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GIORDANO SARNO

EXPLORING FAIRLAND Urbanity and architecture of art fairs

Giordano Sarno 851713 Relatore: Matilde Cassani Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle Costruzioni - MI Corso di studio: Architettura Politecnico di Milano

Milano, Luglio 2018

Table of contents

Introduction & Methodology

Abstract

Finding and archiving

1.1

Alfonso Artiaco: The works shape the space as a melting pot of sensibilities Introducing the process of the gallery to the world’s art audience

1.2

Angela Vettese: The place really matters! How to leverage the potential of Italian Art Cities

1.3

Anne Holtrop: The fair is not for local people Art fairs as a camouflage phenomenon, in between culture and market

1.4

Franz Schultheis: It was Miami Vice and now it’s Miami Nice! Investigating the social topography of art fairs

1.5

Giuseppe Morra: Comparison, dialogue and integration of partnerships Art fairs’ territorial impact and temporal continuity

1.6

Guido Guerzoni: Everything looks like a disco club! Compensative mechanisms of the fair as a public relationship stage

1.7

Ilaria Bonacossa: Improving the connection network The art fair as a catalyzer of the Art System

1.8

Paola Colacurcio: People’s ego and self consideration (plus everything extra) The dealer's know-how of art fairs

1.9

Roberto Crivellini: Selling carpets to a carpet seller Inner circle and contaminations of the art world

1.10

Sergio Casoli: A window, an excuse to meet Displaying art at art fairs with an artwork based attitude

1.11

Sergio Fermariello: It is a trauma, but makes you think! Investigating the art fair as a relational platform

History, Developments and Dynamics

2.1

Mapping Art Fairs Geographies and Economies: Art Global Cities

2.2

Key Findings: Numbers of the Art Market

Exploring Fairland

The Fair Territory: between Infrastructure and Ephemeral Design

3.1

Urbanisation, market spatial model and hierarchies

106

3.2

Beyond the market spatial model: Curatorial approach towards a complex interior landscape

116

3.3

Permeability, inclusivity, exclusivity and segregation

125

3.4

Social Topography: a Public-Relation Stage Competition and Convivium of physical signifiers

129

3.5

Displaying Art: Interiors and Set Up

139

3.6

Admission Procedure and The Art Basel Committee

146

3.7

Colonialism and Art Basel Cities Project

151

Art Global Cities Fairs

153

4.1

Art|Basel Basel

154

4.2

Art|Basel Miami Beach

160

4.3

Art|Basel Hong Kong

168

4.4

Frieze London

178

4.5

Frieze New York

182

4.6

Fiac Paris

186

Booth Atmospheres: booth designs, price lists and maps.

191

5.1

Art|Basel Basel, Alfonso Artiaco booth

192

5.2

Art|Basel Miami Beach, Lia Rumma booth

204

5.3

Art|Basel Hong Kong, Lia Rumma booth

214

5.4

Frieze London, Massimo De Carlo booth

226

5.5

Frieze New York, Alfonso Artiaco booth

236

5.6

Fiac Paris, Massimo De Carlo booth

244

The desk complexity

254

Storage!

298

Conclusions

314

Bibliography

316

Introduction & Methodology

Francesco Garutti (a cura di ), Fairland: Explorations, Insights and Outlooks on Art Fair Future, Koening Books, Londra 2014. 1

The fairs have been chosen following the 2017 and 2018 UBS Art Market data guidelines. 2

Exploring Fairland takes its name from Francesco Garutti’s Fairland, a book that has inspired this journey in the art fair world, which I’ve encountered multiple times during my personal experience. In the introduction the author sheds light on his purpose of investigating the art fair phenomenon and its “concentration of symbolic, social and financial capital”1, as referring to a physical body, a territory or a high-density land. Starting from this assumption, the thesis tries to investigate a multitude of outlooks on the art fair reality, focusing on the spatial side of the issue. Through a finding and archiving process, it was possible to collect interviews, plans, maps, cost estimates, pictures and jokes about one of the most relevant manifestations of the Art System. Mapping the art fair and its boundaries has been the process necessary to let a complex image came out, a sort of collective drawing. It focuses on six major art fairs worldwide, chosen because of their success, geographical location and network influences. The physical nature of this controversial event has been analysed by overlapping the different points of view of art insiders. The core of the work is the basic feature of a physical stage that allows for a host of dynamics to happen. At first it was necessary to understand the nature of the event and then to question its architecture. Indeed, the aim of the research is to analyse a fundamental per se phenomenon of the art world with tools that belong to the built environment and architecture. This work investigates the relation between art fair and architecture at different scales. On one hand, the research tries to prove the possibility of looking at the art fair from an urban point of view, while on the other, it aims to examine if it is possible to understand each booth as an autonomous project of ephemeral architecture. These questions have been the catalysers for this research project and its outcomes.

Exploring Fairland begins with an interview section that tries to build a comprehensive image of the art fair, created thanks to the words of the people that deal with this phenomenon, on a regular basis in their professional life. In this spiral process every information was a step towards mapping the complex dynamics involved in this reality. The first idea was to invite all the players to a round table, to promote an active debate between them. Of course this is something that’s almost impossible, when it comes to putting together personalities that are active in different territorial and cultural networks. This is why I decided to have personal interviews, trying to touch upon common topics to then compare their points of view by directly juxtaposing their words, trying to emulate a choral rhyme, or rather, a dissonance composition. By providing a theoretical background and framing, it has been possible for the respondents to express themselves keeping myself as a mediator figure, respectful of their own outlooks and thoughts. The following chapters of this research have been developed following the same guidelines. A further section includes analytical materials related to the spatial dimension, needed towards understanding some synthetic aspects of the art fair complexity by looking at specific documents and data of six major art fairs2 (Art|Basel Basel, Art|Basel Miami Beach, Art|Basel Hong Kong, Frieze London, Frieze New York and Fiac Paris). This section compares layouts, booths details, regulations and also price invoicing and drawings of past booth design solutions. A final section includes pictures taken at the last Art|Basel edition in Basel. The images question how far the project of space goes and if it is possible to understand the booths as temporary interior projects. All the pictures of Art|Basel 2018 in this research were taken by me.

Abstract Exploring Fairland investigates the phenomenon of art fairs from a spatial point of view and with tools that belong to architecture and the built environment. The research project starts with a collection of interviews that aim to construct an inclusive image of the art fair based on the outlooks of different professional figures that deal with it on a regular base. The chapters that follow analyse both the urban nature of the fair and its layout and territory, as well as the art displays inside the booths. A horizontal attention is given to the political and social dynamics interconnected with specific spatial details addressing permeability, inclusivity, exclusivity and segregation. The aim is to understand the event as a complex built relational stage, switching focus from the impact of the fair on the city to the booths ephemeral projects. The spatial analysis is carried out by researching Art|Basel Basel, Art|Basel Miami Beach, Art|Basel Hong Kong, Frieze London, Frieze New York and Fiac Paris. Three major Italian contemporary art galleries, Alfonso Artiaco, Massimo De Carlo and Lia Rumma provided the documents to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the spaces with their material and immaterial features. Spatiality is investigated through maps, plans, perspective drawings, details, images and the direct experience of art insiders.

Sean Kelly Gallery booth at Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

Finding and Archiving

Interviews Alfonso Artiaco Angela Vettese Anne Holtrop Franz Schultheis Giuseppe Morra Guido Guerzoni Ilaria Bonacossa Paola Colacurcio Roberto Crivellini Sergio Casoli Sergio Fermariello

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Alfonso Artiaco

The Alfonso Artiaco gallery was founded in 1986 in Pozzuoli, Naples. The gallery held exhibitions of Carl Andre and Sol LeWitt, Jannis Kounellis and Gerhard Merz. In November 2012 the Alfonso Artiaco Gallery moved to Piazzetta Nilo, Naples, opening its new premises with the exhibition by Liam Gillick and a tribute to Sol LeWitt. Here, the art dealer talks about the fair as a relational stage where different sensibilities come together. His idea of display is one: let art shape the space. He has been attending Art Basel for several years and thinks that the Swiss fair is outstanding and still in the lead within the art world scenario, as he says in the interview talking also about success, status and quality of a gallery as relevant features for its spatial positioning.

The works shape the space as a melting pot of sensibilities Introducing the process of the gallery to the world’s art audience

G: How does your gallery deal with the world of art fairs? What do you think of their role between market and cultural institutions? A: I’ve always understood the art fair as a tool to connect the program of my gallery to a wider audience that wouldn’t attend my exhibition at the gallery so easily otherwise. To me the fair means a sum of all the projects I follow at my space. Sometimes, I’ve set exhibitions specifically for the fair. I would define my relation with the event a good one, it is a valid tool to open the gallery to the world. Anyway a museum is something else. It has different features and goals and it’s linked to the specific vision and choice of a curator. The fair instead, is a melting pot of sensibilities, that’s why people might think it’s the modern answer to the museum. But I would bet that we’ll always need museums. The fair works as a collateral event that helps in developing your own taste in art. But since it’s something that lasts for few days, the sedimentation of a message needs a time that only the museum can give. G: Do you think that the fair can have an impact on the city that hosts it? Is it able to activate a network on an urban scale? A: It depends from fair to fair. There are examples able to shape international realities and I’m referring to all the three fairs organised by ArtBasel: Basel, Miami and Hong Kong. During that week Basel becomes the indisputable capital of art worldwide. The growth of other parallel manifestations is a clear phenomenon in Miami and has been developing a lot. It seems that all the collateral events - and I mean other fairs, exhibitions, private collections, etc - can reach a very relevant level. A place that hosts events like that can earn a lot in terms of financial, social and cultural capitals. G: According to your experience, what is the most interesting fair and why?

A: It’s Art Basel, no matter what. The Basel fair’s success depends on its geographical location, in between France, Germany, not so far from Belgium, Austria and Italy. The geographic position made it gain the international legitimation it has. Galleries apply from all over the world, from India to America. It’s a melting pot of more than 250 selected galleries, just try to imagine how important it is to be there. No other fair worldwide reaches this level. I left Frieze New York because it’s a mess. As a gallery, we joined it since its very first edition, but last year I decided It was going to be the last one. London is a bit better, but I never took part because it’s overlapped with Fiac and since Paris was the first international fair to invite me, I thought it wasn’t elegant to part from it in order to join Frieze and I don’t want to do so. G: How do you get ready, as a gallery, to join the fair? What’s your plan regarding application, economy and everything that must be scheduled? A: Each gallery has a personal recipe. I like to exhibit in Basel the projects that have been at my gallery from the previous July to the June of the following year. It’s obvious that attending such an important event a selection of high-profile artist must be made, this is necessary as, in a way, it represents the growing process of the gallery. I get ready by researching and processing all the works that I want to exhibit, in the case that these are already present at the gallery, otherwise I request specific works from the artists. Then it comes to all the technical preparations: scheduling, networking with the collectors, curators and so on. G: When do you need to do that in order to be ready on time? A: More or less two months before, at the end of April, I know everything about the works I’m going to bring to Basel. For example, this year I’ll exhibit a work by Robert Barry in the Art Unlimited1 section. Once the galleries are selected to join the fair, there

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is a second selection for big scale projects. This year we’ve applied to Art Unlimited, together with many other galleries, to exhibit Robert Barry’s work. Everything started many, many months ago. Today I can tell you that is a work composed of 15 red canvases that will be displayed according to a more or less random layout, on three walls of the space that a work of this importance needs to be displayed. I already know everything. I’ve planned shipping and customs procedures. The work has already arrived to New York and will subsequently enter the European Community and so on. Everything is scheduled. G: Focusing on the question of space, how do you design your booth and the display of the works? A: The works shape the space. We do have a layout for reference, but all the variations are done following the specific pieces we want to exhibit during that edition. Obviously, the space is shaped by the needs of the work. We are completely in love with the SketchUp design tool. With this software we build a virtual maquette of the booth and scale the works (especially the bidimensionale ones) to fit the space. In this way we can prefigure the spatial atmosphere of the fair. Sometimes it could happen that the real set up was different from the digital version and needed to be fixed, maybe because of a ray of light or a detail. But in any case SketchUp helps us a lot. Then we have an online platform where the organisers send us all the technical specifications of the space. For example, now in Hong Kong there is a section of my booth that is part of a fire barrier so, for a linear meter, I can’t hang any works. G: How much can you deal in choosing the location of the booth on the plan layout? Does it change in time? A: Zero! Top level fairs don’t allow you to do that for any reason. They usually consider the works you exhibit and the status of your gallery, sometimes they are unfair, sometimes they do the right thing. The consideration of my gallery in Basel today isn’t the same I used to have some years ago. The status, success and quality of the gallery affect the location on the map. G: Regarding the space that hosts the fair, how

important is the box/building/container and how much does the inner layout count? A: I think that Fiac is the most beautiful example from the point of with of the relationship with the hosting building. It’s the most interesting hosting architecture, the Grand Palais. The light, the location within the city can’t be compared to any other event. Certainly beauty alone won’t make it work like Basel, but that’s another topic. We need to focus more on the hosting solutions. For example Frieze announced an edition in Los Angeles inside the Paramount Studios and I’m more than interested in applying because it’s a beautiful location and Los Angeles is a market I’m not familiar with, I’d like the challenge. Had it been another temporary tensile structure1 in a random location somewhere in New York, I wouldn’t have applied at all. The place and the building matter, the quality of the space directly affects the consideration of the event and major galleries follow these parameters. About the organisation, the Swiss are outstanding. Today the services provided at different fairs are more or less standardised, but Basel is still in the lead: it was the first to introduce everything we know about art fairs. G: Do you think that the space of the fair is important to display the works or as a stage for the socio-relational aspect of the event and the networking? A: Both, I think they are not mutually exclusive. It’s clear that a good layout and set up of the booth gives a positive feedback and a network improvement. I like to have a good display of the work that is elegant, clean and sometimes even radical, if the occasion demands it.

Art Unlimited in Basel is an exhibition platform established in 2000 that spotlights ambitious contemporary and historical works including large scale works and performances. 1

New York and London editions of Frieze are held inside temporary pavilions designed for the occasion. 2

next page: Alfonso Artiaco’s booth at Art Basel|Basel, 2018.

Angela Vettese

Angela Vettese is an Italian art critic, head of the Visual Art School at the IUAV Venice University and Art Director of the Artefiera, Bologna art fair since the 2017 edition. She is a true art insider thanks to her teaching and professional experience that includes Bocconi University, Venice Biennale, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, FAI and “Il Sole 24 ore”. Here, she talks about her personal experience as director inside the art fair world and focuses on two main points: the unquestionable money-art relation and the importance of the place, like the Italian art cities, in organising the fair-event, from a cultural, economical and social point of view. When it comes to social life, she becomes a little bit sceptical by saying that she can’t always agree with the idea of an art that is hidden behind social events.

The place really matters! How to leverage the potential of Italian Art Cities

G: What do you think of the global phenomena of art fairs and how do you deal with it? What do you think regarding the issue of market versus cultural institution? A: I’ve been attending the major art fairs for decades, but today it’s impossible to attend all of them. The art fairs have become role players of the art system, as it has been defined during the ‘60s by Alloway and Danto according to the Institutional Theory of Art (Dickie, Becker). G: What is the impact of an art fair on the city that hosts it? A: Regarding Italian cities and Italian art heritage cities (città d’arte), the contemporary art fair represents an important moment for the urban and touristic dynamics. It’s an event that challenges the city to open itself to the international scene while establishing local opportunities. Unfortunately privates still have difficulties in understanding how crucial this moment of self-introduction is for the city itself. G: What fair did you attend first? Do you think it has changed in time? A: I have been attending Art Basel and Artefiera from the beginning of the 80s. I’ve been involved in the organisation of an edition of Arco where I introduced two important nonprofit spaces: Prometeo (now Prometeo Gallery) and Viafarini. Arco has always been investing in cultural aspects and is still a model of reference. At the beginning of 2000s a new kind of glamour fair with top VIP services established itself. This model shares a huge attention to the collateral events on a wider territorial scale (even if Basilea is a city that comes alive only during the Art Basel days). It’s fun but I cannot always agree with the idea of art that is overshadowed by that social life.

G: How do you get ready for the fair? I’m thinking of organisation, decisions, applications, economy and public relations... A: I always bet on a fair with strong cultural contents (a real international conference and not a mixture of improvised talks), with an entrance made of books and rare objects, with a pleasant path and without separate sections, that opens to the city and brings the galleries to set up the exhibitions of their artists in urban places, sometimes hidden but fascinating, like universities, museums and aristocratic palaces. The Art City route, realised by the City of Bologna in many public institutional locations, is sponsored by Arte Fiera. G: As a fair director, how do you deal with the space and its features? A: I always try to design the space. Working on the map and the booth layout, by adding features like the “ordinary” publishing houses in the galleries’ path. I think these are decisions that make the difference. I always work with Alessandra Delvino, in the internal team of BolognaFiere. G: How much do you design the space in regard to the booth layout and the sponsors areas? Is it a proper architectural project? A: It is not really architectural even if we try to introduce comfortable design solutions. The plan is a combinatory game that can make the gallerists happy or unhappy, then they are free to design their own space autonomously, according to their requested floor area. I’m involved in designing Printville, the entrance with the book publishing houses, the talk area and the vip lounges that becomes the space were people get their deals closed or build networking relations. We are lucky to have sponsors in the design field that help us a lot. G: What do you think of the space that hosts the

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fair? The box can be really different according to the fair: Prestigious buildings (Grand Palais), exhibition centres, temporary structures, etc. The layout can be compared to an urban foundation model with a strong functional and social segregation (VIP areas, previews, etc.) What do you think of that? A: I think that the place really matters! Fiac has been reborn since it was relocated at Grand Palais. The main Frieze drawback is that it is held in a temporary structure. Its strength (in terms of welcome and comfort) is the extreme variety of VIP lounges, restaurants, meeting spaces as well as performance and exhibition areas. I visited at Frieze, one of the most beautiful art exhibitions ever on Feminism, last year. Art and market are not separate elements, even if finance is becoming predominant, and that can create problems from a curatorial point of view. We have to admit that western art has developed in parallel with capitalism, commercial capitalism first (middle ages) and later, industrial capitalism (XIX sec.). Today we have to deal with financial capitalism. The money-art relation is there since art was bought for the first time. Who is shocked by that should reread Baxandal on the Italian art of the XV sec., that was based on the contracts between commissioning actors and artists. According to Haskell, there have always been aberrations in ancient art: letâ€™s focus on the bulimic production of Correr in Venice, thanks to whom we now have a great museum. On this point I found brilliant, but consciously kitsch, the evolution of Damien Hirst (of whom I remember the first works showed in a small collateral fair in Cologne with a young Jay Joplin. In fact Joplinâ€™s gallery, the White Cube, was established by Hirst and itâ€™s not true that Hirst was created by Joplin). The centrality of the artist is an aspect that today risks to be forgotten. There are so much criticism and victimisation.

He Xiangyu, Untitled (2018) at Art| Basel Basel, 2018.

Anne Holtrop

Anne Holtrop graduated in Architecture in 2005 from the Academie van Bouwkunst in Amsterdam and in 2009 opened his own studio. Today his office is based in Muharraq, Bahrain and Amsterdam. His work ranges from models to temporary spaces and buildings. In 2015 his first two major buildings, Museum Fort Vechten and the National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain, were completed. He focuses on very site-specific and calibrated interventions, thatâ€™s why I think it was extremely interesting to challenge him by talking about the art fair architecture issue. From our talk emerged an interesting economical and systematical debate about the whole Art System and its dynamics. Then, when it came to space, he investigated the masterplan level of the fair with its urban model of regularity and exception, and the identity of the built space itself that seems to lack quality in exhibiting art, if compared to gallery spaces and institutional settings. He stressed the idea of the market model and its features, wondering about causes and related phenomena, saying that to fully understand the architectural condition, itâ€™s fundamental to look at everything that is involved in the process, all the multiple dynamics of the art footprint.

The fair is not for local people! Art fairs as a camouflage phenomenon, in between culture and market

G: What’s your relation with art fairs? A: I’ve never been involved in design art fairs directly, but I have exhibited my work there, in Amsterdam, Design Miami, etc. I made several exhibitions, but the main difference between art fair and exhibition, is that the fair is the market, so you come to buy. At exhibitions you cannot buy the works, I think that is maybe the only crucial difference that makes the whole dynamic and the whole expectation about the spatial set up completely different. G: Do you think that art fairs provide an instant outlook on what contemporary art is in the moment you visit? A: Let’s say that, I’ve exhibited myself only one time really at an art fair, at Paris Photo1. The rest of the exhibitions were in design fairs, which is a little bit different I think, because it’s more like a natural environment. The furniture is there to be sold anyway. I think that the natural place to display art, where the art is presented as something new and contemporary, is the gallery space. Gallery space is the first one, the other one is the cultural institution for displaying art. Those two are the places where you expect to see something new, a contribution to the contemporary art. I understand the fair as something different, a place where there is a large availability of art, as in an ocean, and you go there because you want to buy, not necessarily to have a discussion on the content of the art piece. It is also a very cramped space, because it’s very expensive for the gallery owner, so he puts many works in a small space. All kinds of works that do not necessarily have anything to do with each other on a content base. There is no logic. While in the gallery it’s different, because the gallery wants to put the artist forward in the best possible way, so they make solo exhibitions. They always introduce the exhibition with a vernissage, there is an opening, and then of course the art finally is there

to be sold, but this is less emphasised. The selling at the fair is the reason everyone is there, isn’t it? G: At the end of the day we are talking about a market, even if nowadays many people point out the cultural value of the fair as an art institution that could be maybe compared to a museum. What do you think about that? Do you think that it’s possible to have a balance between the market value and the cultural one at art fairs? A: I understand it mainly as a market. Then of course they make special project spaces where they invite artists, architects, designers to make the statement work for the fair itself. In a way to say: ‘we are also interested in the content and we want to contribute to the content’. We can see that. But I have a cynic feeling that it is more like a camouflage for what it is actually its nature. So they made the design for the Frieze art fair as a new pavilion, in Art Basel there are also sight specific big works outside or inside, commissioned by the fair. But then you go inside and you have all the booths of the galleries working for selling art. That’s how I think it works. You can also look at the reviews on the art fair. If someone has a solo show in a gallery, a critique will be written by art journals or online, and the work will be discussed. I think it’s nice to read the critiques about art fairs by the journalists of the art world. Maybe there is a good critique and it means that there’s more going on than just the selling of the goods. It would also be interesting to understand how much is being sold, the business side, and to ask a gallery how much they pay for the booth. Of course you have better and weaker spots at a fair, according to the importance of the gallery. I think that the space reflects the economic model of the market: corridor with booths. G: Yes, maybe we can talk a little bit about the layout and the spatial model, because as you said it seems to be really strict and rational, but then there is also this tendency of having bubble spaces that are private, for collectors, special collectors

Anne Holtrop, Barbar Batara, Solo Gallerie, 2016.

Chapter 1

Exploring Fairland

and VIPs, reflecting a little bit the concept of the airport lounge: an infrastructure that is meant to be for everyone, but at the end of the day it’s really differentiated in its spaces. I found a huge contrast in the ideal participation (that is a main feature for a fair) and the actual spatial segregation. What do you think about it? A: Yes! The VIP is of course the one, the person that gets the priority to buy first. You know, the market is also based on availability, so the VIPs are the people that are invited to come to the preview and they can buy earlier than regular people, in other words: the collectors, the museum representatives and everyone that comes first. It’s like when you fly business class, you can wait in a better space than if you fly economy. It’s just an accommodation of people’s expectations, and the environment depends on who they are. G: Do you think that the spatial model reflects in a way the idea of the market and its social hierarchy? A: Yes, I think so. It is a bit like the plan of Manhattan, you can easily divide and read the pieces in an equal structure. But as always from the overlap of many factors you get the most prominent places and the less prominent ones - if you are close to the entrance, or close to something that attracts people - so the price goes up for that piece. It needs to be built up very efficiently because it only stands for few days and then it is taken down. So these are most of the time systems that can be reused: the booths, the lights, etc. It is completely uneconomical to make a different system. So it’s better to save the money for the special space, a special entrance, a special VIP area. You can make the Central Park and the Statue of Liberty and the rest is the market. And then you just resell them for the next one. G: According to your experience how does architecture work in displaying art? A: Talking about art fairs I think that the spatial qualities are completely absent! It’s all cramped and all the work is crammed on each other. It is very crowded, lots of people. It’s often in a nice space, like the Grand Palais in Paris, a big nice space. But then, inside, how the fair is itself, there’s no special feeling, you are just focused on the object

itself. Also, the type of art doesn’t reflect all the arts. As some types of art don’t fit in this format, you mostly see framed works like photographs, paintings, drawings, and then sculptures - if they are not too big or too heavy, because otherwise you cannot get them inside. That’s almost it. Video work is very difficult to display at art fairs. I would say that it is a kind of art (the one they sell at art fairs) that is easily collectable. But inside the galleries there’s something different. If the gallery works with an artist that makes video works, uses sound or makes huge sculptures, then the gallery will try to accommodate the work. First of all, there is much more focus on the relationship with the artistic content of the work and how to display it in the best way, and that’s the main interest. Sometimes the gallery doesn’t even sell in the exhibition itself, but it’s positioning and framing the artist. The sales might go in very different ways, but at art fairs you need something that is easily collectable so that if you have a little bit of money you can buy something, I’ve also bought at art fairs, and you can take it directly with you. It’s not bad! G: In a way it has to deal with the need of immediacy of nowadays, in time and space and economy. Is it a metaphor of global culture? A: Yes! If you go to a jewellery fair, you can appreciate wonderful pieces of jewellery, but a lot of people just go there to buy them. And they may be as expensive as the art you can buy at art fairs. The transactions with an average of 50.000 € a piece are not strange at all. People at art fairs also know this. I don’t know what a booth costs but I think there are many price levels: for young galleries maybe the booth costs 20.000 € and for the big ones maybe from 50.000 € to 100.000 €. So, that means you need to sell! You need to pay the booth, you need to pay the artist, the production cost of the work and make a profit. You have to sell pieces for 400.000 € to pay for the 100.000 € booth, that’s the economic reality. And 400.000 € in three days is a lot of money. People would not be in it if it didn’t work like that. So it means there’s a lot of money going around in a very short time span, and the more condensed version of that I think is the auction. Like the fair is a little bit the old fashioned way where you can display, walk around and look at art. While the auctions works on the catalogue and

Anne Holtrop, Barbar Batara, Solo Gallerie, 2016.

