The heading has the fairs ranked from my favorite to least favorite.

NADA

NADA, though some 40 blocks from the Convention Center was a terrific fair. Not only was it small and manageable, but the quality of the work (mostly emerging artists I was unfamiliar with) was excellent and not derivative at all. Many galleries completely sold out the work in their booths and much of the work I found interesting had already been sold. An artist from Seattle had two sold pieces in the booth of Ambach and Rice.

Ronvan der Ende

The artist, Ronvan der Ende, uses reclaimed wood to create familiar shapes such as a Citroen car or a diamond as relief sculpture.

Zipora Fried, Red, 2009

On Stellar Rays from New York is showing the work of Zipora Fried whose minimalist graphite drawings are velvety in texture. There is an article on her work in this month’s Art in America magazine.

Theaster Gates

Kavi Gupta from Chicago was showing the work of the fascinating artist, Theaster Gates. He uses wooden structures to mimic shoe shine stalls. Having grown up in a challenging neighborhood in Chicago, he investigates community and ways that people can help one another to be better human beings.

PULSE
Pulse was also very good having taken over the Ice Palace space which once housed NADA.

Kiel Johnson, Two Sides to Every Story: AKA Boom, Boom, 2009

I enjoyed the sold works of Kiel Johnson at Davidson Contemporary. A Kansas City artist working in different media such as foam, tape, and chipboard, he showcases pop culture items. Another favorite of mine is the Spanish artist Jordi Alcarez who had works at two pulse booths. Liliana Porter prints were available from multiple galleries as well.

Candida Hofer

Richard Levy from Albuquerque had a small Candida Hofer for $3500.

Petar Mirkovic, BMW

Lukasfeichtner had a polyster painting by Petar Mirkovic of a BMW. The work was truly different in technique than any other paintings I have have encountered before.

Masao Yamamoto installation

Some beautiful and delicate photos by Masao Yamamoto were on view at Yancey Richardson ranging from $800-3500.

Gary Ross Pastrana

And Silverlens Gallery had Gary Ross Pastrana’s works from “Stray Bullets” on view. An artist from the Phillipines, he paints and collages on index cards and groups them. A steal at only $1800.

AQUA

Aqua, which I am usually a huge fan of, was a little more conservative in feel this year. When it was held in the hotel in previous years, I found it to be a bit edgier with a number of California artists I had never heard of. Now it includes galleries from all over the US, but lacks some of its pizazz of previous years. However, it is also the fair where I found a Simon Evans piece I purchased– so there were some gems to be had. And of course there was a great gallery from DUMBO there run by my friend Randall Scott. He has some great affordable works. Check out his website for more information.

Art Miami has some very nice galleries showing at it as well as some that make me scratch my head. It appears to have not quite figured out what kind of fair it wants to be and what its niche is. There was a curated video section at Art Miami which was well done and a lovely idea. David Klein had a beautiful Morris Louis work at his booth. There were affordable photos of everyday objects but on a large scale by Stephen Inggs at Hackelbury Gallery.

James Drake, Chandelier, 2009, pencil and tape on paper, 96 x 70 in.

And a gorgeous and huge James Drake work in pencil and tape at William Shearburn.

Having shrunk from the entire Dorchester Hotel to just ten spaces the Ink Fair saddened me and it used to be one of my favorite fairs. There is still good work on view, my favorite a work from a sold out edition by John Chamberlain at the University of South Florida that sold for $5000.

Scope had a few decent galleries but most of the work on view was really not so good. Oddly enough it was very crowded when I visited. Cirrus gallery had a nice Matthew Brannon print as well as a Baldessari and some other works, but nothing I even found interesting enough to take notes on.

Art Asia just seemed like an extension of Scope I am sad to report.

Photo Miami was small, hard to find, and not worth going to in my opinion.

And Red Dot Fair was not even worth writing about. Keep in mind that I am sure there are treasures to be found at some of these fairs I was not so fond of, but the majority of the work on view was not worth having in my humble opinion.