worth visiting. My advice to the organizers? Move the event dates back to May when it has to compete with the giant island art fair, Frieze, and tell the members they need to deal with the fact some collectors won’t get to the mainland. Like everyone else, at this point they’re to be aware the move was a mistake.
The few highlights:
Transfer Gallery AES+F Inverso Mundus. A true highlight of the fair. This operatic video production by the Russian collective AES+F spans 38 minutes envisions a truly dystopic version of human existence which involves corporatized imprisonment and slavery of humans, floating worlds and scary pig chefs. It’s completely over the top—think Cliff Evans but a multimillion dollar budget—the more you watch the crazier it gets. That said, this is a good example of a piece that might have benefited from being showcased in the larger public space the fair clearly had available. Inverso Mundus looks far more impressive when showcased at the scale it was presented at during the 2015 Venice Biennale.
Jeremy Couillard’s alien sitting at a desk is part of his current show at Yours Mine & Ours titled “Alien Afterlife”. I haven’t seen the show, but this piece amuses without any of that context. Part of the humor is simply that the alien is just as mundane as the rest of us. He too has to sit a computer at work. But also, I find it funny to imagine the collector who wants this in his home. Where exactly does this get put?
Safe Gallery, installation view. Artists include: Alex Eagleton, Fabienne Lesserre, Andy Cahill, Kenneth Zoran Curwood, James English Leary, Rich Porter. A crazy carpeted playhouse for adults. The bongs tubes are too big to use. The wall carpeting has been graffitied. A cube-y sculpture that resembles a toy you’d find in a doctor’s office sits near the front of the booth. Not too much more to say about this, past the fact that as objects they all seem like something people would want to buy.
TUNICA. From right to left: TUNICA, Wickerham & Lomax, Nejc Praj. All of these works look like perfectly preserved relics from civilizations in the future—portraiture in bondage, masks made of plastics, a banner from an unnamed Kingdom. And for once, the future doesn’t seem totally foreboding (even if it’s not entirely welcoming). Good.
Jacuzzi Muse at Galeria Agustina Ferreyra. I keep wondering when I’m going to grow tired of anthropomorphization of everything trend but I guess the answer is not today. These sculptures are very charming in part because the artist seems to be aware of their trendiness. Why else paint them in pastel and gradients (another trend)? Based on this and Safe Gallery’s show it would seem works meant to decorate the home stuck out.
Gordon Robichaux Presents: Let Go or Be Dragged. Artists: Babirye Leilah, Graham Durward, Daphne Fitzpatrick, Eve Fowler, Richard Haines, Jimmy Paul, Matt Savitsky, Siobhan Liddell, Tabboo!, Tseng Kwong Chi, Frederick Weston, David Yarritu. A booth showcasing the visual, conceptual and political language of drag! Nearly every work has a backstory or history that enriches its message and that’s only furthered by Robichaux curated program “Contemporary Drag for NADA Presents”. It includes collaborations with Print All over Me, curated books with Peradam Press, panel discussions and more. The creative energy of pretty much every fair I’ve been to has been improved by the presence of drag queens—in part because performance is such a big part of the culture and that often adds a much needed element to what can become staid showcase environments. More of this please.
I first took this painting by Tabboo! at Gordon Robichaux as rendered in a folk art type style, but the abstract background throws a wrench in that description. Depicted are an array of figures of different color and gender identification, all united in their message of Dumping Trump. Hear hear!
Andi Schmied at Trapéz, Budapest, at NADA New York 2017. A large model of an imagined Japanese city wherein archetypes of disconnected architectural details such as stairs, arches and windows are strategically placed around the grounds. Reflective mylar surrounds the sculpture. As has been noted elsewhere, it’s a bit difficult to parse the meaning out, but perhaps that’s not necessary. It’s easy enough just to enjoy it as is.
Moran Bonderoff gave over its booth to Jacolby Satterwhite, an artist known for Afrofuturist visions of men fucking in trees, naked slaves powering cities, and euphoric dancing on moving planets. Here he printed out images from his videos as wallpaper for the booth and set up a station for collectors to experience his VR work. Stunning and insanely inventive, as per usual. Photo: Casey Kelbaugh. Courtesy of NADA New York.
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