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Exploring Fairland

you don’t even need to go physically there. You can have the companies that bid for you on the phone to buy the pieces. G: Are you saying that it could become a virtual space? A: I’m only saying that what this space is could be reinvented, because nowadays auctions tend to have a better structure towards certain kinds of sales rather than the physical places. G: I think that the physical place is just for the social aspects, it provides the stage for all the relationships that happen around art as an artefact. A: Yes, and of course buying things on such a level is for some people a manifestation of their status, it’s also part of the social relations to understand who is who, what is the hierarchy, who buys a lot, which are the galleries that sell a lot and who is working with the coolest people. It is all measured at that moment, at the art fair. The space, the market space is as generic as possible, it is almost like a Rem Kolhaas space. G: Are you saying it is just a space and not a place? (laughs) To which extent do you think that the box and the outer building can affect the spatial qualities of the fair? A: That makes a difference! It can be a really bad space that does not really work, but most of them are actually taking place in spaces that are used for completely different kinds of fairs. We can have the boat fair or I don’t know what, they all take place in this kind of spaces so I think there’s nothing cultural in that, not so much. It can also be a nice piece of architecture, such as Grand Palais or some other historic pieces of architecture, but they don’t have anything really specific to the art fair I think. And no one really wants a new model for it or to experiment with the spatial set up, otherwise it’s difficult to sell to galleries and stakeholders. We have a book fair now here in Bahrain with 420 booths, so it’s quite large, all 3 m x 3 m and we only see one exception where there isn’t a booth and we design something, but the rest completely follows the system.

G: It sounds like a Superstudio radical plan, doesn’t it? (laughs) A: Yea, but it functions simply, doesn’t it? G: Do you think that the fair has an impact on the city that hosts it and is it capable of activating a network at an urban scale? A: I think it has a huge influence, you know all the people they fly in or travel towards the place, go to the opening, go for dinner afterwards, they visit the city. There is a huge influence on the city. I think that it’s the city itself that promotes this kind of events to have a resonance, it is good for the economy: hotels, taxis, restaurants and stores. The fair is not for local people, it is international. So people fly to reach the fair, they come from everywhere to the place that is central for the trade. People that are regular collectors of arts would visit all these places and then maybe they go to auctions, go to the galleries and have their own schedule. Maybe every week or every two weeks you have the opportunity to do that. G: Would you ever design a fair? A: Not after what we discussed about it. No, I don’t think so (laughs). I think that exhibition is different to making a gallery space or a museum space. But the fair I would let someone else design, you need a kind of architect that fits the architecture of the fair. My work maybe fits less, it’s too specific and there is no place for this specificity. The market model really works. I was thinking about collectors, real ones, they have thousands of pieces in their collections, not just a few. So if you have one thousand pieces and you buy one work every week, you can buy 50 works in a year. These people buy a lot, those who can afford it. If you can understand the economic dynamics, there is a pretty strong business behind it. I don’t know how much they sell in Fiac in one session, but that figure is pretty high. The economics of architecture is completely not relevant compared to that. And why is the business so good? Because it’s a lot of black money. And if you have a lot of black money, you cannot move it so easily, but what you can move is art or jewellery, those goods that are not bound to a country - not like real estate that is easily taxed. It is very difficult

Anne Holtrop, Barbar Floor, Solo Gallerie, 2016.

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to control art and even in Geneva there are storage places for art. Those places are like embassies, special areas free from taxation. A collector can go to the fair, buy some works which then goes directly to the storage. It’s a bank account, but one that cannot really be registered or be controlled by governments. The art fair is so crazy because it’s a way to store money in a kind of safe way and if you do it well you can make money out of it again. If you buy a Gursky photo for 100.000 € maybe next year you can sell it for 150.000 €, cause Gursky is still really hot. That’s what it’s all about: economics. And of course no one talks about it, but it’s a major topic. The art fairs that want to strongly control who buys what, are becoming a lot less popular. In fact, I understood that at the jewellery fair they want to control who buys what, and in Basel for example, the sales are going down because of that control. People want to keep the anonymity. So the places that have success are the ones that provide favourable conditions for the collectors: if you buy something in the UK you don’t want to pay VAT on your art purchase, so art fairs without VAT sell a lot. All I’m trying to say is that if you want to look at architectural conditions, you have to look at everything that is involved in the process and the multiple dynamics. That’s how you can investigate the real footprint of the art fair: where it comes from, where it is presented and where it goes. There is no static place, it is completely dynamic.

He presented his work Barbar, Batara with the Solo Gallerie in 2016.

Franz Schultheis

Professor in Sociology at St. Gallen University, Switzerland, Franz Schultheis became familiar with art fairs by accident. He had been working with Pierre Bourdieu for 20 years and started addressing sociology of art while editing his works in German. He is the global editor of Bourdieu work on art in German. He was invited to Art Basel for the very first time by Camera Austria, whose publication of Bouridieu photography he made with. Thatâ€™s how he understood the importance of the phenomenon and decided to study it in detail. He had the laissez-passer to Art Basel in Basel, Miami, Hong Kong and became familiar with the art fair world. In his book, When Art meets Money. Encounters at Art Basel, he investigates the contradictions and dynamics of the money-art relation in the Art Basel scenario, which he describes as a highly selected one. His idea of social topography and status hierarchies is deeply analysed there and emerges from our interview too. He x-rays the socio-economical foundations of the events switching from the urban impact to the symbolic capital and its physical representation, comparing the Swiss model to the Anglo-Saxon one of Frieze while also addressing the curatorial issue.

It was Miami Vice and now it’s Miami Nice! Investigating the social topography of art fairs

G: Do you think art fairs provide an instant outlook on contemporary art? What kind of relation do you have with them (from your professional point of view and personal experience)? F: More than an instant outlook I would say a special outlook, and a special choice of contemporary art. What we find in the art fairs is a highly selected choice, from highly selected galleries, who bring highly selected artists to the place. And it is a rather commercial selection of artists that we find there. There are quite a lot of other kinds of contemporary art that can’t find their way into art fairs of this kind because it’s much too expensive for galleries. They just bring premiere choices of well commercial (commerciable?) works in order to bring the money inside. Each gallery coming to Art Basel having 100 sqm booths has to pay 100.000 CFH and the cost of bringing the artworks from New York or South America to Basel is really high. I would say that the choice is made according to economical criteria. So, as I said, It’s highly selective and not representative of the art world or of what contemporary art means. G: Do you think this is true for all kinds of fairs worldwide, or are you talking especially for Art|Basel? F: Especially for Art|Basel and for Frieze (a little bit less for Frieze). If you go to São Paulo, and I have been there, it’s much less like that. You don’t have the same clients, there are some big players, but there are quite a lot of smaller galleries, less important galleries, coming from South America’s countries with different sources. So you can find another kind of art represented there. Even in very good art fairs like Art Cologne the choice is less commercial and more open for younger artists and alternative forms of art creation. G: Can you briefly summarise your experience with art fairs and your studies about that?

F: Well, just in order to place my work in context, I’ve been working with Pierre Bourdieu for 20 years, and sociology of art became important for me when I was editing all his work on art in German. I’m editor of Bourdieu’s global work in German language, and when I was working on his texts I became interested in the theoretical aspects of art when, by accident I was invited to come to Art Basel from Camera Austria, whom I made the publication of Bourdieu photography with. When I came to the place, I found it really astonishing and had the idea of making a sort of ethnographic work on the role of art at this place. So I came into studying Art Basel. I haven’t been working for years and years on art, but I can say it was by accident, and it was a very interesting experience because Art Basel directors gave me the opportunity to meet very important players of the art world. They asked big galleries to meet us in order to make interviews, and I had the laissez-passer to Art Basel in different cities such as Miami and Hong Kong. I’ve been there many times and I became a little bit familiar with this world, that was unknown to me before. You see, that’s the way I came to know Art Basel. G: Do you think that art fairs such as Basel, Hong Kong or Miami have an impact to the city that hosts them? I mean, is the fair able to activate a network at an urban scale or is it just a closed enclave? F: Well, when you look at the impact of Art Basel in Hong Kong and Miami it is enormous. I met the Rubells, very important collectors in Miami, and they said that before Art Basel arrived in Miami, it was Miami Vice and now it has become Miami Nice. The place has changed, and thanks to Art Basel, there have been a lot of private collections in Miami and very big galleries decided to settle there. The image of Miami has changed very rapidly in 10 years, we can call this a sort of city grounding by art fair, which is also taking place in Hong Kong, where the impact is also very, very relevant.

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Marcos Lรณpez, Picada en la terraza de la Fundaciรณn Proa, 2005

Exploring Fairland

G: Are you talking in terms of physical and digital infrastructure and connections? I mean networks and everything that activates at an urban scale... F: I think that it’s a really global impact. When you go to Miami or Hong Kong, you’ll meet the Basel government representatives and Basel Tourism and there are interconnections between the art world at different places of the world. Nowadays Art Basel is also playing in other cities giving them knowhow in order to empower their city grounding. So you have networks online, networks of people knowing each other and meeting each year at the same place. You have an impact on the space of the cities, the settlement of galleries, design shops, artists coming there and so on. It’s really a global effect that you can find. G: How would you describe the spatial model of the art fair in its parts, features and layout? F: There are very important differences from one place to another. Each time the space where the art fair is held in Basel is very special: you have an inner court with light and around you have the hall of the exposition. So the structure is already given and the art fair adapts to it in order to give the most prominent space, the finest space, to the finest galleries. Inside the art fair you find a sort of social structure reflecting the economic and symbolic capital of the galleries and the art inside this world. So it’s not an open space where everyone can go where they want, but the different places for the booths have been attributed to the galleries according to their importance. G: So you’re saying that there is a social hierarchy between the space and the people behind it? F: Right! You have a social topography and the physical space and the social space correspond. G: When I was trying to analyse the space the first time, I thought about airports in a way, because the space is full of lounges and different ways of experiencing the space according to the status of the visitors in a way. What do you think about that? F: In Basel you have 2 levels: on the ground floor, around the light court, there are the world’s most important galleries. Upstairs, on the upper level,

it’s less and when you go to the periphery of the space, near the toilets and so on, you find the less important galleries. You find the same distribution concerning the visitors: at Art Basel you have 4 categories of visitors and 3 of them are VIPs. VIP 1st people come the first day and are super selected. After that there’s a second VIP group and a third one. Only the third day the normal people can visit the fair. For these VIPs there are different spaces inside: a level that is reserved to VIPs and there you have cafes, champagne bars and other things. And inside this, there’s another space concentrated on VIP selected clients of UBS, and there you find only highly selected people who have fortunes of 100 million dollars at UBS, high potential collectors. G: I think this is extremely interesting, this compromise between the ideal participation and the actual segregation of spaces. If you think of the spatial model of the fair it should be spatially open to have a high level of permeability, but actually on the other hand you have these kind of bubble spaces. F: Sure! When I was in NY for Frieze five years ago, there was quite another type of spacial presentation. It was like a temporary long pavilion built specifically for that event. Inside you didn’t find these kind of separated booths for each gallery. You have to go in and you are in a closed space, but it is a serial presentation and that’s another way of doing art presentation. G: Would you compare it to a museum? F: Yes, it’s closer to a museum spatial model! It’s the same in São Paulo, much more open, not separated by dry walls, but an open space. G: That reflects the main issue regarding art fairs which is the market versus the cultural institution... F: Right! The market character is highly developed at art Basel, a little bit less at Hong Kong, where there are less walls and more open spaces. In certain points you can have a look around you and see inside the other galleries’ spaces in a very open way. G: Do you think this reflects the country and its cultural values, framework and background?

Richard Long, Ivory Granite Line, 2016. Lisson Gallery, Art|Basel Unlimited, Basel, 2018.

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F: Well, a little bit; the Swiss mentality in collecting art is much more privatist than the American style, and the interviews we had with the American collectors showed us that when it comes to Switzerland, none of the collectors that were there invited us to come to their collections: they look at it as a private affair. In Miami everyone opened their doors and invited us to come in. G: What do you think of the curators’ involvement in art fairs? F: There are two different kinds of presentation of art in Art|Basel: you have Art Unlimited, which is a kind of curated, very museum-like presentation, and you have the commercial side, the real raison d’être of Art Basel. Unlimited is a little bit like legitimisation that it is not only a commercial and economical affair, so they developed this kind of showroom. You have the curated side and the commercial side. Another important thing is that around Art Basel there is development of going public. So in the city you find each time a curated project in the streets of Basel, where young artists can show their works. In Hong Kong it’s interesting because each time Art Basel is coming, the art world of the place is very excited and they arrange bus visits to ateliers. You go in the places of the old industrial complexes there are the young artist’s ateliers and their places. The effects of Art Basel on the whole urban setting is much more important than the limited space they occupy at the fair exhibition. G: I was wondering also about the building that hosts the event, because we have seen many different realities: sometimes art fair take place in an industrial building, sometimes inside fair buildings, or temporary ones such as NY, pavilions, etc. Do you think that there is a relationship between the building and the inner layout? I’m thinking also about Paris Fiac inside Grand Palais, is there a relationship or can they take place everywhere? F: Well, as I said before, the given space is also a structuring factor and you cannot make abstraction from this, you have to arrange according to what is given. Otherwise, when you consider Frieze NY and you construct the building, your concept of art presentation is structuring the space entirely, whereas in Basel there is very small impact of creating. It’s

the given space that is structuring the whole affair; and since they want to bring inside 300 galleries and the space is very limited and expensive, the economic side of structuring is very important: small spaces for everyone and the impression that you get is a little bit claustrophobic.

Giuseppe Morra

Giuseppe Morra is a multifaceted, passionate art lover and insider. He opened Studio Morra gallery in 1974 and was a pioneer in promoting Body Art and Viennese Actionism artists. He has been working with Hermann Nitsch, Günther Brus, Urs Lüthi, Gina Pane, Joe Jones, Marina Abramovic, Bob Watts, Peter Kubelka first and then also with Bruno Munari and Allan Kaprow. In 1992 he founded the Morra Foundation to focus on developing cultural networks in areas of intensified social degradation. He founded the Hermann Nitsch Museum, that works as an archive and laboratory platform. In 2016 Giuseppe Morra opened a new museum Casa Morra - Archivio d’Arte Contemporanea, inside Palazzo Ayerbo D’Aragona Cassano in Naples, a 4.200 sqm building that will be gradually renovated to host his private collection of 2000 pieces of art. Here he talks about his ambiguous relation with art fairs and the art system, stressing the urgent need to ensure cultural territorial continuity instead of punctual event succession, as he is trying to do in specific Neapolitan areas. He wishes for a wider diffusion of this attitude towards understanding art, also in the most institutionalised and market-based realities, as art fairs can be.

Comparison, dialogue and integration of partnerships Art fairs’ territorial impact and temporal continuity

G: What do you think of the world’s art fairs? How do you deal with this phenomena? Do you think there could be a balance between the role of the market and cultural institution? GM: The studio Morra attended ArtBasel from ’74 to ’76: at that time it was a unique occasion to meet artists, visitors and curators. The art fair was a meeting point for relations, exchange of products, cultures, ideas, images, etc. People from all over the world have been meeting to keep up with the latest trends; it used to be a cultural chance for everybody. Anyway, I grew tired of this after three years, because I understood that events like this were going to distort the idea of art. So, when in 1976 I took part into the Ente Fiera di Bologna committee, I started to focus on building a network of events that extended to the city. The aim was to break down the walls of the fair. We managed to set a performance week inside the Modern Art Gallery, lifting the fair to an international stage. Bologna could have become a centre for art development. But I understood that the main issue of art fairs is money, and money has the power to cloud an artist’s intentions, poetic, social engagement and life. G: What’s the impact of the fair on the city that hosts it? Is it able to activate a relational network at an urban scale? How do you deal with the city during the art fair week? GM: The contemporary art world is a series of events, fairs, exhibitions, and biennales that occur on a regular base in cities like London, Paris, New York and Istanbul. Each of these events represents a must-be. A place where operators of the art industry must be in order to develop relations and witness the wellbeing of one’s organisation of affiliation. Each of these events represents an important chance, but the drawback is that the main focus is on visitors and tourist fluxes, social media impact and auxiliary services incomes. The

success is based on the feedback of wannabe opinion leaders that express their opinions conditioned by their closed networking. These are the dynamics that count, as opposed to the plus of art, of artists, of their missions and their proposals. For this reason, the relation event-context is just appearance and glamour, but when the fair ends the scene is dismantled and there is nothing left. G: There are so many different art fairs today, which one do you think is the most interesting one? GM: Basel is still the most important, even if the organisation needs to build spaces for comparison, dialogue, territorial planning, also after the days of the event. Otherwise, everything risks to be chaotic and disconnected. G: How much does it cost to take part in an art fair? How big is the business behind this event? GM: Fairs are really expensive. These are the places where works of art, artists, curators, audience, context and market meet together producing many effects: promotion of artists, cultural politics and of course economical value. On one hand art fairs are the engine for the art market growth. On the other, the extreme cost must be taken into account because it influences the participation of many galleries that have interesting artistic projects, but can’t afford the fees with no guarantee of immediate economic return. G: What do you think of the space of the fair? There are so many different locations but the layout seems pretty similar from case to case. Common features are the status segregation of spaces, the timing differentiation of experiences based on social issues: different actors share the same stage in different ways. What do you think of the context, the box and the plan? GM: The art fair space must take into account art in

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Allan Kaprow, 5 Environments (Apple Shrine), 1992, Studio Morra, Napoli ÂŠ Fondazione Morra

Exploring Fairland

all its complexity - especially regarding the needs of artists, promoters, critics, curators and museum directors. Today the art market is still ruled by big events and this is the main consequence of the socio-cultural development that art has followed. In Paris this year I attended the Fiac with Allan Kaprow’s wife. We commented the fair together stating that the spaces were beautiful. Anyway I don’t let myself be blinded by the context, the box, etc., because I believe that it’s the content that matters. G: What do you think of the curatorial approach to the organisation and management of big art fairs? GM: I think that something has changed. I’m thinking of what I saw in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Madrid and also with our project ‘Il quartiere dell’Arte’. People are understanding that the value and the interest regarding art should go beyond the market and all the limits, by focusing on the concept, and deal with the territory on an ongoing basis. This has always been my idea of Art. It is a comparison, dialogue and integration of different partnerships. The idea of Il Quartiere dell’Arte really fits this format because in a way it is what the contemporary man needs most. It is an idea that aims to develop the Avvocata neighbourhood in Naples, where I have already worked with the Hermann Nitch Museum, the Casa Morra gallery and the Soho Shimamoto Association through a proactive approach that looks to developing a link between creative identities and the audience that lives in the city. It is a project/process aimed at building a network to connect different active actors, living in the neighbourhood, by promoting new opportunities and meeting spaces. In this way it could be possible to develop knowledge, study, disclosure, diffusion of thoughts, languages and communication, by promoting aesthetic educational programs, critical analysis and art processes; to transform, enhance and renew the city and the territory. This project aspires to break the lack of companies that invest in art, the lack of a participatory planning and the lack of information agencies. It’s important to make this intention visible to other actors, to finally build a network of synergies that produces a ‘critical mass’. The Quartiere dell’Arte ambition is to structure a set of cultural nodes and build a new cultural

tissue. The motto ‘un quartiere si fa mondo’ / a neighbourhood becomes a world is our synthesis. I wish for a stronger partnership between private and public associations, dealing with territorial issues linked to art, craftsmanship and science, to make shared projects visible on an international stage, to promote an innovative development beyond every circumstance or limit and on an ongoing basis.

Guido Guerzoni

Guido Guerzoni has been involved in the economics and management of cultural institutions and their assets for 20 years and has been teaching at the Luigi Bocconi University in Milan since 1996, where he is in charge of the Cultural Heritage and Art Markets course for degrees in Economics and Management in Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment. He has written approximately 100 publications in Italy and abroad and worked with several national and international institutions. He has been supervising the Fondazione di Veneziaâ€™s M9 project since 2006. As an art insider, Guerzoni addresses the issue of the market, describing the commodity of the art fair event and analysing the differences with traditional exhibiting institutions. He reveals some of the compensative mechanisms in the hierarchy structure of the fair, addressing socio-economical questions but also the spatial understanding of the grid inclusive model versus the lounge, private and exclusive bubble layout. His outlook is based on art fairs as social gathering phenomena and spaces to develop different forms of capital. The network system at the urban scale generated by the fairâ€™s impact is a reality with many drawbacks and the privatisation of spaces a phenomenon that affects many contemporary spaces, from stadiums to airports, to art fairs and museums.

Everything looks like a disco club! Compensative mechanisms of the art fair as a public relationship stage

G: How often do you attend art fairs?

apart, that’s all.

GG: I visit art fairs occasionally, because 90% of them are set in fair buildings. I’m not a contemporary art enthusiast nor do I collect it. I attend one, maybe two, art fairs a year. From a spatial point of view they are fairs, so I prefer visiting museums. I think that they are anonymous exhibition spaces, but Basel is an exception along with all those spaces curated by specific sponsors.

G: Do you think that a fair activates a network at an urban scale?

G: What do you think of the art fair phenomena? Is it an event that provides an instant outlook on what contemporary art is? I’ve heard people talking about the fair as the museum of the future... GG: I think you’re right, but you have to keep in mind that the outlook they provide is an economical one. It reflects that section of art that deals with the art market, even if nowadays it represents the most relevant part. The major advantage of a fair is commodity. This is because you can easily see in a day what otherwise would require a huge numbers of travels around the globe. On the other hand, talking about it in terms of a museum is unfair. The main role of a museum is something else. It’s easy and convenient to sell a fair as a museum, to make it more attractive for a wider audience. Anyway, saying that today art fairs are national museums is bullshit. The museum has a completely different logic: it selects and buys art very carefully, with the purpose of passing it on to the next generations and keeping it accessible to the public. The fair, instead, is a place where private people go to buy and keep that art home, that’s it. The museum buys 5% of its pieces directly at a fair. Of course we have to say that a museum director or a curator can attend the art fair to understand and focus on a specific art they find interesting. But it’s not so common buying directly at the fair because they usually follow different channels. Who buys at art fair are institutional investors or private collectors. I would keep the museum and the fair

GG: Yes, it happens all the time. As it does during the Salone del Mobile or Milano Collezioni. During the 7 to 10 days of the fair, the exhibition calendars of a city get synchronised. This is because the city is going to host something like 1000 important collectors, as happens during Art Basel. Art Basel itself states that more than 230 private jets are hosted during that week of the year. If the Beyler Foundation has to organise an art opening, it will do it during Art Basel. If you consider that the Foundation is supported by UBS, and UBS is the main partner of Art Basel, the reason is crystal clear. Museums, galleries and foundations do their best during the art week because all the art insiders and influencers of the globe are in the same city. What would you do if you had 100 international journals and up to 1000 collectors? An art opening! This works perfectly also for those galleries that are not admitted to exhibit at the fair. They set events, hoping that someone will run into their spaces more or less by chance. I would say that the impact on the city is huge, but limited to the duration of the fair itself. G: Talking in economical terms, how much money is involved in the art fair system? GG: It depends from fair to fair and the sales figures are kept secret. What is known is that 50% of gallerists’ income is fair-based, and major gallerists focus on three or four fairs a year: Freize, Art Basel, Art Basel Miami and Armory Show. They focus on the main ones. Far East is welcoming more and more fairs today. It’s clear that it’s easier to bill half the annual income if you meet 1000 role player buyers. Art fairs are a privileged channel for galleries. This is one of the reasons many galleries keep their spaces semi-closed during the year:

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they focus on private sales and fairs. Anyway, no gallerist will tell you how much money he makes at the fairs. Another important distinction must be made: there are fairs that host important gallerists without charging them and others, Milano and Bologna for example, where the goal is to sell the spaces. Art Fairs in Italy haven’t improve that much, with the exception of Artissima. This is because the main aim for the organising fair is to sell the booth spaces. The main drawback is that the selection that is done doesn’t always fulfil quality criteria. It means that it doesn’t matter that an important gallery doesn’t join if you have smaller ones that could pay the fee. That’s the reason why we have so many second or third level fairs that will never reach the Frieze or Art Basel standard. At those smaller events, major galleries can attend for free, but even so, it’s not granted that these will agree to join.

galleries seem to be heavily prioritised. What do you think about that?

G: Do you think that Artissima is the Italian fair with the biggest international echo?

G: What do you think about the curatorial approach to the art fair?

GG: The top level fairs are few and there is a waiting list of many years for applying. There are also much controversy regarding the committees that select the galleries, allowing them to exhibit there. Art Basel is an example, one can wait up to 10 years, or even more, to exhibit there. I’m saying this because I’d like to shed some light on the compensation mechanisms that are behind this reality. This also affects the choice of the fair directors. Marc Spiegler, previously an investigative journalist, was nominated director in Basel by the director of the Beyeler Foundation. Spiegler had been a thorn in the flesh for Art Basel for ten years (laughs) and they wanted him to become the new director for the sake of transparency, the same guy that has been putting the screws to the fair system for so long. But the polemics are more, and the reason is that being there really matters for all the gallerists. This is the reason there are so many complex mechanisms at play to decide who selects and who exhibits. G: During my last interview with a guy that works for a major Italian gallery I realised that there is a complex social topography at Art Basel: your status as a gallery is reflected in the positioning on the map. The first floor is less prestigious than the ground floor. This is how it works there, even if organisers pretend to create a melting pot. Swiss

GG: I think that today, given the specific nature of contemporary art production, a curatorial approach can be read as a gold plating to claim a cultural or institutional role that doesn’t exist! On the other hand, it happens really often that having a curatorial approach is the only way to stimulate extremely demanding collectors, that wouldn’t otherwise attend the fair. The art fair is the event capable of (physically) putting together world art insiders that wouldn’t easily meet each other. Inaugurations, closing parties, popping over at Art Basel or Frieze. During the days of the event the whole professional universe can meet. But sometimes, everything that is extra (monographic exhibitions, workshops, seminars and presentations), becomes a smokescreen to introduce the event as something more than a market fair. I think that the main issue is understanding what an art fair means today, in the internet era, when all the information can be found online in real time. You can see a pice of art online and talk to gallerists on Skype. Fairs used to be useful when people needed to get all the info in the fastest way and meet the art operators to enter in agreements with. Today people don’t need that anymore because everything is online, even a 3D image of the art work. So, why should I attend the art fair? I think that the answer is social gathering, to develop

GG: That’s the way it works! It’s a matter of fact; if you consider that Art Basel is supported by a strong Swiss Sponsorship, it is obvious that they will always be more favourable towards Swiss galleries. It could happen that minor galleries are treated better because they’re Swiss, but I think that it is also a way to defend themselves from the public opinion that can be judgmental. It’s also something deeply cultural: Switzerland has always focused on self promotion. You know what I’m talking about, let’s think about architectural practice, for example, they don’t care about anything as long as they achieve their goals and they always manage to do so. Sometimes having a captive protection system can help a lot, that’s it.

Exploring Fairland

Carsten Höller, “The Prada Double Club Miami”, 2017 © Prada Group

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parallel businesses and other forms of capital. G: Are you saying that collectors that love art don’t exist anymore? GG: They do exist! However for the last 10 years or more, big collectors have been outsourcing their purchases to personal buyers and curators. They just attend all the super parties with other collectors and influencers. Of course this tendency must not be generalised, because the average collector is still attending the fair, enjoying what he likes and can afford to buy. Major collectors, instead, fly to the city, attend 5 to 10 parties, meet their peers and fly to another city. It happens that they already have a list o what they are about to buy. There are waiting lists that can last years to buy pieces from the most desired artists. You can wait up to 20 years! The collectors that enjoy the fair for art’s sake are mainly the medium-lower ones. There are different VIP lists to attend the fair: on the first day of Art Basel the entrance is allowed only to people who spend at least 10 million per year, on the following day people who spend 5 million are able to visit, and then the others. G: It sounds like an art feudalism doesn’t it? Does your status influence your fair experience or not? GG: Nothing is more status-based than contemporary art: hierarchy is an obvious consequence. Since it’s a deeply hierarchical world, it’s natural that there are differential and ‘discriminating’ policies or rules. Everything is calibrated on how much you buy, the budget you can invest. This is pretty obvious. If you are a major collector, you don’t want other people walking around while you’re looking at the booths, a condition of exclusivity is required. If not, the collector can take his private jet and go directly to the gallery for its exhibition. G: So are you saying that at the end of the day the fair is a public relation space? If so, does its spatial model need to be updated since it’s still linked to the idea of the market structure? GG: If you have a sort of clinical understanding of the spatial layout, you can investigate a shared tendency towards privatising spaces, with an

increasing level of discriminating exclusion. Everything looks like a disco club: VIP rooms of VIP rooms, hyper exclusive parties, special entrances and accesses, sponsor-run spaces and huge private bubbles inside the pavilions. The ideal fair layout is typically open, absolutely public and designed to reach the highest level of permeability possible. Today we experience a fragmented space with concentric areas, that just a chosen few can access, sit and sip champagne. The design of the layout aims for a delocalisation of functions: the most important things happen in the city because in this way you can more easily control all the accesses. It’s the same thing that happens in Venice, where private parties are held at Lido. Also during Salone del Mobile all the public and private spaces available are colonised by design businesses. Instead, inside the fair new exclusive areas are cut away from the public flow, sometimes with shitty outcomes and consequences. Art fairs are often ugly spaces, even with the temporary luxury set ups: we have to keep in mind that the fair buildings are from the 60s and 70s! G: This reminds me of airport lounges: exception bubbles inside a huge more or less public structure, aren’t they? GG: Same thing! I think that it is a phenomena that affects all the places that used to be public. It happened in stadiums and airports first, you can easily see that. The tendency towards the privatisation of exclusive (and exclusionary) spaces is a matter of fact. I’ve been working in the sport field, and there you can have up to 10 levels of spaces according to exclusivity. It’s crystal clear if you look at the way you can book a seat during an NBA match: you can access the eighteen levels depending on which sponsor invited you, your status and how much you paid. This helps in selling the tickets, because the difference is based on the idea of exclusivity, but there are also super private bubbles were you need invitations. G: Is the museum still untouched by this phenomena? Are there private spaces already inside museums? GG: There are already spaces like that! Have you been to the extension of the Tate Modern

Exploring Fairland

by Herzog & de Meuron yet? The last 3 floors of the tower are reserved exclusively for private and corporate events. It’s clear that it wasn’t possible to do that in the main building - even if they do it anyway - but it’s a vital economical resource for museums. There are special openings and events held by third parties. In this way it’s easier to come into contact with private partners selling their spaces to corporations that will empower their brand identity. Even if they have to pay 25.000 euros to Tate Modern, they are still investing in a deserving cause as the money will be used for cultural activities. Museum directors are completely aware of that. They meet CEOs, marketing directors at dinner and then it’s easy to sell their spaces for private events when they are your guests for the night.

G: How would you describe your participation at an art fair? How do you deal with the space?

G: All the things you’re saying remind me of the Baroque event, especially the horizontal social participation. It was a fictitious inclusive phenomena ruled by actual top-down control... GG: During the big Baroque celebrations there used to be lot of paradoxes. There were greasy poles with sausages and cheese and the show was watching poor people throwing rocks at each other to get something to eat. The little people are the protagonists in this play, but they are unaware that the game is for the upper class to watch a show about the lowlifes of mankind. In fact, Baroque events share two major features: a participation and a redistribution mechanism of the population involved in the economy, and the strong segregation between the players and those who watch the show.

GG: No, I’ve never organised talks. I’m always there as a guest because I’ve been working for many years in the Artissima Commission and I did a strategic plan for MIART ten years ago. My relation with art fairs is due to a professional interest.

GG: You know, I’ve never loved fairs because the acoustic there is the worst, the lighting too, and it’s super crowed. I attend art fairs because I’m involved in some parallel activity, so I join for business. I enter, I do what I have to - a speech, a seminar, a research - then I have an hour and half of walk around the booths. Since I’m there, I take a look, but that’s not the reason I attend. I prefer Lucca Comics instead, because I think it’s a fair that doesn’t hide its market nature. I don’t really like the complexity of contemporary art and all the social atmosphere that you can breathe there. G: What’s your professional involvement? Do you organise talks or something like that?

G: Did you ever talk about the nature of the fair itself during one of those speeches? GG: No, obviously nobody questions its nature (laughs).

G: Do you think that it is interesting to watch the show (at an art fair)? Or are you a spectator of something that has already been selected for you? GG: It depends! Today many art fairs - Fiac, Arco, etc. - count on the participation of wannabe spectators attending the event to take part in the marvellous global world of art such as students, young curators, etc. G: Like attending Fuorisalone? GG: Exactly! A little bit like going to the premiere of a movie, hoping to meet Brad Pitt…

On the left: Barbara Bloom, The Tip of the Iceberg, 1991. Galerie Gisela Capitain, Art Basel|Basel Unlimited, 2018.

Carlos Cruz-Diez, Traslucent Chromointerferent Environment, 1974/2009. On the right: James Turrell, Catso Violet, 1967. Art Basel|Basel Unlimited, 2018.

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Ilaria Bonacossa

Ilaria Bonacossa is the new director of the Artissima art fair in Turin. She worked at the Fondazione Re Sandretto Rebaudengo for 7 years. Since 4 years now, she has been working at the Villa Croce Museum in Genoa, dealing with monographic exhibitions of Italian and foreign artists and devoting herself to a deep research activity. Her aim is to create a vivid network of people involved with art issues and urban cultural life. By involving public and private actors, active on the urban territory, she aims to attract a wide range of audiences, insiders and collectors. According to her experience, working inside a complex managerial and curatorial system implies a constant search for new energies and creative synergies. The key to building deep relations with partners is working together with them to develop projects and sponsorships. Her fair holds them in high regard in terms of brand visibility in communication and in spatial positioning, to grant a great fair experience.

Improving the connection network The art fair as a catalyzer of the Art System

G: What do you think of the international world of art fairs and how do you deal with it? What’s your point of view on the market vs. cultural institution role of an art fair? I: In the last 10 years, the competition between art fairs has reached very high levels. Artissima was born 25 years ago and at that time the important events in the international agenda were no more than fifteen, while today there are around one hundred and fifty. In this competitive market, the first difficulty is to attract an audience of insiders and collectors, this is the reason why art fairs had to find their own specific way to provide a wide range of cultural manifestations, talks and parallel events. For galleries and art dealers the attendance of the collectors is just one of the relevant factors, together with the possibility of improving their connection networks, on an international level and to meet the insiders attracted by the specific cultural agenda. At Artissima, people are conscious of its cultural role, that’s why we promoted two special projects last year: Il Deposito d’Arte Italiana Presente, dedicated to Italian Art from 1994 to today, thanks to important returned works from many Piedmont institutions and other works coming from the galleries at the fair, and PIPER. Learning at the discotheque, a disco-class space that hosted an experimental program of meetings and conversations. I believe that the success, the energy and the enthusiasm of the last edition have been linked to the attempt of creating personal relations with all the people involved; talking about and looking directly at art works, beyond their economic value. G: What is the impact of the art fair on the city that hosts it? Is it able to activate a network at an urban scale? What is your relation with the city during the event? I: Artissima is deeply linked to Torino, a city devoted to contemporary art like no other in Italy, whose

strength is in the solid network of private and public institutions that have an active role on the territory. The 2017 edition has strengthened this cohesion, reaffirming the partnerships with some of the most interesting cultural actors of the city and the region, like Castello di Rivoli, GAM - Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Camera - Centro Italiano per la Fotografia, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Fondazione Merz, Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Collezione le Gaia, Museo Ettore Fico, PAC and Fondazione Sardi per l’Arte, activating new relations with brand new realities like OGR Torino. Artissima has established partnerships with other local excellences active in the reshaping of the contemporary urban creativity, like the electronic music festival Club to Club, the Lovers Film Festival di Torino, organised by Museo Nazionale del Cinema, and the Centro Conservazione e Restauro ‘La Venaria Reale’. Artissima is not self referenced but looks at experiencing the city. Due to the specificity of the fair, a sparkling program for VIPs was drawn up, taking into account the city, its museums, the gastronomic excellences and the whole territory to explore. All the other satellite events of Contemporary Art Week are not, in my opinion, disturbing elements. I think they strengthen the catalysing role of Artissima during the week when everyone wants to be in Turin! G: What was the first art fair you attended? What do you remember about it? I: The first fairs I went to were Armory Show in New York, while I was finishing my master degree at Bard College, and Artissima inside Torino Esposizioni in 2002, when they asked me to work at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. If you’re not an insider of the gallery world, art fairs look like diffuse exhibitions where you can follow the last tendencies of contemporary art. I remember the first time I visited Art Basel where the issue of the art global market was immediately clear to me.

Artissima Fair Visual Identity, 2017. Courtesy: Artissima.

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Exploring Fairland

G: How do you get ready for the fair? What about your schedule, decisions, applications, economy and public relations? I: Being the director of Artissima, having visited the last fifteen editions, is like having access to the backstage of a show: it’s a chance to take part into the cultural scene of Turin. In the past, I’ve worked for private and public museums and I developed critic and curatorial skills, in addition to many managerial competences essential to face the challenge of Artissima. At Villa Croce in Genoa, I learnt to work with public institutions, looking for sponsors, working with companies and also being a contemporary art curator, all fundamental skills for directing a fair. Being a director means working inside a complex managerial and curatorial system. The work starts from ideas: we are constantly looking for new energies and creative synergies. Together with the commercial and VIP teams, we travel the world to find the latest trends in contemporary art and connect with gallerists, curators, critics and collectors to get them involved in the events of the fair, from guided tours to prizes. To apply, galleries must fill in a form with a proposal that will be examined by a committee. Artissima has many strengths, and the selection of international galleries is one of them: the aim is to keep a very high level of quality for the works exhibited. When I started the job, I realised how many talented people have collaborated with this event throughout the years, and how the fair has been able to catch their work or sponsor their creativity. G: As a director how do you deal with the art fair space, its paths, its atmosphere, its architecture? I: Since 2010 Artissima is hosted at Oval, a 20.000 sqm glass pavilion inside the Lingotto industrial complex, a few minutes away from the city centre. Last year we worked with the architecture studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners from Milan to enhance the spaces of the pavilion and the variety of projects, with the use of wide aisles and big squares, in affinity with the Baroque Turin. The central area was reserved for the curatorial sections Present Future, dedicated to emerging talents, and the new section Disegni; while Back to the Future - a section dedicated to artists from the ‘80s - was located in the East wing. The other part of the

pavilion hosted the remaining exhibitors and all the special projects areas: Deposito d’Arte Italiana Presente and Piper. Learning at the discotheque. The pavilion hosted also the Meeting Point, a place for talks and presentations, the stands for guided tours, the Editions&Publishing area, that is open to the art magazines and libraries, #ArtissimaLive with bloggers and online magazine and the new #SocialRoom, an environment full of stimuli, suggestions and digital inspirations. Finally the VIP Lounge, on the beautiful balcony facing the fair, hosted VIPS and collectors, evoking an ideal walk among the cafés and salotti sabaudi, while admiring the views of the nineteenth-century city. G: How do you manage the booth locations and the sponsors areas? How much do you have to design these spaces? I: Artissima has deep relations with its partners and works to develop together with them projects and sponsorships. The fair holds them in high regard in terms of brand visibility in communication and in spatial positioning, to grant a great fair experience. I think about the Lauretana stand that is the starting point for the Walkie Talkies guided tours, one of the most successful appointments for the audience of the fair. I think also about the Vip Lounge that in 2017, together with Gebüder Thonet Vienna, evoked an ideal café experience. I think also about UniCredit, main partner of the fair, that in a discreet environment with personality, offered independent consulting service to those already collecting art, but also to the art lovers that don’t know all the legal, economical and insurance aspects of collecting art.

Paola Colacurcio

Paola Colacurcio has been the Italian owner of the Progretti Gallery, based in São Paulo. She has been working for many years at the historic Galleria Lucio Amelio, in Naples, and had the opportunity to work directly with many renowned artists, among them Keith Haring, Miguel Barceló, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Beuys, Mimmo Paladino, Alighiero Boetti, Robert Mapplethorpe, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz and Rosemarie Trockel. She has since decided to hold exhibitions of International, Italian and Brazilian artists and expand Brazilians arts place on the world stage by taking part in fairs abroad. Seeking to work with the vanguard of contemporary art, she has focused on the works of both young and foreign artists, inviting them to create site-specific pieces. Here she talks about the complexity of the fair and the ‘extra’ factor: all the expenses behind the event, from the dealer point of view. She tries to give a know-how of art fairs, exploring the spatial, social and economical mechanisms in a very direct way. She believes that the fair world is a tough reality, based on the principles of the pure market, as she says. Nevertheless, talking about the experience of Lucio Amelio in the 80’s she describes a different art world, far from the contemporary paradoxes.

People’s ego and self consideration (plus everything extra) The dealer's know-how of art fair

G: How does attending an art fair work like? P: The fair works like this: galleries have to apply and pay for their space. The fees requested cover standard solutions, from the booth to the lighting system. You can ask for a 4m x 5m space, but they give you the standard space, so if you want some extra interior architecture detail you have to pay extra. Many galleries ask for a small storage space within the perimeter of the booth, others design a central wall to increase the exhibition surface. The gallery pays the team, all the extras, the dinners, etc. It’s not just the 20.000 euros you pay to rent the booth, in fact art shipping is one of the most expensive things, and when it comes to international shipping it’s even worse! G: Is the entry fee similar from fair to fair? P: Yes, the fee for the space is approximately similar. But the extras can change a lot. And I’ll tell you again: everything is extra, from moquette to lighting. The ones who earn a lot at fairs are fair organisers, because they know exactly their income. The gallerists risk all the time according to the chances of selling their artworks. I understood it once in São Paulo at the SP-Arte. In a few editions they made a lot of money both from galleries and sponsors. Actually all the cost is covered by sponsors and everything else is pure income. I live in Brazil and also Rio is like that. But this year they changed the location. It used to be inside the harbour’s old warehouses, these huge hangars, so beautiful, perfect for a fair. This year the space is smaller, because there are less galleries due to the really high costs. About the incomes, everything changes from city to city. Basel is Basel, London is London. The entire world has headquarters in London: Chinese, Arabs, Russians, the world’s richest men have their apartments there. The goal is to sell for an amount that is two or three times the fees, but sometimes you’re lucky if you cover the costs. In Brazil it happened to me to go at

a loss. G: What’s your schedule attending the art fair? P: The fair works in this way: it lasts from Thursday to Sunday. Wednesday is the preview on invitation only, while the other days you can enter buying the ticket. The preview day is for the gallerists’ collectors. Everything has its timetable and you can easily understand who is there to buy because they arrive super early. For the technicians the week starts on Monday with the set up. On Monday galleries need to bring the artworks too, because you only have a couple days to make it work. Many art fairs provide extra space for exhibitions beside the galleries’ booth spaces. They hire a curator to select works among the galleries and set up an exhibition inside the fair. I think that everything is a matter of space, that is the main reason of the phenomenon of off fairs like Lists and Scope next to Art Basel. These are smaller events where those who couldn’t join the major one can still be part of the satellite network. This happens for all the major international fairs like Art Basel, Frieze and Fiac. There is a good chance that a collector visiting the major fair will then go to see all the collateral events. After being around Frieze for two days you get bored, and the idea of visiting something different, is exciting I guarantee it. In London the leading events are Frieze and Frieze Master: the first one hosts the galleries that are working directly with artists, while Frieze Masters focuses also on ancient art, dealing with all those galleries in the secondary market. This includes selling on behalf of private owners. Of course some galleries can do both things. In London the event is held in a temporary structure inside Regent’s Park. It’s the coolest fair, right after Art Basel, and I think they pay to occupy an urban area in the park. Many other fairs are held inside existing buildings. I remember that the only relevant fair in the USA used to be Chicago Art Fair; I used to go there with Lucio Amelio. The place was amazing, inside the hangar where zeppelins used to be assembled.

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Outstanding! A wonderful space! This hangar is next to the Michigan Lake shore. Today the event is held in a different place. G: Which fair did you have the chance to attend the most? P: Art Basel, for sure. Because Lucio Amelio was part of the selecting committee, apart from being among the first to exhibit there, since the second edition, in 1971. He had been there since that year and then they asked him to join the commission: he was among the few in charge of selecting the galleries. Then I also attended Fiac Paris and Arco Madrid for many, many years. G: Do you think that art fairs are market places, cultural institutions or something in between? Could they be the museums of the future? P: I think that the art fair is a market! The most bloody and dirty one. You go there to sell and if you don’t you get pissed off because it means that you lost a lot of money. Pure market, do you understand? I’m completely against the super power of the new generation of curators, it’s something that 35 years ago didn’t exist. You can’t decide the life or death of artists! The curator used to be a very nice and educated professional figure, but I think that their power is overrated now. Exhibitions are artists’ exhibitions, so their ego should be limited. Art is now based on people’s ego and self consideration. I had to deal with people pretending to control my choices as gallery director. Harald Szeemann was an amazing Swiss curator; he was also the director of Bern’s museum, where he organised outstanding exhibitions. It was another era. Now if the artist understands that his work can be easily sold he keeps on making copies, a prostitution of sorts. Coming back to art fairs, I think they are something interesting, but I wouldn’t compare them to museums. Their strength is to provide a wide idea of what contemporary art means, because there is no general curator and the galleries bring their own artists, so you can see all of them. Do you understand? Nobody decides which artists you’re going to see. So I guess that if you are an art lover, you should attend art fairs, even just to get an idea. It’s also true that you might always see the same stuff in different fairs, but that is another problem.

G: Does the fair influence the city that hosts it? P: All the contemporary art world revolves around the fairs. So, for example, during SP-Arte all the museums have their openings, the galleries have their openings, they have breakfasts and brunches in their spaces to attract people, there are events all around and collateral fairs also. The city is sizzling during the art fair week. G: How are art fairs different from each other? P: There are top-level events for top level galleries, where you are sure to find, wherever you are in the world, Picasso, popular contemporary artists, Damien Hirst and all the big names. More often smaller galleries, that haven’t developed a brand identity network, have the most interesting and innovative artistic researches and projects. That’s where you have to look! G: As a gallerist, how do you use the fair space? P: I’m always at the booth, chained to the booth! If I move and then someone arrives and doesn’t meet you then it’s your fault. It’s a week with very high adrenaline levels. You have to be ready, ask, answer, meet, explain and whatever. If you manage to sell some artworks during the preview you’re done. Real top collectors just attend the preview day, they want to be sure that if they like something they can buy it. That’s why the most important days are the first ones. When Lucio Amelio’s Gallery was working there were fewer fairs and I used to know all the top collectors directly. We organised dinners in the evenings of Basel art week, having fun with them. Lucio’s gallery was among the most important ones in the world in the ‘80s, and Naples was its headquarters. Going back to your question, sometimes galleries organise book or catalogue launches and have the presentations at the fair. But gallerists are not the only one to be there. There are also institutional and cultural representatives. In Brazil there is this big cultural centre from the Oii telephone company. They are sponsors and partners of the main fair, that’s why they have a space at the fair they use for advertisement, more or less.

Exploring Fairland

G: Are there many different players at events like that? P: So many! Starting from the sponsors. SP-Arte is sponsored by a bank and it’s the same in Basel with UBS. The Brazilian one is ITAU Unibanco, the biggest South American banking group. They have their own space designed each year by a different architect, where they offer coffee and champagne to their clients. ITAU Unibanco also has a very big art collection and they exhibit one or two pieces inside the booth space. Switching to Switzerland, I remember the outstanding Swiss organisers: they know how to make a fair work perfectly. Art Basel is held inside a fair building complex. Instead, when I used to go to Paris it was a mess, a nightmare. It seemed like they were standing in our way instead of helping. The French make you sweat blood, but Basel is Basel: if a light doesn’t work you call the technician and in five minutes everything is fixed! G: What is the procedure when you decide to apply and attend an art fair? What about the booth and its design? P: You can design it, but they decide the location on the map. It could be next to the toilet or in the best place ever: it depends on your gallery’s status and relevance. If you’re one of the major galleries you don’t need to worry about it. If you have a 100 sqm booth and you paid 100.000 US dollars it’s obvious that you will get a good location. But I remember that the fair in Rio used to be held in 4 huge hangars. They placed the secondary market galleries in the first one, the most important contemporary gallery in the second one and so on. I was in the last one. At the preview, journalists and collectors were often too tired to reach the last hangar, but I had already paid and complaining was useless. G: According to your experience, how important is designing and setting up the booth? P: In Basel we used to have a huge stand. Lucio Amelio designed it the first time and then the layout remained almost untouched in time. We had a closed storage: it was necessary since we used to come from Italy with approximately 300 artworks. Lucio Amelio’s peculiarity was to have a different

exhibition every day. It became its signature and collectors used to wait until the evening to see the new one. It was a show, a performance. I don’t understand galleries who put a red mark on the sold pieces. What does it mean? If you sold it then change it! Did you really sell it? Is it just a marketing technique? Sometimes if you ask about an artwork the gallery dealer says that it might be sold (laughs). At Lucio Amelio, the booth was dividend in two spaces, the main one with the daily exhibition and another one with all the other artists. Each gallery can choose its own way of displaying art and organising the space layout. Generally you make a plan drawing based on the space that the fair gives you (according to your area request). You tell the organisers everything you need and they realise it. You might need a 3m x 3m wall in the middle, specific light, wall colours, etc... G: What about materials, suppliers and riggers? P: The fair controls everything. Usually, there is a catalogue where you can select all the extras. Some galleries decide to bring their own furniture (tables, chairs, sofas) to make a small living room atmosphere. The storage option is chosen by many since in this way you can have an extra space to display everything that is not on the walls and keep them not too crowed. If a collector is interested, the team can show other works from the same artist in the storage space. G: What do you think of the buildings, structures, boxes that host the fairs? P: SP-Art is held inside an Oscar Nyemeier building, the biennale building. Inside a wonderful park. Did you know that São Paulo’s Biennale is the oldest after Venice? It was Ciccillo Matarazzo, a Neapolitan art lover that started it. Now the building is rented by the fair organisers and it’s beautiful. Location is important, the previous Rio fair setting was so beautiful, in the harbour by the sea. Outside there were temporary structures with cafes and restaurants, and the whole atmosphere was really nice. This year’s location was really nice too: la marina da gloria, the touristic harbour of Rio. The fair is much smaller compared to the previous edition, it lost so many galleries because the selling decreased dramatically. Sometimes the opposite can happen: too many galleries apply

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and they have to select them by the project on the application form. Itâ€™s what happens in Basel, they need to approve your gallery: one year youâ€™re in but the next one who knows?

Exploring Fairland

Custom fur wall at LANGE + PULT Miart, Milano, 2018.

Roberto Crivellini

Roberto Crivellini is an Italian fashion entrepreneur with a lifelong love of art that brought him to become a collector and travel the world from art fair to art fair. His adventure with collecting art started in the 90s and developed really fast. Art has a central role in his life as he tries to keep himself updated with all contemporary art issues and tendencies. He describes his interest as something that gives him a horizontal overview of the world, thanks to the interconnections and contaminations that it strengthens between different fields. And when it comes to space he says that if you have an artistic sensibility or simply if you love art you do believe that the space matters and you pay attention to the way art is displayed. His relation with the city that hosts the art fair is active because of the network that the fair is able to establish with many other urban realities during the days of the exhibition.

Selling carpets to a carpet seller Inner circle and contaminations of the art world

G: As a collector, how did you start to deal with the world of art fairs? R: It was a long time ago. I realised that since I was a child, art and visual phenomena have always been in my thoughts. I used to attend exhibitions and biennials. I had been living for some years abroad and I had the possibility to visit London and all the art global cities, and I got closer and closer to contemporary art. In the ‘90s I had a revelation and I realised that somehow I could take part in this amazing world and become part of it. I started visiting all the galleries, artists, museums and also collecting some works. Regardless, the most beautiful thing that art has done to me is becoming a life partner, more than a hobby. It makes me see and imagine the things of the world with a horizontal overview. It’s something I just can’t get enough of, and never will. G: What do you think of all the different art fairs worldwide, their market value and their cultural value? R: Art fairs followed the internet technology phenomenon of inclusion and distribution of information as well as visibility of the ‘art product’. I’m not sure that we can talk about globalisation, but it’s something extremely convenient for those who would like to have their own idea about art at a specific time. It’s like understanding in a fast way, whiteout spending so much time, the trends that directly, or indirectly, affect the players involved in the phenomenon. The audience of visitors is really different from fair to fair. I’m thinking about Arco Madrid, it is one of the most visited by the public and young people. Every time I went there, I always saw a wide range of people visiting from the Spanish Royal Family to school children: it’s a wonderful mass phenomenon. The other side of the coin is that it is a fair that doesn’t have a high selling rate, but I’ve always been fascinated by this inclusive and participative attitude. I think it’s

close to some South American realities. The first on the scene was Colon in the ’67, with eighteen galleries, then it was Basel’s turn to start developing a business model with a long-term vision. Art fairs became convenient events in the art agenda. Everyone attends them and so many things happen on the stage: exchanging of information, business, negotiation, connections and everything that goes around the physical world of the fair, the event and its architecture. So, the convenience and efficacy of this model makes it something the art world can’t get enough of. The success was crazy, why should they fight it? G: Do you think that the fair has a big influence on the city that hosts it? Is it able to activate a network at an urban scale? R: In some cities yes, but not in all of them. In Europe, I think that Fiac in Paris is the one that has the strongest impact and connection with the city. This is thanks to all the commercial sectors that started understanding the benefits of the art world in developing connections, networks and visibility, starting from the fashion system. I’m in the fashion field1 and I understand that art can be enriched by other visions. I’ve always been fascinated by interconnections and contaminations. G: Talking about art and fashion, don’t you think that some of the most important art fairs have started acting as brands? R: Yes, Art Basel is in a leading position. It started exporting its format in Miami and Hong Kong. I’ve never looked into the application fees, but I have a vague idea anyway. This non-inclusive phenomenon is very common starting from the selection committee, the commissions, the gallerists’ panels, museum directors, curators and everyone that influences the selection of the galleries. Sometimes it happens that they have a wider (I can’t say democratic) vision, but it’s always linked to the

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Temporary Pavillion for talks outside Art Basel main entrance, by Creative Time. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

Exploring Fairland

trends of that year. For example in one edition they invited young galleries, under 30, giving them special conditions to apply, or they choose a country XY to become the leading one for that year, opening to more galleries from that geographical region. G: As a collector, how do you get ready to attend the fair? Do you look at the program, schedule appointments, call your favourite galleries? R: Actually I’m so deeply inside the art world that it’s enough for me, I just need to know the name of the galleries that have been selected and I can go directly to the fair. I’ve been so lucky to have the possibility of joining international art manifestations. Photo Shangai, was one of the last. I’m a privileged man and I know that. Now I can spend less time at fairs than before, but I’ve also developed a specific taste so I just need to know if my favourite galleries are there or not. The art world is very small, both for artists and gallerists. The most interesting thing is to analyse the tendencies and the different schools, styles and innovations: young artists making paintings or videos is something I like a lot. Anyway I found it tricky to find new things and artistic researches I like because the offer is incredibly wide, sometimes excessive. Time is compressed also to become an artist and I think that marketing has a huge power in catalysing this process; I’m not sure that a real artistic research would have the time to develop. G: Can there be quality, innovation and research if everything is so fast? R: This is one of the questions that make me think art is now really close to fashion and its inner features. Every six months a new collection must be (re)invented. It’s not the same in art, but we are getting really close to that. In my field (fashion) I have to take into account all the contemporary dynamics about the stakeholders’ expectations, and this works in the same way for fashion, art and also architecture. Sometimes the pure research is something that doesn’t have the priority. G: I’d like to ask you what your relation with the space is, the paths, the reserved areas, VIP spaces. How do you move inside the fair?

R: Well, being part of a very privileged share of the audience doesn’t always make it easier to access everything that is on sale. Anyone can buy there, and it’s in their interest to keep it open. Regardless, there are many collateral events that you can attend by being ‘on the list’. These are social events, everywhere in the city, in museums and foundations. Entertainment, luxury and exclusivity are the key elements of these events, sometimes beyond art itself. G: Do you think that the building that hosts the fair has an impact on the event? Could an art fair be placed anywhere? R: The art fair is already everywhere! Many of the visitors are of course influenced by the hosting building and its features. Fiac is the best example, even if the paths are not so comfortable. Basel is a bit more complex because it has many buildings and you have to move around them to see what you like. I think it depends on your own personal parameters, if you care more about the path and the inner layout or about the complexity of the building with very orthogonal plans. Anyway I think that being an art insider gives you a sensibility for places and locations too. As I was saying before, the more the city takes from the art fair vitality, the better it is for the entire experience. There are so many things to do during the art weeks of art fairs that you can’t do everything. I’m thinking about Venice Biennale: although it’s not a fair, it activates a huge urban network of things to do and see inside and outside institutional locations. On the other side, there are also more simple fairs like Colon; it was one of the first I visited, I used to go to Colon also for the möbelmesse2 and I remember it as a nice event. Moving onto Spain, Arco Madrid is held inside the fair centre of the city, a bit outside the city centre. I think that the French example of Fiac is still in the lead from the location’s point of view. Then there is Frieze in London; I think it’s nice, but it’s set inside those temporary pavilions, tensile structures that connect the different parts. It’s less interesting from this point of view even if it’s one of the coolest and most fashionable fairs... but second to Basel anyway. G: It is very interesting to understand the paradox of the dualism art-market, what do you think?

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R: It’s one of the things that attracted me the most when I started being an art lover. What keeps me so bound to this world is the research: looking for documents, catalogues, magazines. It’s now been 30 years that I read all kinds of materials and I go to bed with some German catalogue, even if I can’t read German (laughs). To me, a huge part of the pleasure is understanding what I’m going to see. I think that, as in any other field, you need a lot of practice. You need to keep you eyes wide open to understand the innovations, and the good things among what’s new and what’s old but still good and not exploited: maybe that is the most challenging part. The economic side is part of the art world, and of being an active collector, even if it ends up being something that resembles selling carpets to a carpet seller. The players in the game are so many: galleries, art dealers and auction houses that have a parallel job to the galleries and work as multipliers of goods. There have been so many debates on the nature of art and its value. There was an economist, Guido Rossi, a great collector too, that used to say: “art is a useless thing, but we can’t live without it”. It’s everything and nothing. Many believe that it’s just a capital investment, but many other feel that it’s something that makes you grow as an individual. I think that to be a collector you only need money. In these years the phenomenon of art advisors has rapidly grown. A few people control everything, from production to distribution, in between art fairs, auction houses and everything else. G: What do you think of the curatorial approach to the art fair? R: Gallerists need curators for their exhibitions. In the last years there hasn’t been an explosion of curators, everyone acts as one. There are many good ones that bring fresh talents to the art fairs to exhibit their works. I remember that I really enjoyed the first time Artissima decided to exhibit the galleries by fragmenting into sections: present/ future, young dialogues, etc. I think that curators have brought so many interesting things inside the fair architecture. G: What are your main references in your network? R: I really like Massimo Minini, in his borderline positioning, because Milano is a market that I think has never succeeded in having very strong

fluxes. One of the best ones is Massimo de Carlo. He managed to develop an internationalisation program, opening branches in London and Hong Kong. It’s the path suggested by many other big players like Perrotin who is connected to a huge network of buyers worldwide. I meet the gallerists more at art fairs than in their own galleries. It’s so easy to do it that way. It is one of the best aspects of the fair, people can meet, see and buy there. G: Do you think there could be an architectural improvement of the spaces? R: I’ve seen the introduction of some resting areas with design furniture pieces and I think this reality reflects many contaminations with other fields. If you pay attention, the furniture is provided by the most famous international design brands. The first is Moroso, followed by Vitra.

Exploring Fairland

Collector's Louge Restaurant at the third floor of Hall 2. Art| Basel, Basel, 2018

Sergio Casoli

Sergio Casoli is one of the most relevant Italian art dealers. He supported Italian art development by directly collaborating with Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Fausto Melotti and some of the most famous artists of Arte Povera. As a valid pro, he knows when it’s time to stop or start over again, his activity and his professional life are proof of his success. In our talk he focuses on the importance of displaying art by explaining his method that is completely artbased. He doesn’t make distinctions between exhibitions at his gallery space or at the art fair because of his deep artistic integrity. He believes that the art fair is a graphical way of exhibiting art, a shopping window, based on the principles of communication rather than the content. Today attending art fairs is an excuse to meet on the major public relation stages of the art world. When it comes to the art system he explains in a clear way the art economy, the global art cities and the way this systemic relational network works. Finally, his relevant position about having a storage at the fair: he has never requested one because when he designs the booth, it’s with a strong concept and it’s not possible to change or add other stories to it. Maybe this is the reason why people still remember, after more than 15 years, his outstanding exhibitions at Art Basel.

A window, an excuse to meet Displaying art at art fairs with an artwork based attitude

G: How do you deal with art fairs? What do you think about this phenomenon between the market and the cultural institution? S: I do believe that the art fair has an important role in the relation between culture and institution, because it is a window that shows everything in a very open way, more than a museum, more than the public function of art. Museums and public institutions are ruled by a single player (director or curator) that sometimes is linked to a specific commercial channel. At a fair all the commercial channels get competitive, that’s why I believe that its cultural role is crucial. If you can really focus on art at the fair you have a wider understanding than going to a museum. The art1 present at the fair doesn’t reflect the interests of a curator, that’s why I think that it is easier to find your art at the art fair. Today art means trade (more than culture) and you can have the same experience of the fair online. The art fair is a graphical way of exhibiting art, a different option. It’s like a shopping window built on communication more than content, but this is just a consequence of what contemporary art means today. G: Do you think that the fair has an impact on the city that host it? Is it able to activate a relational network? S: In Basel, when I used to attend Art Basel, it was like that. The city used to live in function of art. Bars, clubs, restaurants, everything danced around the art event. It was like going to Cannes during the film festival, you could feel it everywhere. The event has a huge impact on the city. Why? Because it brings money. The answer to this kind of questions is always in the economy. I know that it’s not very romantic. Back in the 60’s, 70’s , 80’s and maybe up until the 90’s, nobody used to visit the exhibition at the art galleries. The more empty was the opening, the better it was for the success of the artist in the following years. Today the exhibition is a window,

an excuse to meet. I would say that the function has changed, but cities still live in function of their events. G: How did you get ready for the art fair? I’m thinking about public relations, networking, planning, designing, etc... S: The architecture of my booths at Basel - I think I attended it for twelve of fourteen years - was something based on art. Fontana was the heart of my booth. I used to exhibit Fontana solo — without frames, because I wanted the concept to pop out and emerge. Otherwise I used to compare Fontana to other meaningful artists such as Pascali, Lo Savio, and Manzoni. Fontana first, and later Boetti, represented the core of my work, together with all those personalities that were influenced by them. My architecture was only based on the idea of art. The communication and the message behind the exhibition reflected my view on Fontana and Italian art. I’ve never tried to invite someone to sell my art. I was full of myself and believed that what mattered was Fontana’s representation and his dialogue with Italian art. Today, more than 15 years after I gave up on the gallery, the world is still talking about that, so I think that my modus operandi worked well. This gives me more joy than anything else. People who can tell what and how I used to exhibit in my booth and which kind of work I used to carry out. It was powerful, but very far from what happens today, I’m pretty sure of that. G: What do you think of the physical space of the art fair? How did you use to deal with it? S: Well, when I was working at the booth I felt like I was in jail. I felt sucked inside a library without being able to open and read the books. But the paintings were all ‘open’, visible and hung on the wall, but it was like visiting a museum, after half an hour your physical strength is gone. Your sight, your intelligence, they go away... I felt in a cage even before entering the building. The opening was so

Francesco Lo Savio, Spazio luce, 1960. Collezione Strini, Roma.

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stressful. The day after, on Friday, it was less tricky, but then on Saturday all the tourists came in. I used to treat everyone the same way, respecting all the visitors even if they were not collectors. That’s the reason I found it really exhausting. Today I see how people at booths treat the collectors with money and the insiders with power, but there’s no dialogue with the other audience. It used to be really hard for me, I was so tired, physically and mentally. I think that the way you relate with others is a statement of how you want to present yourself as a gallery. It depends on who you are. G: What do you think of the curatorial approach to the fair? S: It’s a trend that is deeply based on the ego of curators rather than the contents of the works of art. There is also another point to discuss here: the choice of the curators is not democratic, but directly linked to the success of the fair and based on the ability of specific curators to bring people in. It’s a paradox. That’s the reason so many off-fairs2 have success. Its a political and cultural choice, but at the end of the day there are many categories that are not represented there and it’s normal. G: Do you think that there is a relation between the fair and the context? Could it take place everywhere? S: The answer to this question is really, really simple. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I was your age, more or less. Art is an western problem. Organising Art|Basel in Kabul doesn’t make sense, imagine doing it in Africa! It’s a western problem because it’s a matter of economy. The markets that are open to the western way of conceiving economy, the rich ones, are the perfect places for an art fair. Almost ten or fifteen years ago there was a time when the Chilean market was really strong and during those years so many Chilean artists were asked to produce works! Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses have been printing a separate catalogue for Italian art. The reasons for this were two: of course Italian art was the best in the world, but also the Italian market was really strong and asked for works of art. Now the art fair moves to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and so on: places where there is a strong economy

and where the westernisation of art works. We believe that art has an absolute value, but it’s not true. Since art fairs follow the market, they are attracted by the development of new markets and countries where capital can be invested in art. It’s a speculative bubble where industry, economy and art fuse together. It all started after World War II, when America became a brand thanks to the movie industry and exported its culture and the consumerism in Italy, Germany and France. We all became consumers. Art has the same role. When art enters the Chinese world it becomes a catalyst for Chinese people and their economy. G: What do you think is the role of the space? Is it a tool? Does the box influence the function of the fair? Do you think that the layout should be redesigned? S: I’m firmly sure that space is not essential because the values of image and communication are much stronger than any spatial issue. I would like to make a funny example: there was a big exhibition in Milan about Fontana at Hangar Bicocca and rumour was that 170.000 people visited it. The space was organised in six, seven boxes cut out from the big hangar space, depriving the place of the space as Fontana conceived it - of course that’s my point of view. Even if the exhibition took away the spatiality, it was a huge success because people visited a predesigned image. They didn’t understand that the space, the universe of Bicocca and Fontana, cannot be represented like that. So I would say that today everything is a matter of display. G: Is the image of space stronger than the space itself? S: The image of communication makes everything beautiful. G: Is it because it has no context? S: Exactly! It’s like working with good combinations, because Fontana and Bicocca are two super strong elements. But then you don’t need someone like me, because the interpretation I might give is critical and doesn’t work today. I can bet that out of the 170.000 people no one could answer the question: what is the meaning of space for

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Fontana? G: Is it expensive for a gallery to apply for an art fair?

to honour and respect art by being elegant and having a balance between my aesthetic views and culture. My relation with the space was respectful of the art, the artist and the space itself.

S: When I used to do that, going to Basel cost 100 million and then 100.000 euro. You have to pay the fee, the transport and everything else. If you could bring everything in your car of course it would be better, but anyway you also have to live a week there with your collaborators. The more famous it is the more expensive it becomes. But this means that where you have to pay more, you sell more. If a fair is not expensive it means it’s held in Verona and the average piece of art in Verona is cheaper.

G: That’s the power of designing something...

G: How many fairs did you use to attend?

G: Back to the praxis, did you have a little storage in your booth, to keep some extra paintings?

S: Only a Few. Once I went to the Netherlands because I had a Dutch assistant. I was twice in Madrid because I like Spain. In Italy two or three times in Bologna and few in Milan. Once I went to Sweden because one of my artists was Swedish and asked me to apply. I was supposed to join the first edition in Miami, but then there was the Twin Towers tragedy. I had already enrolled but then it was canceled. G: I’d like to ask you now, what’s your idea of space in a gallery instead... S: The space of the gallery has a different way of representing and displaying. It is deeply influenced by the relation the gallerists have with the space and the artist. Both in a fair or in my gallery I used to respect art more than people do now. I was the first to display paintings without frames at art fairs and I used to keep the walls not too crowed. There was a delicate balance as a result of an aesthetic, non-aggressive, attitude. I used to pay attention to the matches between different paintings, thinking about the meaning, the idea and the continuity. I would never have put a Chagall next to a Mondrian - just to mention an example. I liked designing an exhibition at the fair and today I don’t believe that people consider it is still a priority. I used to design the exhibition also at my gallery, according to my personal tastes. If the artist wanted to do it himself, I just gave him the keys of the space. I used to think about myself as a lucky person, so I wanted

S: Undoubtedly! It has always been like that, so spontaneous and logic-based at the same time. In art I think that the Absolute does exist. And I believe also that art is not for everyone. I remain convinced that art is for art lovers. It’s not mandatory. Today we are missing a teaching method and sensibility for children to learn how to establish a dialogue with art.

S: No, I’ve never had one. I designed the booth with a strong concept and it wasn’t possible to change it. You can’t put Pascali and Fontanta together and then sell them and fill the empty space with something else. It was something really annoying to me. I’ve always thought that seeing all those extra works in the storage was sad. It made me upset. I’m against lockers. When I designed an exhibition I used to print small catalogues so that in case of a sale the image of the whole project could be maintained. That was the image of Italian art. That was my image, and 15 years later, it is still there. It’s me. I used to be that and people remember it. I’ve never changed the display of my exhibitions, never. I never wanted to and I definitely wouldn’t do so now. My duty there was to introduce Italian art and Fontana to the world and I think I succeeded. G: I know that you have a new gallery project in Rome. Are you going to attend art fairs? S: I think that my gallery will be present, because I have a partner and he’s going to take care of the fair issues! (laughs). I don’t want to do it myself now. I need my idea of art to be in dialogue with the world of art. Let’s see, you only live once so that’s why I have a young partner to make it easier for me and the gallery.

Exploring Fairland

Evan & Adele, performance artist couple visiting Gagosian Gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

Sergio Fermariello

Known for his warrior silhouette armed with a lance, Sergio Fermariello has established himself as a relevant artist on the Italian and International art scene. His stylised figure represents the artist with a brush in his hand that becomes a warrior ready to fight his battle. The Neapolitan artist experienced what it meant to be in your twenties and exhibit your work in Basel during the 80â€™s,in one of the leading European galleries of that time, Lucio Amelio. He talks about the enthusiasm of meeting all the major art influencers in one place at the same time, and the importance of the network that keeps the hosting place alive and vivid. When it comes to the market issue, he says that people invest in art instead of buying stocks and that this economic and financial side of art is the reason why artists need to be inside the system, otherwise they donâ€™t have any visibility: thatâ€™s why the fair is so important for artists like him, as a relational platform beyond the question of selling.

It is a trauma, but makes you think! Investigating art fairs as relational platforms

G: What do you think of the variety of art fairs worldwide and how do you deal with them? Some people talk about art fairs as if they were going to be the museum of the future, Do you think that there could be a balance between the market and the cultural role of fairs? S: I think that in Italy we are still missing the institutional role and all I can see is the market. The Italian State relies on the gallerists’ market. Every time an artist is exhibited in a museum there are no financial aids only many, many private donations. I think I could talk about fairs and fair numbers in negative terms, but since I’m talking about the market I belong to, it doesn’t make sense to do so. Every year I usually attend art fairs because during two days more than 50000 people can see my works. I can’t speak ill of this because all this visibility is a prestige for me as well as a relational platform that goes beyond the act of selling. It represents a moment of relation for the artist, then the market issues are handled by the gallerists so I don’t have to care about those. I usually make a lot of contacts and I think that it is a strength. G: Do you attend both Italian and foreign fairs? S: Yes, but it depends on the galleries that exhibit my works. 30 years ago, at the end of the 80’s, I used to go to Basel every year with Lucio Amelio Gallery. I attended the ’89, ’90, ’91 and ’92 editions with solo exhibitions. He used to change the exhibition every day of the fair. You could meet people like Leo Castelli, Rosenthal and many others there, and have passionate exchanges of opinions. Today I collaborate with a gallery that applies to Italian fairs, even if our ambition is to go to Miami next year. When I worked with Lucio, it was completely different, and I’m talking also about the care he used to have in dealing with artists. I was young when I first went to Basel and it meant a lot to me. I remember that one day I was in line at the self-service restaurant and I bumped into this

very tall guy wearing Super Goof shoes... he was Keith Haring. I wanted to hug him so hard, but I was too shy. In Basel you could meet people like him. I think that there are so many art fairs today because people know less about everything so it’s possible to feed them more things. Those things are the answer to the improvement of the demand and it’s a phenomenon linked to finance because art works almost as a stock and its value goes beyond its aesthetic parameters. People invest in art instead of buying Asian stocks, they buy linear meters of paintings. I think that the amount of art today is directly linked to the market demand. It sounds like the multiplication of the loaves. G: What is the impact of the fair on the city that hosts it? How do you deal with the city scale and its network during the days of the art fair? S: Bologna develops a strong network during the art fair days. Privileged art people are introduced to the city; clubs, bars and restaurants are fully booked and the city is alive. It’s impossible to go to a restaurant on the last Saturday of January (this year the fair takes place in February). This success is achieved thanks to the fair network. I’ve tried to invite Neapolitan students from the academy of fine arts telling them that if they want to work inside the art world they need to attend fairs. It’s only at art fairs that you have the possibility to see 10000 paintings in two days. It traumatic, but makes you think! Especially if you are really new to this world, you can see what other people have built. Maybe I’ll tell you more about some private episodes that happened at the fair. Many years ago, Pasquale Trisorio, Daria’s father, decided to exhibit one of my paintings. The problem was that he didn’t have enough space on the walls of the booth and decided to keep it in the storage area. I was shocked and traumatised by that. It was 1987, and I was 26 years old. Two years later I had to choose between Trisorio’s and Amelio’s galleries. I called Pasquale and told him I was sorry, but I had

Storage! Georg Nothelfer Gallery at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

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decided to go with Lucio. I called Paola Colacurcio1 to confirm, and Lucio called me back saying that there was no problem at all. While I was traveling to Basel I stopped in Milan, Como and Zurich, and called Lucio compulsively to ask if my paintings were going to hang on the wall. They didn’t understand my concern, and actually one of the paintings had already been sold to a Japanese guy. I was so shocked by my previous experience, that I thought that all of them were going to be kept in the storage space again. It sounds like that Troisi movie, when he keeps on asking if there is space in Florence2... G: How do you get ready for the art fair? I’m talking about decisions, organisations, public relations... S: No, no public relations at all. I was supposed to have a talk in Milan, but then it was canceled. Many artists organise themselves, they have roundtable meetings. I think that it’s like decorating the Ariston Theatre, nobody cares! If you’re there for the paintings, you don’t listen to the debates at the microphones. It sounds unnecessary, what really matters it’s the market. About this topic, Lucio Amelio was astonishing in the way that he always set different exhibitions without having a market based experience. He always introduced new artists to the Italian art platform. Of course without risking! He loved to be a talent scout, he was excited by that. What is missing today is that kind of authority, we are all someone else’s dealer. I remember when Damien Hirst was introduced in the market, there were 4 bodyguards to monitor his works. The art system makes you a living brand, if it wants to. Maybe even the Mona Lisa, or a Masaccio’s painting, had it been exhibited in Scarlatti street in Naples, it would hardly have been sold. And the problem is not that it is fake or kitsch. People ask for a good narrative in the right place, they expect it, with the right perspective. From this point of view, the level has gone down and we should talk about politics... but this is another thing entirely. G: I’d like to know how do you deal with the spatial issue at the fair and the display of your works... S: Everything is decided by the gallery. Today I had two phone calls: one to Milan to ask about the size of the booth and which kind of works they wanted for it, they always give me some inputs. The other one, to Trisorio’s gallery was for them to know which

works I have right now at my studio. G: I know, but what do you mean when you say that art must be displayed with the right perspective, lights and context? At an art fair? S: They always try to have the best result according to the space that is given to the gallery. Art fairs are all really similar to each other nowadays. There was a great improvement in the last 10 years. Bologna is top among the Italian ones. Art fairs in Naples and Bari were terrible, they looked like house markets with Peruvian products, like pan flutes. The reason is always economic, a good art fair needs a strong economic system. The art business is beyond our imagination. There is a text from a famous critic about the end of art stating that“ art doesn’t die because there are no paintings being made, art dies because there are too many of them!”. Artistic production is excessive, so where is the value anymore? Who can grant the quality? No artist was arrested during Tangentopoli3, just engineers, urban planners and architects. If I’m in charge of building a bridge and I build it 100 m smaller, I can be arrested. But what if I paint 1 m of canvas and sell it for one billion? I can’t be arrested, it’s your business. What if I sell you a hole? You can’t sell a hole if you’re an urban planner, you need to be artist. Fontana cut-off paintings are just holes for many people. Manzoni’s Artist’s Shit (Merda d’artista) is a masterpiece, because if it’s true that a collector loves to keep paintings and collect them, a Freudian anal phase can meet this desire. I think he was a genius. After him Cattelan was the first to make people understand that there was a cultural change in art, and also a change in finger! The metaphorical image par excellence of the Western culture is God’s finger pointing to Constantine in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. This image was used by Giotto and Michelangelo again and again. But what does the finger stand for? The path a good Christian has to follow. That is the direction to follow, the direction of history and time, from sin to redemption to resurrection (last day). Modernity adopted this principle, making it secular. In psychoanalysis this represents the path from illness to cure and recovery, in Marxism from slavery to fight and liberation. The idea of time is a dialectic with a positive vision and the future is always better than the past. This is the reason why

Sergio Fermariello, Guerrieri, 2017. Courtesy: Galleria Trisorio.

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Exploring Fairland

we buy more and more refrigerators, changing nature into a positive thing (the refrigerator). Today Cattelan is the one that realised this and decided to switch to the finger showing us the middle finger to denouncing that time has stopped and that there’s no future because we consumed it already. So what now? Middle finger must be understood in its complexity: it means that all the fairs, all the paintings and all the artistic operations are artifices. If you turn on a freezer and put inside a fish you just caught, it has value as long as you can still eat it. But you keep it edible switching the freezer on. Once you switch it off cutting the electric wire you loose consensus and the fish becomes nature again. After a week no investor would buy it. If you keep the wire and the freezer on, that fish will still have a value. So today everything is linked to a wire of something artificial. You need a network. Banksy did an experiment and tried to sell his illustrations on a street in NY. He only sold 3 for 60 dollars. If you’re not inside a network, you’re nobody (to say it in Neapolitan: Nun si nisciun). You need to be part of the system. If Trisorio gallery had exhibited my work in 1987 nobody would have bought it, but the same work in 1989, at Lucio Amelio’s booth, was a success. What happened to the painting, did it change? It’s like a joke: the same one, told by different people can be funny or not funny. One thousand shades of the same thing. If a super rich Californian man gets drunk, he’s a viver, a playboy. But if a poor fellow gets drunk, he’s a molester (Neapolitan: rattuso). (Laughs) G: So the context does matter? Also the spatial one, the building that hosts the fair event? S: I think that it reflects the culture of the country. Milan has a strong private collecting activity, but that’s it. Bocconi has now announced a new collection, but everything is private and supported by private investors. There’s no national interest or support. I think that boxes, hosting building, etc., are important but in Italy we are missing the basis. The State needs to wake up. Milanese context is really snobbish, but the buildings are wonderful and the fashion system knows it. Maybe with art it is more difficult. Our hosting structures are really old. In Milan the fair area is new and hosts all kinds of events, same in Miami. I think that those are market spaces, but since the investment for the

galleries is really high, the space must be a quality one, and the State can help in this direction. It’s not a casualty that people go to Miami to buy art: there you pay around 20% less taxes. In Italy you have to pay a percentage of every sale changing hands to SIAE. So the State can be paid several times for the same work. G: What do you think of the increasing curatorial approach to the art fair? S: I think it’s interesting. There are so many beautiful things at a fair, so many paintings. Art critics don’t visit artists’ private studios anymore as it used to be in the last century. There was a historical approach and an ideological research behind our work. I do the painting and the critic can defend it. Now the figure of the curator is a bit lacking from the ideological point of view. I think that the curator is a cheaper version of a critic. He’s studied for 3 year without a specialisation. He doesn’t have an art historian’s knowledge. His value is follower-based. If you have followers you’re at the top. If Fedez4 stands next to a painting everyone wants to buy it. Wind-up merchants, but the world works like that so... G: There are so many social dynamics at the art fair: the preview system, the VIP areas. So many actors share the same stage. S: It’s like any other shopping window. It’s like going to the movies, people attend the ArteCinema festival because it’s a way of spending two hours of your time, but the movies are on youtube already. It’s a way of socialising. The further we go the less the artist is needed. Collectors will make the paintings themselves in the future. The role of the artist has changed. I’m still petroleum, a fossil of something different. I think I belong to another century. Mine is a kind of a disease (laughs). But I talk too much, now it would be so nice to say:“let’s go to the studio!” G: Let’s go there!

Chapter Two

History, Development and Dynamics

Why is it relevant to talk about art fairs? According to Francesco Garutti1 the phenomenon of fairization deals with a high concentration of symbolic, social and financial capital. «The ‘territory’ of the fair is a place where a version of the ancient potlatch ritual - where material assets are sacrificed in exchange for symbolic prestige - is performed, and where the works of art on display play an ambiguous role, balanced between the inherent mystery and drama of their nature, the ostentation of power and the comment-free display of a marketplace»2. Positioning and credibility have become features as strong as information in the contemporary market, and the art world perfectly shares these features in its mechanisms and complexity. In his article, The evolution of the Art Fair 3, Christian Morgner focuses on three socio-historical settings that paved the way for the contemporary art fair: the role of religious festivals for the socio-relational structure, the growth of the artisanal fair for the management and organisational features and the early development of the art fair during the last sixty years. Analysing the etymology of the word Fair, it derives from feire, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin feria: weekday, fair, from Late Latin, festal day, from Latin feriae (plural) meaning holidays or holy days.4 What is relevant about the relation between religious festivals and art fairs, is the idea of power and status of a ruling elite that became legitimised by a codification. The annual religious festivals of civilisations - like Greek and Roman Empires, Aztec and Inca Kingdoms - brought together, in a single location and at specific time, people from different areas, tribes and social strata. This pointed out the importance of an infrastructural system to make it possible and, at the same time, the necessity of understanding how a religious event was based on a networking structure. The most interesting repercussion of this human network, was the presence of many different personal items and this is the reason why festivals became associated with trade.5 That’s the main reason for how, slowly, a religious event has

become a market platform. On the other side, Christian Morgner also points out how there is still a religious symbolism present inside the business model of art fairs, and it is linked to the way a belief in art keeps a heterogeneous group of people together. Artisanal fairs emerged as an effect of religious festivals and at the beginning were held on an annual basis (if we think of the ancient Roman festivals). The success of those events made possible their development in the following centuries, especially in the Frankish Kingdom: Saint-Denis near Paris, the Champagne region, Geneva and Lyon and after the 16th century, also Germany and England. Russia followed during the 18th century. Artisanal fairs became a platform for transactions, also for the rarity market. This attracted people from a wider regional area and developed a new attention to the aesthetic appeal and display of the items. New mechanisms of network-like features were introduced to protect the travellers, during their journey to the fair and once they were doing the trade directly at the fair. The fairs «where regularly frequented by merchants from all parts of Europe and northern Africa, Palestine and Syria, and Asia Minor».6 Due to their international nature, the acceptance of different currencies imposed the creation of a financial system of credit and money clearing 7, giving the fair a central role in the development of premodern economies. The age of machine, together with the standardisation of goods, started the decline of the Artisanal Fairs that were later going to be replaced by sample fairs. The new goal wasn’t to sell the items, but to present them. But art wasn’t ready to adopt this model yet, until the collapse of the European Empires and of the aristocratic class. In fact, The French salon model of art exhibition was popular and similar across different countries until that time. The turning point was represented by the replacement of the commissioning market by the developing collectors’ market. But only the 20th century’s great cities were going to provide

Chapter 1

Art Brussels Art Cologne Deutsche Kunst- und Antiquitätenmesse La Biennale des Antiquaires

ARCO Madrid ADAA AIPAD Art Basel Arte Fiera Bologna FIAC Olympia TEFAF

Art Paris Art Taipei Art Toronto Arte BA Artissima Guangzhou International Art Fair IFPDA Print Fair KIAF LISTE Art Fair Outsider Art Fair New York PAD Paris Paris Photo Shanghai Art Fair The Armory Show

ABC Berlin Art Basel Miami Beach ArtBo Frieze London LOOP NADA Miami Beach Parcours des Mondes PULSE Miami Beach SCOPE Miami Beach SP-Arte Viennafair VOLTA | Basel Zona Maco

Abu Dhabi Art Fair Art Aspen Art Basel Hong Kong Art Beijing Art Berlin Art Dubai Art Hamptons Art Jakarta Asia Contemporary Art Show Fall Asia Contemporary Art Show Spring Auckland Art Fair Beirut Art Fair Contemporary Istanbul Cosmoscow Dallas Art Fair Independent, New York India Art Fair Masterpiece London PAD London Red Dot Art Fair VOLTA | New York

1955–1969

1970–1990

1991–2000

2001–2005

2006–2010

Timeline for the emergence of selected art fairs © Arts Economics (2018)

1:54 Contemporary London 1:54 Contemporary New York Art 021 China Art Central Art Revolution Taipei Art Rio Art Stage Singapore Art X Lagos artgenève ArtRio Expo Chicago Fog Design and Art Frieze Masters Frieze New York Independent Brussels Investec Cape Town Art Fair NADA New York Outsider Art Fair Paris Paris Asian Art Fair Paris Tableau Pinta Miami Prizm Art Fair SIKKA Art Fair Spectrum Miami Sydney Contemporary TEFAF New York Fall TEFAF New York Spring Tokyo International Art Fair UNTITLED, Miami Beach UNTITLED, San Francisco Viennacontemporary West Bund Art Fair

2011–2017

Exploring Fairland

the sales platform to make this newborn art really flourish. If it’s true that fairs have been around since the birth of Western capitalism (of course the forms of display have changed), Art Fairs, as we know them, are definitely modern creatures.8 Pierre Bourdieu stated that contemporary art fairs came into the spotlight when the issues of independence from traditional gatekeeping structures and art’s autonomy were raised by the artists themselves.9 All the hints for the newly developed way of displaying and selling art can be found in Germany from 1959 to 1968. The first prototype of art fair was set by gallerists Hein Stünke and Rudolf Zwirner, in the organisation of the exhibition Documenta 2, as a space for selling prints and editions. Thanks to the fluxes from Documenta, their space was a success and gave them the idea of turning it into a real event with market affinities, Kunstmarkt ’67. It was going to become Art Cologne, the first European case of its kind. It’s a key element that the first contemporary art fair was born in the wake for an art exhibition, Documenta, far from the chaotic nature of the market.10 However the layout and way of displaying, links it back to antiques fairs. «The story of what took place in Cologne in the late 60s contains all the clues to the genesis of our present context and clarifies in just a few steps the reasons for the electric, ambiguous, and complex appeal that characterises the art fair, this arena, stage set, and salon where collectors, dealers, works and viewers all come together»11. The issue of the dualism of art and market was becoming relevant and many gallerists and artist responded to Kunstmarkt with a wide range of exhibitions, counter-exhibitions and new alternative or parallel commercial events. Art Basel, with its first edition of 1970, was the most important reaction and soon became the paradigm of reference for curators, art enthusiasts and art professional. As soon as it became an institutional format, many other local alternative phenomena have grown, like Unfair and Liste in the 90s. More institutional alternatives were developed soon after: from Fiac in Paris to Madrid’s ARCO format that introduced talks and public discussions. Talking about the phenomenon Angela Vettese said: «At the beginning of 2000s a new kind of glamour fair with top VIP services established itself. This model shares a huge attention to the collateral events on a wider territorial scale (even

if Basel is a city that comes alive only during the Art Basel days). It’s fun but I cannot always agree with the idea of art that is overshadowed by that social life»12. The Anglo-Saxon answer arrived with the birth of Frieze and its further section Projects, in 2003. Both Frieze and Art Basel became brandstructured fairs that could be exported worldwide: Art Basel Miami Beach started in 2004, Frieze New York in 2012 and the upcoming Frieze Los Angeles will take place in 2019. The ultimate tendency is to include new strong economies that weren’t familiar with contemporary art, as in the case of Art Basel Hong Kong (2013), or to export networking economies in countries with a strong artistic asset, as in the case of the Art Basel Cities13 project and the upcoming Buenos Aires edition (September 2018).

Chapter 1

Herzog & de Meuron, Messe Basel New Hall, 2013 (completed). Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

Francesco Garutti (a cura di), Fairland: Explorations, Insights and Outlooks on Art Fair Future, Koening Books, Londra 2014, pp.13-24. 1

Francesco Garutti (a cura di), op. cit., p.13.

Christian Morgner, “The evolution of the art fair”, in Historical Social Research 39, 2014, III, pp. 318 - 336. 3

“Fair” in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 2017. Printed. 4

Karl Polyani studied the transformation of religious festivals in the market of fairs. cr. Karl Polyani, The Great Transformation, Octagon Books, London, 1975. 5

Allix A.M., “The Geography of Fairs: Illustrated by Old-World Examples” in Geographical Review 12 (4), 1992, p. 536. 6

Christian Morgner, The evolution of the art fair, op.cit., p. 323

S. Baia Curioni, “Which Fairs - Which art” in Garutti F. (a cura di), Fairland: Explorations, Insights and Outlooks on Art Fair Future, op. cit., p. 30. 8

Pierre Bourdieu, Les Règles de l’art - Genèse et structure du champ littéraire, Seuil, Paris, 1992. 9

Francesco Garutti (a cura di), op.cit., p.16

Francesco Garutti (a cura di), op.cit., p.23

Angela Vettese Interview, pp.14-17.

inserisci la pagina dove ne parlo.

Major Art Fair Locations in 2017

Other 9% US 24%

South America 7%

Asia 10%

France 9% Other Europe 17%

UK 7% Italy 5%

Switzerland 5%

Netherlands 7%

Top Art Fair Cities in 2017 (Number of Major Fairs) 2017

2012

2007

New York

Miami

New York

Paris

Miami

16 10

Miami

New York

London

Basel

Madrid

Paris

Amsterdam

Basel

Cologne

Brussels

Cologne

Berlin

Hong Kong

Amsterdam

Madrid

Mexico City

Berlin

Santa Monica

Taipei

Vienna

Beijing

ÂŠ Art Economics and Artfacts.net (2018)

2.1 Mapping Art Fairs’ Geographies and Economies: Art Global Cities

Art and market are not separated elements, even if finance is becoming a predominant factor, something that can create problems from a curatorial point of view. «Western art has developed in parallel with capitalism, commercial capitalism first (middle ages) and later, industrial capitalism (XIX sec.). Today we have to deal with financial capitalism. The money-art relation is there since art was bought for the first time. Who is shocked by that should reread Baxandal1 on the Italian art of the XV sec., that was based on the contracts between commissioning actors and artists»2. According to Angela Vettese3, today the Art System follows the Internet Age4 dynamics and the world works as a network where all the nodes have the same importance. This is the reason why we should give up on analysing things according to a centreperiphery relation, switching to a global network outlook. It was mostly Western contemporary art that was widely diffused on a global scale, because of its deep connection with trade and economy. A profound globalisation was needed to overcome economical and geopolitical models of Western leadership and cultural colonialism, in art too. Chinese art has followed this direction, empowering itself after the capitalistic national switch. It happened with an emulation-ridicule dialectic of capitalism itself. The 90s represented a turning point, opening contemporary art to global cultures, beyond Western supremacy and colonialism. The art fair phenomenon has followed in the steps of the economic and cultural growth of the Art System, and works as a microcosm within which we can easily find all the phases, strengths and weaknesses, of this process. Talking about the location of worldwide art fairs, the art dealer Sergio Casoli summarised their development in a very interesting way, saying that art is a Western problem and analysing the starting point of this reality back to the US movie industry. He said: «organising Art|Basel in Kabul doesn’t make sense, imagine doing it in Africa! It’s a Western problem because it’s a matter of economy. The markets that are open

to the western way of conceiving economy, the rich ones, are the perfect places for an art fair. Almost ten or fifteen years ago there was a time when the Chilean market was really strong and during those years so many Chilean artists were asked to produce works! Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses have been printing a separate catalogue for Italian art. The reasons for this were two: of course Italian art was the best in the world, but also the Italian market was really strong and asked for works of art. Now the art fair moves to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and so on: places where there is a strong economy and where the westernisation of art works. We believe that art has an absolute value, but it’s not true. Since art fairs follow the market, they are attracted by the development of new markets and countries where capital can be invested in art. It’s a speculative bubble where industry, economy and art fuse together. It all started after World War II, when America became a brand thanks to the movie industry and exported its culture and the consumerism in Italy, Germany and France. We all became consumers. Art has the same role. When art enters the Chinese world it becomes a catalyst for Chinese people and their economy»5. The Neapolitan artist Sergio Fermariello thinks that it is a matter of numbers. He addresses the causes to a demographic and cultural issue inside the economy of information that we are all involved in. In our interview, he stated: «there are so many art fairs today because people know less about everything so it’s possible to feed them more things. Those things are the answer to the improvement of the demand and it’s a phenomenon linked to finance because art works almost as a stock and its value goes beyond its aesthetic parameters. People invest in art instead of buying Asian stocks, they buy linear meters of paintings»6. Vettese’s and Casoli’s points of view go in the direction of the global city model introduced by Saskia Sassen. This theory is based on the

Chapter 2

ascendence of information technologies and the associated increase in the mobility and liquidity of capital 7. Can we talk about Art Global Cities8 as a network of international, or super-national, spatial realities for the Art System? It could be interesting to adopt this term in order to classify a certain type of city linked to a strong Art Market (rather than strictly financial). By applying the global city model to the art market, it’s possible to include in the definition minor financial cities, (compared to global cities as understood by Saskia Sassen) with a strong art economy like Basel for example, who developed a complex urban and economical framework around its art fair and art market, positioning itself as a leading reality worldwide. Although in 1970 there were only three art fairs (Cologne, Basel and Brussels) and seven in 1980 (Cologne, Basel, Brussels, Bologna, Chicago, Paris and Maastricht), the number doubled by 1990 to fourteen fairs, and in the year 2000 there were more than thirty. The foundation of new art fairs then increased rapidly world-wide. For the year 2012 the art market data bank Artfacts listed 216 important art fairs. At each of these fairs, between 50 and 300 gallerists exhibited a total of up to 6,000 works of art. The result is that a three-stage system of fairs developed, with different geographical locations, ranges and perceptions, which to a certain degree reflects the development of the art market, and is dominated by galleries and art dealers from the West (USA, Europe). This trend must be understood inside the theoretical framework that Angela Vettese introduced while talking about the moneyart relation and its evolution in time. Whereas at the lowest level a rapidly growing number of art fairs, mostly with regional, interregional and national power and influence, have been developed, at the middle level only a small number of fairs has crystallised which, supported by a strong network at the national level, include geographically neighbouring and culturally related regions and are increasingly establishing international connections. These include, above all, established fairs in Europe and North America, such as Art Cologne, Foire Internationale d‘Art Contemporain (FIAC Paris), Armory Show (New York) or Arte Contemporaneo (ARCO Madrid). Since the beginning of the 21st century, newer fairs in emerging areas of the world have joined this circle, such as the Maco

México Contemporaneo (Mexico City), Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Art Singapore, Art Dubai International Fair or the India Art Fair (New Delhi). This phenomenon followed the development of the global market in these new economical areas of power. At the peak of the relatively new institution of the art fair, a handful of big events established themselves with brand names of their own, alongside the renowned biennales in Venice and Kassel: the Art Basel (Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong), the Frieze Art Fair (London, New York) and the Tefaf (Maastricht, New York). They recruit their potential primarily from the national diversity of the exhibitors, who in turn represent the most important galleries and dealers from the countries with big national art markets9. Comparing the galleries’ countries of provenance map of the most important Art Fairs, could be a way to understand Art Geographies and the Power Hierarchy inside the Art System. By analysing the data of the 2017 editions of Art Basel, Frieze London and Fiac (taken as three models of reference according to their success), it’s possible to partially draw Art Fairs’ Geographies and to understand the origin of the exhibited galleries. Mapping the influences could be relevant to understanding which are the leading countries and which geopolitical asset each fair has strengthened. What is clear is that, as Franz Schultheis and Angela Vettese have already stated, the art market is dominated by Western dealers (USA, Europe) and the major Art Global Cities have a leading role in the socio- political asset. Anne Holtrop has stressed the idea of art fairs’ internationality. He said that: «The fair is not for local people, it is international. So people fly to reach the fair, they come from everywhere to the place that is central for the trade. People that are regular collectors of arts would visit all these places and then maybe they go to auctions, go to the galleries and have their own schedule. Maybe every week or every two weeks you have the opportunity to do that. (...) I don’t know how much they sell in Fiac in one session, but that figure is pretty high. The economics of architecture is completely not relevant compared to that. (...) All I’m trying to say is that if you want to look at architectural conditions, you have to look at everything that is involved in the process and the multiple dynamics. That’s how you can investigate the real footprint of the art fair: where it comes

Exploring Fairland

Gallery Origins at Global Art Fairs in 2017

US 18%

Others 37% Germany 9%

France 8% Argentina 1% Mexico 1% China 2% Brazil 2% South Korea 3% Japan 3% UK 8%

Italy 8%

Distribution of Artist Nationalities Exhibited at Art Fairs in 2017 Canada 2%China 2% Spain 3% Japan 3% Brazil 3% France 4% Italy 5%

Other 40%

UK 6%

Germany 7%

US 25%

ÂŠ Art Economics and Artfacts.net (2018)

Chapter 2

Geographical Distribution of Exhibitions in 2017

Commercial and Non-Commercial Exhibitions Other Europe 16%

US 21%

Other 3% South and Central America 4% Germany 12%

Other Asia 8% China 2% Australia 3% Spain 3% Italy 3% Switzerland 4% Austria 4%

France 10% UK 7%

Commercial Exhibitions Other Europe 18% US 27%

Other Asia 7% Other 1% China 2% South and Central America 3% Australia 3% Italy 3% Japan 3% Switzerland 3% Austria 4%

ÂŠ Art Economics and Artfacts.net (2018)

Germany 11%

France 8% UK 7%

Exploring Fairland

from, where it is presented and where it goes. There is no static place, it is completely dynamic»10. Art Basel is the best place to observe the art and capital discourse. Even the logo of Art Basel is always shown together with the UBS banking one - the main sponsor of the fair. It is clear that the operators of the fair have an obvious interest in a regular flow of money, even though the connection with UBS could well be seen as a dualism with a dubious side to it, for the self-understanding of the actors in the art field who participate in the fair. According to Schultheis: «one can, moreover, assume that this problem does not arise in the same way for the Formula One races, which are also sponsored by the UBS. The bank is also present inside the fair; it has reserved a special enclosed sector within the exclusive VIP lounge for itself and its hand-picked clientele, and it is by no means enough to possess a VIP card in order to be granted entrance to it. The main sponsor has in any case a clear say in the distribution of the VIP quotas and it would be idle to ask about the selection criteria that are applied»11. The wealthiest among its financially powerful high-segment clients, are more than welcome to join those spaces. And it is not by chance that in the VIP lounge we find a very special concentration of first class art collectors, who are not only hosted in a princely fashion by their bank, but are also provided with a wide range of service offers to improve their financial investments, with and beyond art. Spaces are designed with extreme care to provide a comfortable and luxurious environment and entertainment. The last floor of the Basel fair is dedicated to the collectors lounge and the access is strictly controlled to filter the guests that fulfil the elite criteria. The UBS bank sponsors institutions in the art field by financially supporting events taking place at different locations around the world, with an interesting mixture of generous patronage and interest-guided marketing, by means of public self-presentation. In addition to this, the bank buys works of art at all of its locations, and now possesses a collection of around 32,000 objects. Taking a closer look, the picture of a passion for such priceless goods has accompanied the business of the bank fades in history as a way of diversifying their capital. In the case of UBS, «the new policy of this bank in the process of transformation into a global finance institution corresponds to a surprising degree with

the philosophy of the global elite which the Art Basel itself used to promote itself at the latest since the turn of the century – no less than the best»12. The shift of interest from the faithful smaller and medium-sized investors it had taken care of, to the wealthy major clients, fits perfectly into this picture. It is exactly this high-end segment of the bank‘s clientele that overlaps, to a large extent, with the art collectors of the VIP category to whom the Art Basel offered privileged access conditions – ultimately this was the desired target group. Art Basel was maybe the first fair to adopt this strong partnership, but behind almost every one of the big players fairs worldwide, today there is a big bank or a big banking group to again strengthen the art-capital liaison in the communication and representation era. Next pages focus on mapping the gallery origins of three different European art fairs: Art|Basel Basel, Frieze London and Fiac Paris. The aim is to visually understand how the networks of each event differ on a global scale.

Art|Basel Basel 2017

Gallery origins at Art|Basel Basel 2017.

Zurich

Warsaw

Vienna

Torino

Tokyo

Seoul

SĂŁo Paulo

San Francisco

Paris

Oslo

New York

Napoli

Munich

Milan

Mexico City

Madrid

Los Angeles

London

Lisboa

Geneva

DĂźsseldorf

Chicago

Cologne

Copenhagen

Brussels

Berlin

Beijing

Basel

Atherns

Amsterdam

Data: artbasel.com

Frieze London 2017

Gallery origins at Frieze London 2017.

Zurich

Vienna

Warsaw

Tokyo

Shangai

Seoul

San Francisco

SĂŁo Paulo

Roma

Paris

New York

Napoli

Munich

Milano

Mexico City

Madrid

Los Angeles

London

Hamburg

Glasgow

Geneva

Florence

DĂźsseldorf

Cologne

Cape Town

Berlin

Brussel

Basel

Antwerp

Amsterdam

Data: frieze.com

Fiac Paris 2017

Gallery origins at Fiac Paris 2017.

Zürich

Wien

Tokyo

Roma

Seoul

Paris

New York

Napoli

Milano

México D.F

Madrid

Los Angeles

London

Lisbon

Köln

Frankfurt

Brussels

Berlin

Amsterdam

Data: fiac.com

Michael Baxandall, Painting and experience in FifteenthCentury Italy: A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style, Oxford University Press, Cambridge, 1988. 1

Angela Vettese Interview, pp.14-17.

Angela Vettese, L’Arte Contemporanea. Tra Mercato e Nuovi Linguaggi, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2012, p.111. 3

Manuel Castells, The Information Age, Volumes 1-3: Economy, Society and Culture.; Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, Cambridge, 1999. 4

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp.62-67.

Sergio Fermariello Interview, pp.68-73.

“It is in this context that we see a re-scaling of what are the strategic territories that articulate the new system. With the partial unbundling or at least weakening of the national as a spatial unit due to privatisation and deregulation and the associated strengthening of globalisation come conditions for the ascendance of other spatial units or scales. Among these are the sub-national, notably cities and regions; cross- border regions encompassing two or more sub-national entities; and supra-national entities, i.e. global digitalised markets and free trade blocs. The dynamics and processes that get territorialized at these diverse scales can in principle be regional, national or global. (…) I locate the emergence of global cities in this context and against this range of instantiations of strategic scales and spatial units.’ In the case of global cities, the dynamics and processes that get territorialized are global”. cf. Saskia Sassen, The Global City, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2001, p.27. 7

The term is used here to apply Saskia Sassesn’s Global Cities model to the Art Market Global Financial Economy. 8

Franz Schulteis, Single E., Egger S., Mazzurana T., When Art meets Money, Walther König, Köln, 2016, p.32 9

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp.18-25.

Franz Schulteis, Single E., Egger S., Mazzurana T., When Art meets Money, Walther König, Köln, 2016, p.57. 11

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp.26-31.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Statue of Liberty, 2018. Original section of the Berlin wall, cash machine. Köning Galerie, Art|Basel, 2018.

2.2 Key Findings Numbers of the Art Market

General

Dealer

1. Sales in the global art market reached $63.7 billion in 2017, up 12% from 2016.

1. Dealer sales in 2017 reached an estimated $33.7 billion, up 4% year-on-year.

2. The volume of sales (number of transactions) grew more moderately than values, at 8% year-on-year.

2. Dealers with turnover below $500,000 saw a decline in sales on average of 4%, the second year of losses in this segment.

3. In 2017, aggregate sales by dealers accounted for a larger share of the market, at 53% by value, with auction sales accounting for 47% (up 4% from 2016).

3. For dealers at the very highest end (sales over $50 million), sales growth was strongest at 10%, although this was only around half the growth rate reported for this segment in 2016.

4. The three largest markets of the US, China and the UK accounted for 83% of total global sales by value.

4. The number of gallery closures has varied conside- rably, peaking in 2009 and falling in recent years. Gallery openings have declined steadily over the last decade, with the number of new galleries established in 2017 around 87% less than in 2007.

5. The US was the largest market worldwide, accounting for 42% of sales by value, with China in second place (21%) and the UK the third largest market with 20%. 6. Sales in the major art markets all advanced year-on-year in 2017: in the US by 16% to $26.6 billion; in China by 14% to $13.2 billion; and in the UK by 8% to $12.9 billion.

5. While the ratio of gallery openings to closures in 2007 was 5:1, this has declined rapidly since then, dropping to 0.9:1 in 2017, that is, more closures than openings. 6. According to the dealer survey, the three biggest issues facing dealers in 2018 are: finding new buyers; the economy / demand for art and antiques; and participation at fairs.

Exhibitions and Art Fairs

Online

1. The gallery was the primary institution for exhibitions worldwide in 2017, accounting for 55% of the number of global exhibitions.

1. The global online art and antiques market was estimated to have reached a new high of $5.4 billion in 2017, up 10% year-onyear and accounting for 8% of the value of global sales.

2. Exhibitions are much more globally dispersed than sales in the art market. The US accounted for a 21% share, followed by Germany (12%) and France (10%).

2. The online art market has increased substantially in size over the last five years (by 72%), and its share of total art market sales has also edged up from 5% in 2013.

3. Dealers reported that they made 46% of their sales at art fairs in 2017, up 5% on 2016.

3. Online sales have been a key method to access new buyers: dealers reported that 45% of their online buyers were new to their businesses in 2017; 41% of those buying online at secondtier auction houses were new buyers; and in top-tier houses they averaged over 40%.

4. Sales at fairs were estimated to have reached close to $15.5 billion in 2017, up 17% year-on-year, while the costs for dealers to attend fairs rose 15% to $4.6 billion. 5. On average, dealers attended five fairs in 2017, the same number as in 2016.

4. Most of the traditional offline dealers and auction houses surveyed in 2017 recognized the online channel as a key area of growth over the next five years.

Wealth

Economic Impact

1. A survey of (high net worth individuals) HNWIs in the US by UBS and Arts Economics in 2017 revealed that 35% were active in the art and collectibles market.

1. There were approximately 310,685 businesses operating in the global art, antiques and collectibles market in 2017, comprising 296,540 in the gallery sector and 14,145 auction houses.

2. The survey indicated that the most common price range for buying works was less than $5,000 (79% of respondents), and 93% reported that they most often bought at prices less than $50,000. Only 1% of respondents bought at prices in excess of $1 million.

2. The art market directly employed an estimated 3 million people in 2017, stable from 2016.

3. The most frequently used channel for purchases was a gallery or dealer, with 66% of the sample having used them to purchase art. 4. 11% of respondents had used credit or loans to purchase works of art or objects in their collections. 5. Only 32% of collectors felt that the expected financial return on their investment was important, although this was higher (at 47%) for those with wealth over $5 million. The majority of the collectors surveyed (86%) reported that they had never sold a work from their collection.

3. It is calculated that the global art trade spent $19.6 billion on a range of external support services directly linked to their businesses, supporting a further 363,655 jobs. 4. The largest area of spending, although only incurred by dealers, was on art fairs, which represented 23% of the total at $4.6 billion, an advance of 15% year-on-year. The second largest area of spending was on advertising and marketing, which totaled $2.8 billion.

6. Sales to private collectors dominated the dealer and auction sectors, accounting for 66% of dealersâ€™ sales in 2017 and 64% for second-tier auction houses.

310 k $

63.7 b The global art market achieved total sales of $63.7 billion in 2017.

15.5 b

There were appro imately 310,685 businesses operating in the global art, anti ues and collectibles market in 2017, comprising 2 6,540 in the gallery sector and 14,145 auction houses.

3m The art market directly employed an estimated 3 million people in 2017, stable from 2016.

Sales at fairs were estimated to have reached close to $15.5 billion in 2017, up 17% year-on-year, while the costs for dealers to attend fairs rose 15% to $4.6 billion.

46% ealers reported that they made 46% of their sales at art fairs in 2017, up 5% on 2016.

ÂŠ Art Economics and Artfacts.net (2018)

Chapter Three

The Fair Territory: between Infrastructure and Ephemeral Design.

To introduce the complexity of the art fairs, it might be helpful to analyse the preface of Designing for the trade fairs, designing the trade fair 1 by Andrea Branzi. Historically, Modern Architecture rediscovered the search for final solutions, irreversible projects and signs of eternity through the projects of the Great Masters. According to Branzi there is another side of the coin. The real cultural revolution behind the growth of the industrial architecture and the idea of the factory, has been the introduction of an anti-architectural approach that goes beyond aesthetic quality, history and final solutions. A new world that has overcome the categories of the definitive and the absolute and tries to investigate the new, the temporary, the different, the variation, the aesthetic, formal, functional and technological innovation. «A space that is always changing, where the environment became a set, the project produced pretence, a place where the organisations of the machinery followed reversible logics and seasonal successes» 2. Then, talking about the industrial culture, he switches the focus on the importance of selling rather than constructing. And when it comes to today’s culture, the paradox is that the industrial city doesn’t have factories anymore, because its economy is based on infrastructures for exchange, commerce and information. In fact, according to Stefano Boeri, the European city has become a kind of huge encampment; the place to temporarily stop and develop mobile life projects.3 Branzi wrote that: «today’s market is not made up only of physical objects, but also of virtual ones, programmes and conduct. It creates a great semiotic sphere that envelops the contemporary metropolis and spreads over the territory. It is this semiotic sphere that today defines the existential condition of modern man engaged in new relational activities mixed with old conduct, in historical places often devoid of environmental recognisability»4. And when it comest to Fairs, the architect finds a point of contact between the two tendencies analysed. The fair can deal with the

contradiction between the interior spaces’ reality, where everything is temporary, and the building, as a container/envelope, that deals with the urban scale and its old categories, in continuity with and serving the context of the city. The world of Fairs and large exhibitions has the power to include different project cultures: internal and external, specialisation, urban integration. The fair is the systemic space where fixed and temporary elements coexist. The fixed ones provide the framework for the temporary ones, which are the expression of the events that happen on the built architectural stage. The categories of space and event are merged and it’s hard to define their limits. Thinking about fairs, the hosting pavilion is one of the key elements of reference: it’s the box, the envelope, where the event takes place and the relational dynamics are combined. Nevertheless, the pavilion is something that, due to its scale, is not easily recognisable as a key visual element, you need to look at it on a plan to fully understand it. The iconography of the fair is linked instead to smaller elements: the entrance, the service elements, the distribution paths and galleries. The pavilion contains the ephemeral phenomenology of the event: its formal identity is indirect and enlightens archetypal elements like roof/ceiling and accesses. Its form is the expression of a design clarity and rational purpose, based on modularity, flexibility of the plan, technical requirements and all the features that if missing, would affect the functionality of the entire fairmachine.5 The architecture must leave enough space for the event to happen. The mise-en-scène is made with the ephemeral architecture of the booths and their lights. Giuliana Bruno made a relevant interpretation of the sequences inside exhibition spaces 6 that, with all the possible limits, can be interesting to extend to the fair phenomenon. According to her point of view, the visitor experience inside exhibition spaces is based on a sequence of moving images, as it happens

Chapter 3

Elmgreen & Dragset, Galerie Perrotin at the Grand Palais 2016. For one day only, Elmgreen & Dragset present Galerie Perrotin’s FIAC art fair booth, alone and freestanding in the middle of the Grand Palais, exactly as it will appear one month later at the actual fair, on the same spot and with the same artworks on display. The modest scale of the single booth—in relation to the enormity of the Grand Palais—exposes the architectural simplicity of an art fair booth and its fragile character when suddenly stripped of its normal context. This sort of distillation is a familiar approach in Elmgreen & Dragset’s previous works, such as “Prada Marfa”, a luxury goods boutique sited alone in the desolate landscape of the Texan desert.

Exploring Fairland

in movies. The perception of the artworks is never isolated, and spaces like that can emulate this kind of storytelling condition and relational mode. The main outcome is that each person can have their own intimate and personal filmic experience inside a (more or less) public space, dealing both with artworks and other visitors, each of them expressing their own public intimacy. The booths don’t have doors, the thresholds are designed with a change in flooring solution or with the presence of furniture that fills the open atmospheres of the drywalls. The rigid layout makes the path easy to understand from the galleries’ spaces. Their permeability is variable, and the same stand can also have more private spaces to meet the clients and collectors, or to show extra artworks, as it happens in the storage. Lighting has a major role in canalising the audience’s focus and perception of spaces on the event, rather than on the envelope. In fact it is extremely interesting to look at the space in its evolution from the emptiness of the pavilion, to set up, to disassembly. Each of the phases gives a different feeling of the space. You cannot truly understand the scale factor until you see an empty pavilion, and if you do so during the manifestation, it means that the envelop structure has overwhelmed the event. Michèle Pezzagno agrees with Andrea Branzi when she says that the fair is the place of multi-scale relations 7 and this feature is within its nature since the phenomenon historically evolved. There is a specific inclination towards creating a physical and conceptual context for building multi-layered relations. The fair promotes both its physical context (the place) and its conceptual one (the event). It behaves like an infrastructure for the city it belongs to, by creating a network of connections within a wider territory. It becomes a worldwide ambassador and has to deal directly with other manifestations of the same kind, held by competitor cities. A social microcosmos is the result of the presence of many representatives, insiders and influencers of the art world, all on the same stage. The result is a melting pot of allied activities generating a strong temporary economy (hospitality, trade, tourism, etc.). The temporary nature of the event demands fast feedbacks from all the allied activities and economic sectors, altering the normal urban schedule and rhythm. The fairevent has a strong impact on the city, especially in terms of numbers: a wide audience of visitors

in a short time. It becomes a positive factor when the relation between the fair and the city develops a territorial synergy, and the fair extension goes beyond its physical boundaries, making the city an open stage 8 (It happens in Milan with Salone del Mobile or the fashion weeks, in Venice with its Biennale, etc). «The more the city takes from the art fair vitality, the better it is for the entire experience» 9. In the interview section one of the questions was about the possibility for the fair to develop a network at the urban scale. Guido Guerzoni analysed the phenomenon and stated that there is a big impact on the city even if the timing is limited to a week more or less: «During the 7 to 10 days of the fair, the exhibition calendars of a city get synchronised. This is because the city is going to host something like 1000 important collectors, as happens during Art Basel. Art Basel itself states that more than 230 private jets are hosted during that week of the year. If the Beyler Foundation has to organise an art opening, it will do it during Art Basel. If you consider that the Foundation is supported by UBS, and UBS is the main partner of Art Basel, the reason is crystal clear. Museums, galleries and foundations do their best during the art week because all the art insiders and influencers of the globe are in the same city. What would you do if you had 100 international journals and up to 1000 collectors? An art opening! This works perfectly also for those galleries that are not admitted to exhibit at the fair. They set events, hoping that someone will run into their spaces more or less by chance. I would say that the impact on the city is huge, but limited to the duration of the fair itself»10. Also Franz Schultheis, in our interview, talked about this topic. He believes that, especially for Miami, there has been a process of city grounding driven by the art fair itself. Art galleries started to open their branches in the border zones of Miami with a proliferation of white cubes.11 This is what happened to Wynwood Art District 12 due to multiple factors, including the catalyzation of Art Basel Miami Beach. He said: «I met the Rubells, very important collectors in Miami, and they said that before Art Basel arrived in Miami, it was Miami Vice and now it has become Miami Nice»13. The place has changed, and thanks to Art Basel there have been a lot of private collections in Miami and very big galleries have settled there. The image of Miami has changed very rapidly

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Snarkitecture project for NetJets, Associate Partner of Art|Basel. About 780 private jets are expected in Miami related to Art|Basel this year, up from 740 last year (source: WWD.com) Some of those flights are provided by Netjets. The company expects to book 260 flights into Miami for Art Basel this year, up 8 percent from last year (source: Bloomberg).

Exploring Fairland

in the last 10 years, we can call this a sort of city grounding by art fair, which is also taking place in Hong Kong, where the impact is also very, very relevant. It’s a global impact. When you go to Miami or Hong Kong, you’ll meet the Basel government representatives and Basel Tourism and there are interconnections between the art world at different places of the world. Nowadays Art Basel is also playing in other cities giving them knowhow in order to empower their city grounding14. So you have networks online, networks of people knowing each other and meeting each year at the same place. You have an impact on the space of the cities, the settlement of galleries, design shops, artists coming there and so on. It’s really a global effect that you can find15. The city is sparkling during the art fair week, but the paradox becomes real when the fair looks for urban spaces beyond its boundaries to fulfil its need of quality spaces as relational stages. Guido Guerzoni has talked about that in his interview, where he describes the ‘disco club’ phenomena of privatisation and delocalisation of functions, that many contemporary art fairs share. It’s something linked to the paradox of inclusivity/exclusivity of the art fair architecture. When it comes to exclusivity and exclusive fair experience for a selected audience, sometimes the phenomenon implies the presence of spatial bubbles and lounges, inside the fair building and outside, this delocalisation affects prestigious urban locations. «If you have a sort of clinical understanding of the spatial layout, you can investigate a shared tendency towards privatising spaces, with an increasing level of discriminating exclusion. Everything looks like a disco club: VIP rooms of VIP rooms, hyper exclusive parties, special entrances and accesses, sponsor-run spaces and huge private bubbles inside the pavilions. The ideal fair layout is typically open, absolutely public and designed to reach the highest level of permeability possible. Today we experience a fragmented space with concentric areas, that just a chosen few can access, sit and sip champagne. The design of the layout aims for a delocalisation of functions: the most important things happen in the city because in this way you can more easily control all the accesses. It’s the same thing that happens in Venice, where private parties are held at Lido. Also during Salone del Mobile all the public and private spaces available are colonised by design businesses.

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Instead, inside the fair new exclusive areas are cut away from the public flow, sometimes with shitty outcomes and consequences. Art fairs are often ugly spaces, even with the temporary luxury set ups: we have to keep in mind that the fair buildings are from the 60s and 70s!»16. An answer to this can be found in the tendency towards emulating aggregation of urban spaces inside the fair buildings17, turning distributive spaces into porches, squares and other public spaces. Nevertheless, it is a tricky practice, and the scale and infrastructure factor of the fairs have a hard time finding the human scale. Actually this is the paradox and raison d’être of the whole thing, finding in the multidisciplinary and multi-scale design approach both a key factor and an open question. Going back to Branzi, what seemed to be separate universes, need to co-exist today and have «market acceptability, starting from mutual autonomy and mutual co-existence»18. It (the fair) becomes a node inside the network of fluxes and exchanges of the global market reality, an urban element inside the city with a wider social impact. Today the temporary event culture, the performance, is deeply linked to the territory and becomes paradigmatic for a new methodology the design culture is called to deal with19. The contemporary art fair represents an important moment for the urban and touristic dynamics. It’s an event that challenges the city to open itself to the international scene while establishing local opportunities20. At the same time, the main drawback might be that “when the fair ends the scene is dismantled and there is nothing left”21. One of the possible solution might be dealing with the territorial scale on an ongoing basis and activating a network of “comparison, dialogue and integration of different partnerships”22.

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Carlos Betancourt, The Enchanted Garden III, Casa Flamboyant The Enchanted forest III (El Yunque), 2010.

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Marek Nester Piotrowski, Progettare in fiera, progettare la Fiera, Lybra Immagine, Milano, 2002. 1

Marek Nester Piotrowski, Progettare in fiera, progettare la Fiera, op.cit., p. 11. 2

“Mai come in questi ultimi anni la città europea è diventata una sorta di grande accampamento; la sede per soste temporanee e progetti di vita mobili” in Stefano Boeri, L’Anticittà, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2011, p. 43. 3

Marek Nester Piotrowski, Progettare in fiera, progettare la Fiera, op.cit., p.12. 4

cf. Michèle Pezzagno, Il Ruolo delle Fiere nella Città Contemporanea, Aracne, Roma, 2012. 5

cf. Giuliana Bruno, Pubbliche intimità. Architettura e Arti visive, Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2009. 6

Michèle Pezzagno, Il Ruolo delle Fiere nella Città Contemporanea, op.cit. 7

Michèle Pezzagno, Il Ruolo delle Fiere nella Città Contemporanea, op.cit., pag. 61. 8

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

cf. Rem Koolhaas, Junkspace, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2006, pag.99. 11

The Wynwood Art District is a district of the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida. It is home to over 70 galleries, five museums, three collections, seven art complexes, 12 art studios, five art fairs and the Wynwood Walls. It is roughly bounded by North 36th Street (north), North 20th Street (south), I-95 (west) and Northeast First Avenue (east). Currently it is one of the largest open-air street art installations in the world. cr. Wynwood Art District (n.d.) In Wikipedia (www. wikipedia.com). Retrived July, 3rd, 2018. 12

Franz Schultheis Interview.

See the chapter: Colonialism and Art Basel Cities Project.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Michèle Pezzagno focuses on Madrid fair complex as an example of excellence in emulating some of the most interesting public space typologies of the cityscape. cf. Michèle Pezzagno (2012), Il Ruolo delle Fiere nella Città Contemporanea, op.cit., p.61. 17

Marek Nester Piotrowski, Progettare in fiera, progettare la Fiera, op.cit., p.12. 18

cr. Luciano Crespi, Da spazio nasce spazio, Postmedia books, Milano, 2013. 19

Angela Vettese Interview, pp.14-17.

Giuseppe Morra Interview, pp. 32-35.

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Service aisle at Art|Basel Basel 2018.

Chapter 3

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3.1 Urbanisation, market spatial model and hierarchies

There are two main spatial models of reference regarding fair spaces and fair layouts. On one hand there’s the urban strategy of building a city inside the city; on the other, there’s the big building model of conceiving the complexity of the plan as a spatial combination of functions and elements1. Both the models look at fair spaces as a complexity of open spaces, streets, squares, gardens, indoor spaces, galleries and pavilions with mixed activities, uses, actors and audiences. These spaces can be compared to indoor commercial streets and airport halls: they represent a new collective space inside the contemporary city, a space that is private, if we consider the ownership, but much more public than the traditional city according to its use. The comparison between the fair and the airport is reported also in Guido Guerzoni’s interview2. The main difference is that Guerzoni used the airport metaphor to turn the focus on the segregation of spaces instead of focusing on the value of public space3. The art fair works as an enclave 4 inside the urban configuration. An enclave is «a self-organizing, self-centering and self-regulating system created by urban actors, often governed by a rigid hierarchy with set boundaries. It serves to slow down and concentrate nomadic flows using a variety of techniques, from perimeter walls and gatekeepers to formal, geometric devices in the plan of the settlement»5. But in switching the scale of analysis and conceiving the art fair itself as an urban settlement 6, it’s possible to state that there are many enclave spaces even inside it. Let’s focus on the main points that David Grahame Shane addresses as enclave spaces: (1) They have distinct interior spatial and social orders that help distinguish them from their surroundings. (2) Special attractors lying within them give them their peculiar characteristics; they relate to an ideal or distant community through a system of displacements. (3) They have perimeters or boundaries that define the limits of their interior spatial orders, which are organised around their special, central attractors.

(4) Gates perforate these perimeters, connecting to transportation and communication channels that admit outsiders and allow insiders to access the larger urban complex and points beyond. (5) They are places of rest and stasis. (6) They may contain various urban typomorphologies within their perimeters but are often dominated by the repetition of one typological pattern. (7) They have gate-keepers and systematic, internal codes that serve to restrict the territory’s social and functional order to specific people and uses. Designated actors enforce restrictions, which may take the form of functional codes and prohibitions or of restrictive building codes to exclude designated uses or people. The art fair seems to fulfil all of these features. At the same time, focusing on the relational character of the fair/enclave it is possible to understand the impact that events like these can have in activating a network at an urban scale. What is relevant from the interviews is that the majority of people are aware of the urban fair network feature, even if they emphasise its temporary nature7. Talking about urban strategy applied to art fairs, it’s necessary to discuss the meaning of urbanisation itself. Urbanisation is a political act, and technical plan design is the tool that is used to achieve a spatial configuration embodying the hierarchy of power and the political framework at the base of that design8. This happens in many complex urban realities, but it might still be a good pair of lenses through which to investigate the fair set up, as if we were referring to urbanisation of space. Space is the medium resource that designs the “citizenship” rules and the relationship between the people that use that space. It could be interesting to apply this analytical model to the art fair system in order to investigate the socio-spatial dynamics of the event. Dividing and controlling the space is a feature that characterises all kinds of societies. Historically, control of space aimed to defend from outsiders, and to have a functional distinction between individual and collective spaces. According to

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Hippodamus’ theorisation of the grid plan (and its further interpretations9), spatial division is needed to organise society and it is based on a political idea. If we focus on the set up of fairs, we can easily state that the grid is one of the main tools used to organise the layout. In his interview Anne Holtrop stated that the spatial configuration reflects the economic model of the market and that’s why we are still talking about corridors with booths10. What is relevant about the grid is that it has always been a zoning tool that creates a link between the political layout and the spatial layout. The political intention is hidden behind a functional one every time you divide the space11. According to Schmitt there is a strong relation between the political action of “building” and the technical action of “dividing”. This means that spatial control is social control, and the scenario really suits an event like a fair, with its market structure based on the principle of the grid, due to functional and economical goals. But reducing the art fair space only to a grid would be a mistake, also because as a tool it helps, in a way, to open the permeability of the plan to the audience; so where are the evidences of dividing, excluding and segregating that are visible at events of this kind? The art fair layout is, in fact, the result of a complex planning that overlaps different functional needs. On one hand a grid is super imposed to an existing building in order to create the matrix for booths, corridors, special/exception spaces, private functions and sponsor lounges. On the other hand, the need for exception spaces makes it easier to overlap a bubble layout that cuts out, breaks or splits off some parts from the continuum of space. Anne Holtrop, talking about this spatial structure in our interview, stated that: « It is a bit like the plan of Manhattan, you can easily divide and read the pieces in an equal structure. But as always from the overlap of many factors you get the most prominent places and the less prominent ones. (...) You can make (exception spaces like) the Central Park and the Statue of Liberty and the rest is the market»12. The overlapping of the two systems, together with the structure of the hosting building, creates a hierarchical spatial configuration. Proximity to a certain position A is considered better than to another certain position B, and gallery allocation becomes a social and political issue. If space is political, then art fair space is political too. The centre and the periphery have a major role in the

symbolic space layout and the result is a struggle for the best places13. According to Alfonso Artiaco: «top level fairs don’t allow you to do that for any reason. They usually consider the works you exhibit and the status of your gallery, sometimes they are unfair, sometimes they do the right thing. The consideration of my gallery in Basel today isn’t the same I used to have some years ago. The status, success and quality of the gallery affect the location on the map»14. And Paola Colacurcio added: «they decide the location on the map. It could be next to the toilet or in the best place ever: it depends on your gallery’s status and relevance. If you’re one of the major galleries you don’t need to worry about it. If you have a 100 sqm booth and you paid 100.000 US dollars it’s obvious that you will get a good location»15. The most prestigious galleries, with a strong capital base, have the possibility to settle in exclusive positions in the centre and that helps them to carry out their business in the spotlight. While minor galleries have spaces in the periphery, and that has of course a different impact on their business. The few people who manage the fair are in charge of selecting galleries and also of setting the spatial arrangement and hierarchies. The plan is a physical manifestation of a symbolic economy. According to Franz Schultheis this is not at all a democratic procedure and the spatial architecture shows an ideal-typical centre-periphery arrangement16. As a result, if we focus on Art Basel’s layout, prime positions are on the ground floor, at the centre of it, around the light- flooded round courtyard, directly accessible from the entrance. At the edge of this floor there are upcoming galleries as gateways to the main show. This scheme is reflected upstairs with some special projects (sector Statements instead of Edition - with solo projects galleries) and young gallerists at the peripheries, experiencing their first editions of the fair. «Art Basel is in a very special place: you have an inner court with light and around you have the hall of the exposition. So the structure is already given and the art fair is adapting to it in order to give the most prominent space, the finest space to the finest galleries. And you find inside the art fair a sort of social structure reflecting the economic and symbolic capital to the galleries and the art inside this world. So it’s not an open space where everyone can go where he wants, but the different places for the booths have

Exploring Fairland

been attributed to the galleries according to their importance»17. What are the elements that determine the status of a gallery and later its positioning? Origin and number of times they have participated are the most relevant factors. The social status has an appropriated physical space. Galleries that were among the pioneers in participating to the 70s and 80s editions occupy positions closer to the centre. «This demonstrates how unequally the starting conditions are distributed in the global competition for symbolic recognition. The symbolic profits deriving from a good position in the physically appropriated space generate profits in turn which strengthen the hierarchies or at least make it difficult to change them»18. Talking about Art Basel, Guido Guerzoni added that that’s the way it works; it’s a matter of fact if you think that Art Basel is supported by a strong Swiss Sponsorship: «they will always be more favourable towards Swiss galleries. It could happen that minor galleries are treated better because they’re Swiss, but I think that it is also a way to defend themselves from the public opinion that can be judgmental. It’s also something deeply cultural: Switzerland has always focused on self promotion. You know what I’m talking about, let’s think about architectural practice, for example, they don’t care about anything as long as they achieve their goals and they always manage to do so. Sometimes having a captive protection system can help a lot, that’s it»19. Things go round and round! Inside When Art meets Money there is an interesting comparison in the positions of the galleries attending Art Basel in 2010 and 2013. On a sample of 104 galleries at the ground floor, 56 galleries had the same place as four years earlier, 36 galleries moved to a close by position to their starting one, 6 galleries succeeded in moving from upstairs to downstairs and another six had not participated in the later edition. Periphery is for newcomers who want to gain symbolic recognition, but very few manage to reach better central positions, and just after many years of waiting list. It works like that also with satellite fairs: those events are exercise grounds to have a certain capital to join major events, at peripheral positions. And then the struggle starts again to reach the centre, as in a Dantesque spatial, model where the progress in position is time-based (together with other symbolic, social and economic factors). Both

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the social and the physical topography of the Art Basel point to divisions within the art field. The two competing principles of hierarchisation within the field have an effect on the fair in terms of spatial boundaries and “cluster formations“20. The spatial features of art fairs have to find a relational balance between the hosting structure, the centric symbolic and economic needs, the spatial market accessibility of the grid, the visibility of the sponsors and so on. It is something that creates different layouts from event to event, from city to city. Art Basel in Basel is certainly the most explicit representation of this complexity and has become a spatial model of reference. The Swiss model is exported worldwide, becoming a brand in Miami and Hong Kong. At the same time, there are other possibilities for events like this. If we take a look at the Anglo-Saxon case of Frieze, we’ll discover a model that has many affinities and differences at the same time. What is interesting is the starting point, as there is no given hosting building, temporary structures are designed to accommodate the functions of the fair in the best possible way. This design solution allows for a high level of flexibility. It’s possible to start from the pathways and understand how to connect all the parts of the fair organism in the best way. Both the English and the American editions share this feature. The main outcome is that the design process starts from the path and is more experience-based. It doesn’t mean that the socioeconomic factors don’t impact and participate in designing the layout, but there is a slightly wider level of flexibility. Then a consideration about spatial qualities, perception and details must be carried out, comparing the two different ways of setting a fair, as the interviews can easily refer to. About Frieze, Alfonso Artiaco stated: «I left Frieze New York because it’s a mess. As a gallery, we joined it since its very first edition, but last year I decided It was going to be the last one. (...) We need to focus more on the hosting solutions. For example Frieze announced an edition in Los Angeles inside the Paramount Studios and I’m more than interested in applying because it’s a beautiful location and Los Angeles is a market I’m not familiar with, I’d like the challenge. Had it been another temporary tensile structure in a random location somewhere in New York, I

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â€œgolden areaâ€? 1st

2nd

3rd

grid

bubble lounge

Art|Basel Basel layout features.

public

lounge/service

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Material Art Fair Vol. V, Mexico City. Courtesy: PJ Rountree.

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wouldn’t have applied at all. The place and the building matter, the quality of the space directly affects the consideration of the event and major galleries follow these parameters»21. Also the Italian collector Roberto Crivellini, was a little bit skeptical about this: «I think it’s nice, but it’s set inside those temporary pavilions, tensile structures that connect the different parts. It’s less interesting from this point of view even if it’s one of the coolest and most fashionable fairs»22. Art Basel in Basel, and Frieze represent two iconic spatial models for designing art fairs worldwide. Furthermore, Fiac in Paris represents a very interesting border case because of its outstanding location: the Grand Palais. It is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. It has been listed since 2000 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. The structure was built in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture and the building reflects the movement’s taste for ornate decoration through its stone facades, the formality of its floor planning and the use of techniques that were innovative for the time, such as its glass vault, its structure made of iron and light steel framing, and the use of reinforced concrete. It’s interesting to see how the fair’s urban strategy adapts to the historical envelope of the Palais and the unique dialogue they have together.

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Art|Basel Basel Messe Hall 2.0 plan

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Frieze New York temporary building plan, 2017.

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Fiac Paris Grand Palais plan.

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Giuseppe Capogrossi, Superficie 448, 1962.

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Mirko Zardini in: AA.VV., Fiere e Città, Triennale di Milano, Milano, 1997, pp 40-51. 1

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

He talked about the implications of urbanisation in the fair context and introduced the inclusivity versus segregation open question that would be investigated in the next chapters. 3

Penguin British English Dictionary defines enclave as “an outlying territory belonging to one country and lying wholly within the territory of another”. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (for American English) offers” a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within, or as if within, foreign territory”. cr. “enclave” in Penguin British English Dictionary. 2015. Printed and Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 2015. Printed. 4

David Grahame Shane, Recombinant Urbanism: Conceptual Modeling in Architecture, Urban Design, and City Theory, Academy Editions Ltd, New York, 2005 p.177. 5

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

Giuseppe Morra (pp. 32-35) and Guido Guerzoni (pp. 36-44) Interviews 7

Luigi Mazza investigates the relation between politics and planning in: Luigi Mazza, Spazio e cittadinanza. Politica e governo del territorio, Donzelli, Roma, 2015. 8

cf. Carl Schmitt, Le categorie del ‘politico’, Bologna, il Mulino, 1972. 9

“I think that the space reflects the economic model of the market: corridor with booths.” cf.Anne Holtrop Interview. 10

“dividing” is the key work of the Aristotelian interpretation of the link between spatial order and constitutional order. cr. Luigi Mazza, Spazio e cittadinanza. Politica e governo del territorio, op.cit. p.11. 11

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

cf. Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit.

Alfonso Artiaco Interview, pp. 10-13.

Paola Colacurcio Interview, pp. 50-55.

Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit, p.46.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit, p. 46.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit, p. 52.

Alfonso Artiaco Interview, pp.10-13.

Roberto Crivellini Interview, pp. 56-61.

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3.2 Beyond the market spatial model: Curatorial approach towards a complex interior landscape

"The museum, a consecrated building presenting objects withheld from private appropriation and predisposed by economic neutralisation to undergo the “neutralisation“ defining the “pure“ gaze, is opposed to the commercial art gallery, which, like other luxury emporia (“boutiques“, antique shops etc.) offers objects which may be contemplated but also bought, just as the “pure“ aesthetic dispositions of the dominated fractions of the dominant class, especially teachers, who are strongly overrepresented in museums, are opposites to those of the happy few in the dominant fractions who have the means of materially appropriating works of art. The whole relation to the work of art is changed when the painting, the statue, the Chinese vase, or the piece of antique furniture belongs to the world of objects available for appropriation, thus taking its place in the series of luxury goods one possesses and enjoys without needing to prove the delight they give and the taste they illustrate."1 Pierre Bourdieu

The contemporary art fair is a complex relational phenomenon. Understanding it as a pure market reality or rather a cultural institution would be a mistake. Of course the market issue is a central one, but according to the Art System definition 2 there are multiple features and elements that shape this art microcosm. The definition of fair as a relational space 3 helps us in understanding it as something more than the obvious economic function it has. Comparing the contemporary art fair to a museum has been one of the hottest topics in the current art debate. There is a lot of skepticism about that, as Anne Holtrop openly stated: «I understand it mainly as a market. Then of course they make special project spaces where they invite artists, architects, designers to make the statement work for the fair itself. In a way to say: ‘we are also interested in the content and we want to contribute to the content’. We can see that. But I have a cynic feeling that it is more like a camouflage for what it is actually its nature»4. The art dealer Alfonso Artiaco is a bit less cynical about that, but still setting museums and fairs apart, especially from the time perspective. He said: «I’ve always understood the art fair as a tool to connect the program of my gallery to a wider audience that wouldn’t attend my exhibition

at the gallery so easily otherwise. To me the fair means a sum of all the projects I follow at my space. Sometimes, I’ve set exhibitions specifically for the fair. (...) it is a valid tool to open the gallery to the world. Anyway a museum is something else. It has different features and goals and it’s linked to the specific vision and choice of a curator. The fair instead, is a melting pot of sensibilities, that’s why people might think it’s the modern answer to the museum. But I would bet that we’ll always need museums. The fair works as a collateral event that helps in developing your own taste in art. But since it’s something that lasts for few days, the sedimentation of a message needs a time that only the museum can give»5. It’s clear that we are talking about two different spatial and social realities, but it could be relevant to question if we can analyse the two phenomena from a common ground, questioning the institutional or cultural role of the art fair too. The Interview section has a variety of points of view on this comparison. The experience of Sergio Casoli about that emerged in a clear way: «I do believe that the art fair has an important role in the relation between culture and institution, because it is a window that shows everything in a very open way, more than a museum, more than the public function of art. Museums and public institutions are ruled by a single player (director or curator) that sometimes is linked to a specific commercial channel. At a fair all the commercial channels get competitive, that’s why I believe that its cultural role is crucial. If you can really focus on art at the fair you have a wider understanding than going to a museum. The art fair art 6 doesn’t reflect the interests of a curator, that’s why I think that it is easier to find your art at the art fair. Today art means trade (more than culture) and you can have the same experience of the fair online. The art fair is a graphical way of exhibiting art, a different option. It’s like a shopping window built on communication more than content, but this is just a consequence of what contemporary art means today»7. But curators punched through

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Alfredo Jaar, A Hundred Times nguyen, 1994. Art|Basel Unlimited, Basel, 2018.

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the fairs in many different ways. In fact, taking Art Basel as a paradigmatic model of reference, there are two different kinds of presentations of art: you have Art Unlimited, which is a kind of curated, very museum-like presentation, and you have the commercial side, the real raison d’être of Art Basel. Unlimited is a little bit like legitimisation that it is not only a commercial and economical affair, so they developed this kind of showroom. You have the curated side and the commercial side8. In fact, Unlimited in Basel, is Art Basel’s pioneering exhibition platform and was established in 2000. It spotlights ambitious contemporary and historical works, including massive sculptures and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances. Art Basel hosted 71 projects for Basel’s 2018 Unlimited sector, curated again by Gianni Jetzer, curator-at-large for the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Presenting a wide range of works that go beyond the context of the stand, the projects span the breadth of these media and formats. Furthermore, the professional figure of the curator created a bridge between fairs and cultural institutions, making people wonder about their natures. Baumann provides us with a theoretical framework that allows us to outline an interesting double-edged analogy with the curator as an “emancipated figure” who assumes the function of a mediator between the artist and the museum, whose «capacity of being an in-between (...) is based on the idea of the involvement of artists, as well as intellectuals and outsiders»9. On the other hand, the shift from a museum-style management, centred on conservation and acquisition of a permanent collection, towards a thematic or monographic exhibition policy, which prioritises objectives of media coverage and increasing visitor numbers, suggests a situation in which, according to Paco Barragan, «the curator becomes a mediator between the institution and the public, and the functions he has previously developed are temporarily subcontracted by the museum. Art fair curator entails a series of tasks and practices directed at giving the fair a curatorial concept or connecting it into a curatorial platform»10. In fact, many art fairs have dedicated spaces like that to horizontal exhibitions, and now it’s a common trend. CIRCA PR was among the first in this

direction by introducing “In the Spot” and instant curating experiment: each day an inited curator passed through the fair and conceived a thematic exhibition using the works hanging in the booths of the participating galleries, just as if it were a regular white-cube exhibition11. According to Sarah McCrory, curating in the fair context means working in a very specific environment, and artists seem to enjoy working outside the white cube, reacting to such a distinctive scenario, particularly when an art fair has such a strong set of concerns and issues to address12. This curatorial approach has been developed also to help visitors surf inside the fair’s complexity and give additional value to the exhibiting system. The Italian collector Roberto Crivellini appreciates this differentiation of spaces: «Gallerists need curators for their exhibitions. In the last years there hasn’t been an explosion of curators, everyone acts as one. There are many good ones that bring fresh talents to the art fairs to exhibit their works. I remember that I really enjoyed the first time Artissima decided to exhibit the galleries by fragmenting into sections: present/ future, young dialogues, etc. I think that curators have brought so many interesting things inside the fair architecture»13. One of the main issues is understanding how art fairs can provide an instant outlook on what contemporary art is to the visitor and, answering that question, Guido Guerzoni faced the market versus culture debate by saying: «you have to keep in mind that the outlook they provide is an economical one. It reflects that section of art that deals with the art market, even if nowadays it represents the most relevant part. The major advantage of a fair is commodity. This is because you can easily see in a day what otherwise would require a huge numbers of travels around the globe. On the other hand, talking about it in terms of a museum is unfair. The main role of a museum is something else. It’s easy and convenient to sell a fair as a museum, to make it more attractive for a wider audience. Anyway, saying that today art fairs are national museums is bullshit. The museum has a completely different logic: it selects and buys art very carefully, with the purpose of passing it on to the next generations and keeping it accessible to the public. The fair, instead, is a place where private people go to buy and keep that art home, that’s it.

Exploring Fairland

The museum buys 5% of its pieces directly at a fair. Of course we have to say that a museum director or a curator can attend the art fair to understand and focus on a specific art they find interesting. But it’s not so common buying directly at the fair because they usually follow different channels. Who buys at art fair are institutional investors or private collectors. I would keep the museum and the fair apart, that’s all (...) I think that today, given the specific nature of contemporary art production, a curatorial approach can be read as a gold plating to claim a cultural or institutional role that doesn’t exist! On the other hand, it happens really often that having a curatorial approach is the only way to stimulate extremely demanding collectors, that wouldn’t otherwise attend the fair»14. Art curators have a wide spectre of feedbacks from the art world insiders that blame them as a professional figures driven by their own egos. Paola Colacurcio, gallery director at Lucio Amelio in the 80s, explains bluntly her point of view: «I think that the art fair is a market! The most bloody and dirty one. You go there to sell and if you don’t you get pissed off because it means that you lost a lot of money. Pure market, do you understand? I’m completely against the super power of the new generation of curators, it’s something that 35 years ago didn’t exist. You can’t decide the life or death of artists! The curator used to be a very nice and educated professional figure, but I think that their power is overrated now. Exhibitions are artists’ exhibitions, so their ego should be limited. Art is now based on people’s ego and self consideration. I had to deal with people pretending to control my choices as gallery director. Harald Szeemann was an amazing Swiss curator; he was also the director of Bern’s museum, where he organised outstanding exhibitions. It was another era. Now if the artist understands that his work can be easily sold he keeps on making copies, a prostitution of sorts. Coming back to art fairs, I think they are something interesting, but I wouldn’t compare them to museums. Their strength is to provide a wide idea of what contemporary art means, because there is no general curator and the galleries bring their own artists, so you can see all of them. Do you understand? Nobody decides which artists you’re going to see. So I guess that if you are an art lover, you should attend art fairs, even just to get an

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idea. It’s also true that you might always see the same stuff in different fairs, but that is another problem»15. The space reflects the complexity of the fair’s reputation and it becomes a structuring factor16 you cannot abstract from. Frieze’s temporary building is designed and shaped on a specific concept of art presentation, you don’t see so much separation between the booths of each gallery because it is a kind of more serial way of presenting art, according to Franz Schultheis, «closer to a museum spatial model (...) It’s the same in São Paulo, much more open, not separated by dry walls, but an open space. (...) whereas in Basel there is very small impact of creating. It’s the given space that is structuring the whole affair; and since they want to bring inside 300 galleries and the space is very limited and expensive, the economic side of structuring is very important: small spaces for everyone and the impression that you get is a little bit claustrophobic»17. At the end of the day, the art fair could be seen as a platform of exchange based on the “economy of experiences"18. This model focuses on the fact that the production of goods and services is not enough, and the experiences offered are the foundation for creating value. Is the result a hybrid structure that mixes together market dynamics, based on concepts like exchange-sale-visibility, and the necessary cultural approach of the classic art institution? It would be extremely interesting to challenge the spatial model towards a hybrid model. Furthermore, according to architect Kersten Geers: «an art fair is not a museum. But increasingly, it behaves like one.(...) Fairs (partly) dictate the art market, and define - as museums used to - “what is hot and what not”, perhaps in a more trendy, more ephemeral version of the former “what is relevant and what not” driven to some degree by the institutions’ acquisition or curatorial programs. The success has given fairs the bizarre desire to become - in a more institutional sense - a cultural player»19. Answering Francesco Garutti’s question about the spatial layout of the fair, Geers wonders if it’s possible to challenge the layout, while always keeping the city-like model as the masterplan. If it’s true that the fair has become the metaphor of a wider phenomenon that goes beyond the exclusive market reality, maybe the market-like

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OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, Art Fair, 2013.

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Exploring Fairland

structure could be questioned and changed. Referring to the “New Institutionalism” 20 as traced by Jonas Ekeberg, inside The Art Fair Age, Paco Barragan suggests a “New Fairism”21 model, where the fair in its process of transformation is taking up functions, as well as resources, from other artistic institutions. Following this opinion, Geers states that the market is the feature that blocks its development as a temporary institutional event. In fact, the new art fair should be as drastically redesigned as he believed the new museum had to be: as an interior22. Geers imagines a solution that could get over the streets and booth system, without eliminating the order and hierarchies. By suggesting a modular solution, where the single unit is a room, the players who can afford it can buy more than one unit for their scenario in order to modulate «a complex interior landscape rather than an anonymous city»23. Chris Dercon tried to understand the same issue from a theoretical point of view, addressing public and private museums. The Belgian art, theatre and cinema historian has been the director of very important European art institutions, from Tate Modern, to Haus der Kunst in Munich and Moijmans Van Beuningen and With Centre for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam. According to his discussion about the possibility of a deal between public and private relations, he said that the public museum of today doesn’t exist in a world of its own. It has become one of many environments that comprise a much wider museological project. The rise of the private museum in fact, has become an inevitable reality, even beyond the regions where public museums hardly exists or are badly equipped. Many of the major public institutions began as very private collections and in time also the most private collections will, eventually, enter our public museums anyway. In Italy this is a very hot topic, if we look at the phenomenon of Fondazioni. Some private museums can be seen, also from an architectural point of view, as "the ultimate manifestations of the production of spectacle"24. Their insiders understood that a new cultural praxis can rely on a kind of consumerism attitude towards culture, instead of necessarily being based on historically constructed memory. The best way to do that was by transposing the model of cultural production into the context of an architectural

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event. There is also another interesting factor to include in his analysis: private capital owners who invest in art and major serious collectors, desire public and critical recognition of what they do. Dercon believes that new standards of operation between private and public museums must be adopted. He adds: «the collector who works with a public museum must accept the museum as a place of symbolic value - in the long term - for art. While the public museum should partner with the private collector who not only supports the arts and the artists, but also strengthens the broader culture of public museums»25. Can we extend this hypothesis to relation platforms such as the art fair? Is it something that has already developed its roots inside the cultural and economic scene of the fairs? Which boundaries will still exist before the museum explodes?

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Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit, p.66.

Economy, Harvard Business School Press, Harvard, 2011.

Lawrence Alloway was the first to use this expression in 1972, then George Dickie in 1975 and Pierre Bourdieu in 1979. cf. Lawrence Alloway, Network: Art and the Complex Present (Contemporary American Art Critics), UMI Research Press, U.S., 1984. George Dickie, Art and the Aesthetic: An Institutional Analysis, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1974. Pierre Bourdieu, The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature, Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 1992.

Michèle Pezzagno, Il Ruolo delle Fiere nella Città Contemporanea, op.cit. p.65.

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

Alfonso Artiaco Interview, pp. 10-13.

Paco Barragàn, The Art Fair Age, Charta, Milano, 2008.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-67.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

Zygmunt Bauman., Liquid Times: Living in an Age of Uncertainty, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2007, p.97. 9

Paco Barragàn, op.cit., p.40.

Paco Barragàn, op.cit., p.52.

Francesco Garutti F. (a cura di ), op.cit., p.91.

Roberto Crivellini Interview, pp. 56-61.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Paola Colacurcio Interview, pp. 50-55.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

The term "Experience Economy" was first used in a 1998 article by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore describing the experience economy as the next economy following the agrarian economy, the industrial economy, and the most recent service economy. The concept had been previously researched by many authors. Pine and Gilmore argue that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product: the "experience". More advanced experience businesses can begin charging for the value of the "transformation" that an experience offers, e.g., as education offerings might do if they were able to participate in the value that is created by the educated individual. This, they argue, is a natural progression in the value added by the business over and above its inputs. Although the concept of the experience economy was initially focused in business, it has crossed into tourism, architecture, nursing, urban planning and other fields. cf. Joseph B. Pine. II and James H. Gilmore, The Experience

Kersten Geers, "A Museum of the Market" in: Garutti F. (a cura di), op.cit., p.84. The new institutionalism points out a new belief in the importance of the institutions, combined with a wide definition of what an institution stands for and with a focus on institutional value. cf. Jonas Ekeberg (ed), verksted #1: new Institutionalism, Office for Contemporary Art, Oslo, 2003. 20

cf. Paco Barragàn, The Art Fair Age, Charta, Milano, 2008.

Kersten Geers, "A Museum of the Market" in: Garutti F. (a cura di), op.cit., p.85. 22

Kersten Geers, "A Museum of the Market" in: Garutti F. (a cura di), op.cit., p.85. 23

Chris Dercon et. al., Art Basel|Year 47, JRP | Ringier, Zurich, 2017, p.5. 24

Chris Dercon et. al., Art Basel|Year 47, JRP | Ringier, Zurich, 2017, p. 5. 25

Art Basel Unlimited, Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

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3.3 Permeability, Inclusivity, Exclusivity and Segregation

According to Francesco Poli and Francesco Bernardelli1, the art fair represents the explicit triumph of the commercial dimension of art. It is dialectically opposed to the cultural model of the biennale. From the point of view of the authors, it is really hard to aesthetically enjoy art in the context of fairs, even if they are surrounded by a sophisticated cultural maquillage of collateral and relevant events. Fair directors suggest to gallerists to have personal exhibitions or coherent collective ones. To make things easier, galleries are grouped according to their artistic categories (Modern Art, Classic Contemporary Art, Contemporary Art, New Entries...) A common trend is to set collateral events with specific curators, inside or outside the main stage. Sometimes curators organise exhibitions, previews or prizes with talks about contemporary art issues. But a fair is still a fair. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and videos are displayed like any other good. The context is a chaotic and noisy maze of booths made with temporary drywalls. The result of attending a fair is a tour de force: an excess of data and visual inputs that risks becoming background noise impossible to decode. But the collectors’ answers are euphony, speed and selection. They quiver with desire as they want to be the first to enter the fair and look at and buy the best pieces. This obvious department store or ‘shopping mall’ character of art fairs also points to a cultural change in the acquisition of art, in which the buyers increasingly turn out to be ‘consumers’. Presence at a market acclaimed for the opportunity it provides for consumption, which finds its most visible expression in the art world at fairs and auctions, pushes art further into the category of desirable luxury goods and ‘life-style’ objects2. There are several levels of art consumption at fairs, a wide spectre that goes from the economy of experience, to buying highly valued pieces. The grid is a simple, old but gold, market structure because it allows flows of people to move, see and buy the merchandise. Permeability is a key feature,

but the paradox is that, when it comes to art fairs, exclusivity plays a major role too. It might sound weird, but the balance between public access and private consumption is what makes events like those still exist. According to Guido Guerzoni, there is evidence of a common phenomenon among public spaces that affected airports and stadiums first. He thinks that: «the tendency towards the privatisation of exclusive (and exclusionary) spaces is a matter of fact. I’ve been working in the sport field, and there you can have up to 10 levels of spaces according to exclusivity. It’s crystal clear if you look at the way you can book a seat during an NBA match: you can access the eighteen levels depending on which sponsor invited you, your status and how much you paid. This helps in selling the tickets, because the difference is based on the idea of exclusivity, but there are also super private bubbles were you need invitations»3. But what does shopping mall architecture look like? Is it a place or rather a space? Talking about the spatiality of the fair, Anne Holtrop stated that «the market space is as generic as possible, it is almost like a Rem Kolhaas space»4. About the complexity of contemporary spaces, Rem Koolhaas pointed out that: «Junkspace seems an aberration, but it is the essence, the main thing... the product of an encounter between escalator and air-conditioning, conceived in an incubator of Sheetrock (all three missing from the history books). Continuity is the essence of Junkspace; it exploits any invention that enables expansion, deploys the infrastructure of seamlessness: escalator, air-conditioning, sprinkler, fire shutter, hot-air curtain... It is always interior, so extensive that you rarely perceive; (...) air conditioning sustains our cathedrals»5. If the fair could be seen as one of art’s contemporary polymorphous expressions, how does its cathedral look like? Comparing the art fair buildings it’s clear that there is more than one typology, but there are many common spatial features. According to the morphology of the plans as well as the opinions of the actors interviewed,

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the standardisation of layouts is based (at least) on four main parameters: permeability, inclusivity, exclusivity and segregation. All four of these spatial characters coexist in the same examples, making the paradoxes of this phenomenon visible. The art fair shares interesting similarities with the Baroque event. They are both characterised by two features: a participative and redistributive mechanism of the population involved in the economy, and a strong segregation among players and onlookers of the show6. But exclusivity and segregation are the main outcomes of an "eventization" process. This“eventization”, «where the meeting of the art world itself becomes an important cultural and social event and the insiders have an opportunity to put them-selves on show, is relatively new and directly linked to contemporary art. It is not restricted to the big top fairs but can also be encountered at international biennials and “blockbuster” exhibitions. But the international art fairs, above all, provide the stage for new processes of integration of a global elite which achieves its highest degree of visibility at the intersection point of art and money»7. According to architect Anne Holtrop, «buying things on such a level is for some people a manifestation of their status, it’s also part of the social relations to understand who is who, what is the hierarchy, who buys a lot, which are the galleries that sell a lot and who is working with the coolest people. It is all measured at that moment, at the art fair»8. The art fair seems to share many of the features required for being a complex public relation stage.

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Francesco Poli, Francesco Bernardelli, Mettere in scena lâ€™arte contemporanea, Johan & Levi, Monza, 2016. 1

Franz Schulteis, Single E., Egger S., Mazzurana T., When Art meets Money, op.cit., p. 49. 2

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

Rem Koolhaas, OCTOBER 100, Spring 2002, pp. 175-190.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Franz Schulteis, Single E., Egger S., Mazzurana T., When Art meets Money, op.cit., p. 33. 7

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

On the previous page: Collectors Lounge Restaurant and Bar at the third floor of Halle 2. Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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artist

dealer

collector

director advisor

art critic

artist dealer

collector

curator

Simple Relation Diagram (SRD) and Multiple relation Diagram (MRD) as defined by Paco Barragan.

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3.4 Social Topography and Players: Competition vs. Convivium and Physical Signifiers

According to Paco Barragan, the contemporary artist is a member of a rework-based society, that assumes the demand of flexibility and mobility, the adoption of different identities - creator / manager / facilitator / communicator - according to different projects and moves along these networks fostering professional and personal relationships1. To express the environment-artist relationship he introduces two models: the Simple Relation Diagram (SRD) and the Multiple Relation Diagram (MRD). The first one is a basic system based on the relationship between artist and dealer/gallery owner on one hand, and patron/collector on the other. The second model reflects in a better way the complexity of the art network, by highlighting all the figures involved within the microcosmos, starting from the artist’s point of view. In this sense, the art fair might be understood as a Multiple Relation Platform, to make all the actors involved in the art process meet and relate to each others. From the anthropological point of view, it’s relevant to understand the outlook of Frank Schultheis about relations and networks: «As sociologists we’re very much interested in methods of symbolic domination, social classification, and struggles for legitimacy, and in this sense the art world - the art fair as microcosmos of it - is a very interesting context for our study(...) Art Basel is a kind of geography of power»2. And furthermore: «If one asks the participating actors, fair organisers, collectors, gallerists and art dealers, their answers reveal a permanent competition between conflicting narrations. On the one hand the importance of the fair for the vitality of the contemporary mediation of art with positive effects on art production is emphasised. On the other hand one is snowed under with critical judgments of the all too visible and tangible commercialisation of art with its tendency towards standardisation and trivialisation. There is a widespread agreement among all the actors that attendance at this event is in effect compulsory. The competitions between the narrations here yield place to competition for

participation, for accreditation by the galleries, for the symbolic credit it brings, for the location and size of the exhibition booth. And the VIPs compete for the best possible positions in the various VIP categories, which are a clear sign of social classification. These are the characteristic ambivalences of an art market whose attractiveness depends on the magic of the reciprocal recognition of art and its consumers and on the renegotiation of the relationships of power between them»3. Schultheis sheds light on the social competition between the actors involved, but this is explicit within each category (among the gallerists par excellence) and it’s clearly reflected in the spatial competition. Also the space between the artist and the potential collector is, in O’ Doherty’s works, a conflict area «busy with guerrillas, envoys, doubleagents (...) and both major parties in a variety of disguises as they mediate between principle and money»4. But is it the only way of looking at art fairs? There is another side of the question that focuses on analysing art fairs as world art catalysers. To further analyse this opinion, Marc Spigler's point of view is crucial. He is the investigative journalist that became head of Art Basel who said that: «at the most fundamental level, of course, any art fair’s success still hinges on connecting galleries with collectors and collectors with artworks. But they must now also deliver everything from intellectual substance (extensive programs filled with speeches, panels, and performances) to high glamour (via luxury lounges and exclusive VIP experiences). Today’s fair is a polymorphous platform, conceived not only for sales but also for artistic endeavours, sophisticated socialising, intellectual engagement and global networking»5.He compares fairs to dinner parties based on an accurate geography of floorpans, carefully designed by fair directors. The space is divided in zones where galleries similar in spirit can have a resonance and collaborate to a common program that in a way is more than the sum of their parts. At the same time, the

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“guests” - the galleries - spend long hours defining their “wardrobes” - carpeting, lighting, furniture and other elements above and beyond art. As the booth becomes what Spiegler defines as a physical signifier, meaning that it embodies the art gallery’s ethos, so the few dozen square meters of initially homogenous booth become a theatre set, where gallerists - at least try - to build their (brand) identity. «For while an art fair is a marketplace and a dinner party, a logistical campaign and a stage set for seductions, a battle ground and a catwalk, it is also a dream state - a brief moment in time when the widely dispersed art world coalesces into one place, then enters into a sort of collective bubble, filled with champagne and ambition, animated by rumour and fear, and held aloft by an essential belief in the monetary value and perceptions and desires with which we invest great art»6. Paola Colacurcio’s experience of art fairs in the 80s out of metaphor stresses the centrality of dinners: «I used to know all the top collectors directly. We organised dinners in the evenings of Basel art week, having fun with them» 7. The art fair works as a (Public) Relation Stage. Talking about the nature of art fairs, art dealer Sergio Casoli focused on how today’s exhibitions are just windows, excuses to meet (art insiders)8. This is because of the link between art and trade that seems to be stronger than the one between art and culture. Apparently you could experience the fair online, but the art fair is a graphical way of exhibiting art: a shopping window built on communication more than content, a public relation stage. From the point of view of the Italian collector Roberto Crivellini, the horizontal overview of art allows interconnection and contaminations to happen: «everyone attends them and so many things happen on the stage: exchanging of information, business, negotiation, connections and everything that goes around the physical world of the fair, the event and its architecture. So, the convenience and efficacy of this model makes it something the art world can’t get enough of. The success was crazy, why should they fight it?»9. Also the artist Sergio Fermariello described the fair as a relational platform that goes even beyond selling itself 10. He too used the window metaphor to describe a phenomenon that is a way of socialising: « for galleries and art dealers,

collectors’ attendance is just one of the relevant factors, together with the possibility of improving their connection networks on an international level, and to meet the insiders attracted by the specific cultural agenda»11. Ilaria Bonacossa, director of Artissima Fair, explains the success of the last edition of Artissima in the trial of creating personal relations with all the people involved catalysing the improvement of a strong connection network. Also Guido Guerzoni questioned the nature of today’s art fairs in this direction: «the art fair is the event capable of (physically) putting together world art insiders that wouldn’t easily meet each other. Inaugurations, closing parties, popping over at Art Basel or Frieze. During the days of the event the whole professional universe can meet. But sometimes, everything that is extra (monographic exhibitions, workshops, seminars and presentations), becomes a smokescreen to introduce the event as something more than a market fair. I think that the main issue is understanding what an art fair means today, in the internet era, when all the information can be found online in real time. You can see a pice of art online and talk to gallerists on Skype. Fairs used to be useful when people needed to get all the info in the fastest way and meet the art operators to enter in agreements with. Today people don’t need that anymore because everything is online, even a 3D image of the art work. So, why should I attend the art fair? I think that the answer is social gathering, to develop parallel businesses and other forms of capital»12. In the era of information, physically meeting is not necessary anymore, but there is still a strong social component of meeting that goes back to the root of fairs development. If now it’s all about social gatherings and dinner parties, it’s reasonable to include among the guests many other players beyond the galleries and extend the invitation to collectors, dealers, buyers, directors and curators. The collective bubble includes each of these figures. But again, we are looking just at one side of the coin, the other one is made of all the professional figures and technicians that make the fair-machine work: the background. This is appropriate if we think about the fair in the optic of the event-machine, with a front stage and a back stage13. The front stage is the set for a variety of social interactions, the apparent raison d’être of the event itself.

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Collectors Lounge at Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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Gaetano Pesce Up chairs, sleeping man. Ruinart VIP Lounge at Miart, 2018.

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From the perspective of the management of Art Basel, the ambivalent relationship between the gallery system and the activities at the fair look different, as one of the directors says. The art world is a gateway to the world, which brings a hitherto inaccessible international clientele into the local “white cubes“. According to a fair organiser interviewed by Franz Schultheis: «an art dealer does not come to a fair to meet the same collectors they are already selling to. They come also to meet new collectors, new museum directors, new curators, new critics. And I think, you know, each of these groups uses the show in a different way. The artists come to make contacts, maybe they are looking for a new gallery and they want to see where they think they might fit. The collectors come to buy obviously, but also to make new contacts. The gallerists come to sell and make new contacts. The museum curators come potentially to strike deals with galleries to support their shows or to look for artists that they can exhibit. The museum directors come often to reinforce relationships with their board, but in the same way to arrange loans and that kind of thing. You know, but I think what is interesting to everyone is, what Art Basel is, what a show is at this level. A show at this level provides a tour d‘horizon of the art world, of what is going on. It really is, it is ideally all the best galleries showing all the best artists, all the best works that they have available, and so in what would take you, I mean, it would take you a month and a half to visit all these galleries and get some sense, of what is going on. And here, working intensely, you can do it in a day and a half. Now obviously it is not the same to see a stand as to see a gallery, or as to see a museum show, and we are very conscious of that and we never pretend otherwise, but our hope is that people will discover a new gallery, discover a new artist, and then go to the gallery itself, and see the artist’s shows and museum exhibitions»14. Here the fair is not just a fundamental pubic relation stage, but also a kind of full-immersion propedeutics for the understanding of contemporary art. Furthermore, the fair-event is built on a strict social hierarchy: even among the VIPs there are classifications and that determine the experience, time and space of their visit at the fair. Top collectors enjoy previews (and first class top collectors enjoy the preview of previews). In

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fact, preview days are a social status symbol that validates their power in the art world. Few are the names listed in this group and Poli and Bernardelli mention among them Charles Saatchi, François Pinault, Dakis Joannou and Peter Brandt 15 as most powerful art players. In Basel, there are even three categories for the VIPs - First Choice, Preview and Vernissage. "VIP 1st choice people come the first day and it’s super selected. After that there’s a second VIP group and a third one (on the first day of Art Basel the entrance is allowed only to people who spend at least 10 million per year, on the following day people who spend 5 million are able to visit, and then the others16). Only the third day the normal people can visit the fair. For these VIPs there are different spaces inside: a level that is reserved to VIPs and there you have cafes, champagne bars and other things. And inside this, there’s another space concentrated on VIP selected clients of UBS, and there you find only highly selected people who have fortunes of 100 million dollars at UBS, high potential collectors17. It is in a way a very complex and tricky matter: who’s deciding who’ll be VIP or not? (...) Art Basel knows that they have to be very prudent about that"18. As already mentioned in the art global cities paragraph, there is a specific space for welcoming collectors: the last floor of the Art Basel Fair: the collector's lounge. This area is designed with much attention to the spatial qualities and details, to offer the best experience to the wealthiest active players of the system. The partnership with UBS, finds here the clearest spatial outcomes. Nevertheless, according to Guido Guerzoni, since 10 years ago or even more, major collectors have been outsourcing their purchases to personal buyers and curators. They just attend all the super parties with other collectors and influencers. Of course this tendency must not be generalised, because the average collector is still attending the fair, enjoying what he likes and can afford to buy. Major collectors, instead, fly to the city, attend 5 to 10 parties, meet their peers and fly to another city. It happens that they already have a list of what they are about to buy. There are waiting lists that can last years to buy pieces from the most desired artists. You can wait up to 20 years! The collectors that enjoy the fair for art’s sake are the lower-medium ones. For this category the fair has a participation value; in the last decades there has been a

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democratisation and explosion of contemporary art19. In fact, similar to a nineteenth-century Grand Exhibition, the art fair allows normal visitors to come in contact with the forefront of modernity, and present them with the possibility of directly experiencing the advances not of science and technology, but of art20.

ÂŠ Art Economics and Artfacts.net (2018)

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Reported Visitor Numbers at 20 Major Fairs in 2013 and 2017

Art Fair

Year fair Started

# Visitors 2013

# Visitors 2017

ADAA

1989

20,000

15,000

Change from 2013–2017 –25%

ARCO Madrid

1982

150,000

100,000

–33%

Art Basel

1970

86,000

95,000

10%

Art Basel Hong Kong

2013

60,000

80,000

33%

Art Basel Miami Beach

2002

75,000

82,000

Art Berlin

2005

28,000

32,000

14%

Art Brussels

1968

30,432

25,500

–16%

Art Cologne

1967

60,000

52,000

–13%

Artissima

1994

50,000

52,000

Expo Chicago

2012

30,000

40,000

33%

FIAC

1974

74,567

73,910

–1%

Frieze London

2003

40,000

60,000

50%

Frieze Masters

2012

26,000

60,000

131%

Frieze New York

2012

45,000

40,000

–11%

La Biennale des Antiquaires

1962

90,000

32,678

–64%

Masterpiece

2010

34,000

44,000

29%

Olympia

1972

30,000

25,000

–17%

TEFAF

1975

70,000

71,000

The Armory Show

1999

60,000

65,000

Vienna Contemporary

2005

22,963

29,767

30%

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Paco Barragàn, op.cit., p.67.

Franz Shultheis, "A Globalizing Art World. “Elitism” and the Economy of Symbolic Goods", in: Francesco Garutti (a cura di), op. cit., p.62. 2

Franz Schulteis, et al., op. cit., p.31.

Brian O’Doherty, Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000, p.94. 4

Marc Spigler, "Art World Agora. How art fairs evolved from marketplaces into polymorphous cultural platforms" in: Gabriele Heidecker, Art Affairs, Hate Cantz, Berlin, 2008, p. 36. 5

Marc Spiegler, "Art World." in: Gabriele Heidecker, op. cit., p.37. 6

Paola Colacurcio Interview, pp. 50-55.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-27.

Roberto Crivellini Interview, pp. 56-61.

Sergio Fermariello Interview, pp. 68-73.

Ilaria Bonacossa Interview, pp. 46-49.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

cf. Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Anchor, New York, 1959. 13

Franz Schulteis, et al., op. cit., p. 80.

Francesco Poli, et al., op. cit., p.178

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

Franz Shultheis, "A Globalizing." in: Francesco Garutti (a cura di, op. cit., p.63. 18

Arts Council in UK offers up to £2000 in interest-free loans to buy contemporary art. Visit "Own Art UK". Web. 7/07/2018. www.ownart.org.uk 19

P. Leo’n de la Barra, "Oases of freedom in the Desert of Commodities", in: Francesco Garutti (a cura di ),op.cit. p.131. 20

On the left: Collectors Lounge at Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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3.5 Displaying Art: Interiors and Set Up

“The idea was to take thousands of pictures and to study them afterwards. Through the images, among many other aspects, we analyse for example the standardisation of the space: the similarities of the structures among the booths. Always a table, catalogues, people with iPads in their hands, beautiful young women dressed in black, and the partitioning of the stand between “space” and “function”, two parts of this world, exactly like Olav Velthuis stated when he spoke of “the front stage and the back stage”, the white cube and the back office of art galleries”1 Franz Schultheis

The way art is displayed at art fairs depends on each gallery’s policy. All the booths are different and follow their gallerists’ guidelines. Regardless, the way art is displayed today is in dialogue with the main model of reference that is still universally widespread, especially in gallery spaces and museums: the white cube. Talking about spatiality, Brian O’Doerty compares the gallery and its features to the process of building a Medieval Church. We could try to adapt his words to what happens to the booths at the fairs. «The outside world must not come in, so windows are usually sealed off. Walls are painted white. The ceiling becomes the source of light. The wooden floor is polished so that you click along clinically, or carpeted so that you pad soundlessly, resting the feet while the eyes gaze at the wall. The art is free, as the saying used to go, “to take on its own life”.The discreet desk may be the only piece of furniture. In this context a standing ashtray becomes almost a sacred object, just as the firehose in a modern museum looks not like a firehouse but an aesthetic conundrum»2. What happened before the white cube? The reference model that paved the way was the salon-gallery. Paul Durnad-Ruel3 was a pioneer in the display strategy techniques. His gallery worked as a link between the market and the cultural institution. The main spatial feature was domesticity. Visitors should have dreamt of being inside an ideal apartment, looking at the pieces of art on the walls. Furniture and decorations had a

central role in simulating a domestic atmosphere: tapestries, coffee tables, chairs, sofas, boiserie. The aim was to achieve both a cultural and economical enhancement of the works of art. If we look at the fair it is still possible to find hints of the same will of having a domestic feeling. It could be done with a wall decoration or with the use of furniture selected to design a specific spatial atmosphere (maybe with the help of a flower vase too). The 60s were a turning point, as the new experimental art made it necessary to develop the white cube model to fulfil the new spatial needs of artistic research (Smithson, Heizer, De Maria, Long together with minimalist, processual and conceptual artists and performers). The other side of the coin was represented by the chambre esthetique model, a space with specific and strong features the artist had to adapt to. «The white cube is usually seen as an emblem of the estrangement of the artist from a society which the gallery also provides access. It is a ghetto space, a survival compound, a proto-museum with a direct line to the timeless, a set of conditions, an attitude, a place deprived of localisation, a reflex to the bald curtain wall, a magic chamber, a concentration of mind, maybe a mistake. It preserved the possibility of art but made it difficult. (...) Was the white cube nurtured by an internal logic similar to that of its art? Was its obsession with enclosure an organic response, encysting art that would not otherwise survive? Was it an economic construct formed by capitalist models of scarcity and demand?»4. If the white cube is still a design tool for the booths at art fair, its sacral and suspended dimension is really far from the gallery space. Art fairs are chaotic and noisy, not magic and timeless. The art insider Guido Guerzoni blames it on the lighting and acoustic system together with the fact that fairs are always crowded5. Actually, according to many art insiders and influencers, «Participating in an art fair became a nightmare (...). You would almost live inside the art fair during installation and for

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the duration of the fair, in an artificial climate and under artificial light; (...) forced to repeat the same intellectual discourse and chit-chat over and over again to potential clients, curators, and visitors»6. The gallery director Paola Colacurcio recalls her personal experience at the Lucio Amelio booth in this way: «I’m always at the booth, chained to the booth! If I move and then someone arrives and doesn’t meet you then it’s your fault. It’s a week with very high adrenaline levels. You have to be ready, ask, answer, meet, explain and whatever»7. Talking about the spatial signifiers and elements, Anne Holtrop thinks that the way of exhibiting art at the fair reflects the market dynamics of the event itself. In fact, He stated that: «(the fair is) a place where there is a large availability of art, as in an ocean, and you go there because you want to buy, not necessarily to have a discussion on the content of the art piece. It is also a very cramped space, because it’s very expensive for the gallery owner, so he puts many works in a small space. All kinds of works that do not necessarily have anything to do with each other on a content base»8. And, talking about the way it is built he adds: these are most of the time systems that can be reused: «the booths, the lights, etc. It is completely uneconomical to make a different system. So it’s better to save the money for the special space, a special entrance, a special VIP area. You can make the Central Park and the Statue of Liberty and the rest is the market. And then you just resell them for the next one»9. One of the most interesting features that emerged from analysing the spatial qualities of the fair, is that they reflect the behaviour of the actors involved on the same stage. Each booth can be really different from the next one because of the specific attitude of the gallery towards the displaying issue. In our interview, Sergio Casoli introduced the spatial theme of display in a very sensitive art-based manner. His outlook doesn’t make distinctions between designing an exhibition at the gallery or at an art fair, because the core of the display is always art itself. «The architecture of my booths at Basel - I think I attended it for twelve of fourteen years - was something based on art. Fontana was the heart of my booth. I used to exhibit Fontana solo — without frames, because I wanted the concept to pop out and emerge. Otherwise I used to compare Fontana to other meaningful artists such as Pascali, Lo

Savio, and Manzoni. Fontana first, and later Boetti, represented the core of my work, together with all those personalities that were influenced by them. My architecture was only based on the idea of art. The communication and the message behind the exhibition reflected my view on Fontana and Italian art. I’ve never tried to invite someone to sell my art. I was full of myself and believed that what mattered was Fontana’s representation and his dialogue with Italian art. Today, more than 15 years after I gave up on the gallery, the world is still talking about that, so I think that my modus operandi worked well. This gives me more joy than anything else. People who can tell what and how I used to exhibit in my booth and which kind of work I used to carry out. It was powerful, but very far from what happens today, I’m pretty sure of that. (...) The space of the gallery has a different way of representing and displaying. It is deeply influenced by the relation the gallerists have with the space and the artist. Both in a fair or in my gallery I used to respect art more than people do now. I was the first to display paintings without frames at art fairs and I used to keep the walls not too crowed. There was a delicate balance as a result of an aesthetic, non-aggressive, attitude. I used to pay attention to the matches between different paintings, thinking about the meaning, the idea and the continuity. I would never have put a Chagall next to a Mondrian - just to mention an example. I liked designing an exhibition at the fair and today I don’t believe that people consider it is still a priority. I used to design the exhibition also at my gallery, according to my personal tastes. If the artist wanted to do it himself, I just gave him the keys of the space. I used to think about myself as a lucky person, so I wanted to honour and respect art by being elegant and having a balance between my aesthetic views and culture. My relation with the space was respectful of the art, the artist and the space itself. (...) I’m firmly sure that space is not essential because the values of image and communication are much stronger than any spatial issue. I would like to make a funny example: there was a big exhibition in Milan about Fontana at Hangar Bicocca and rumour was that 170.000 people visited it. The space was organised in six, seven boxes cut out from the big hangar space, depriving the place of the space as Fontana conceived it - of course that’s my point of view. Even if the exhibition took away the spatiality, it

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On the previous page: elba benĂtez gallery front stage and back stage. Here: danish furniture, flowers and minimal art display at i8 Gallery. Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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Edwynn Houk Gallery back stage, storage room with curtain. Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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was a huge success because people visited a predesigned image. They didn’t understand that the space, the universe of Bicocca and Fontana, cannot be represented like that. So I would say that today everything is a matter of display»10 . The opening quote from Franz Schultheis introduces another important dualism of art fairs: front stage and back stage. The event-machine of the fair needs both of these spatial realities. If the open landscape of the booth grid represents the main front stage that we can experience at the fair, the element that best represents the backstage is the storage. Each gallery can decide to design its booth reserving a portion of the area to a small, closed box-like, room used as storage. This space contains everything that would disturb the purity of the white box but, in the majority of cases, it becomes evidence of the market nature of fairs: it contains many extra works that can be shown to potential clients or collectors on request. Artworks beyond the exhibited ones. Private storage rooms are cut off from the continuity of the map creating small enclosed spaces. According to Paola Colacurcio, the fair works like this: «galleries have to apply and pay for their space. The fees requested cover standard solutions, from the booth to the lighting system. You can ask for a 4m x 5m space, but they give you the standard space, so if you want some extra interior architecture detail you have to pay extra. Many galleries ask for a small storage space within the perimeter of the booth, others design a central wall to increase the exhibition surface. In Basel we used to have a huge stand. Lucio Amelio designed it the first time and then the layout remained almost untouched in time. We had a closed storage: it was necessary since we used to come from Italy with approximately 300 artworks. Lucio Amelio’s peculiarity was to have a different exhibition every day. It became its signature and collectors used to wait until the evening to see the new one. It was a show, a performance. I don’t understand galleries who put a red mark on the sold pieces. What does it mean? If you sold it then change it! Did you really sell it? Is it just a marketing technique? Sometimes if you ask about an artwork the gallery dealer says that it might be sold (laughs). At Lucio Amelio, the booth was dividend in two spaces, the main one with the daily exhibition and another one with all the other artists. Each gallery

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can choose its own way of displaying art and organising the space layout. Generally you make a plan drawing based on the space that the fair gives you (according to your area request). You tell the organisers everything you need and they realise it. You might need a 3m x 3m wall in the middle, specific light, wall colours, etc... The fair controls everything. Usually, there is a catalogue where you can select all the extras. Some galleries decide to bring their own furniture (tables, chairs, sofas) to make a small living room atmosphere. The storage option is chosen by many since in this way you can have an extra space to display everything that is not on the walls and keep them not too crowed. If a collector is interested, the team can show other works from the same artist in the storage space»11. Her point of view is completely different from Sergio Casoli’s, and when it comes to the question of storage he answered: «No, I’ve never had one. I designed the booth with a strong concept and it wasn’t possible to change it. You can’t put Pascali and Fontanta together and then sell them and fill the empty space with something else. It was something really annoying to me. I’ve always thought that seeing all those extra works in the storage was sad. It made me upset. I’m against lockers. When I designed an exhibition I used to print small catalogues so that in case of a sale the image of the whole project could be maintained. That was the image of Italian art. That was my image, and 15 years later, it is still there. It’s me. I used to be that and people remember it. I’ve never changed the display of my exhibitions, never. I never wanted to and I definitely wouldn’t do so now. My duty there was to introduce Italian art and Fontana to the world and I think I succeeded»12. To be more complete, it’s interesting to quote the display process of Alfonso Artiaco, a Neapolitan gallery that made his way to the major contemporary art fairs worldwide. When interviewed, Mr. Artiaco introduced an interesting outlook about an art-oriented display process in the era of 3D modelling and complex exhibition rules. He said: «The works shape the space. We do have a layout for reference, but all the variations are done following the specific pieces we want to exhibit during that edition. Obviously, the space is shaped by the needs of the work. We are completely in love with the SketchUp design tool. With this software we build a virtual maquette of the booth and scale the works

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(especially the bi-dimensional ones) to fit the space. In this way we can prefigure the spatial atmosphere of the fair. Sometimes it could happen that the real set up was different from the digital version and needed to be fixed, maybe because of a ray of light or a detail. But in any case SketchUp helps us a lot. Then we have an online platform where the organisers send us all the technical specifications of the space. For example, now in Hong Kong there is a section of my booth that is part of a fire barrier so, for a linear meter, I can’t hang any works. (...) It’s clear that a good layout and set up of the booth gives a positive feedback and a network improvement. I like to have a good display of the work that is elegant, clean and sometimes even radical, if the occasion demands it»13. In his historical analysis of the fair development, Harrison White believes that the formation of prices at antiques fairs (model for the contemporary art ones) began centuries ago based on the observation of the competitors in the market, rather than the possible demand, through comparing and contrasting the different goods that were on sale14. To do that it was necessary for similar products to be presented in the same category. That’s how the issues of display and spatial arrangement emerged. Christian Morgner used an extremely relevant citation by Daniel Defoe, in his A Trip to the Stourbridge Fair, that describes the spatial parameters of the fair in Stourbridge, England, its arrangement, the rows, the booths, the temporary nature of the buildings that used to host the event and the way of displaying the products. «The shops are placed in rows like streets, whereof one is call’d Cheapside; and here, as in several other streets, are all sorts of trades, who sell by retale, and who come principally from London with their goods; scarce any trades are omitted, goldsmiths, toyshops, brasiers, turners, milleners, haberdashers, hatters, mercers, drapers, pewtrers, china-warehouses, and in a word all trades that can be named in London; with coffee-houses, taverns, brandy-shops, and eating-houses, innumerable, and all in tents, and booths. (...) In another street parallel with the road are like rows of booths, but larger, and more intermingled with wholesale dealers, and one side, passing out of this last street to the left hand, is a formal great square, form’d by the largest booths, built in that form, and which they call the Duddery [...] This place is

separated, and peculiar to the wholesale dealers in the woollen manufacture. Here the Booths, or tents, are of a vast extent, have different apartments, and the quantities of goods they bring are so great, that the insides of them look like another Blackwell-Hall, being as vast ware-houses pil’d up with goods to the top. In this Duddery, as I have been inform’d, there have been sold one hundred thousand pounds worth of woollen manufactures in less than a week’s time [...] I saw one ware-house, or booth, with six apartments in it, all belonging to a dealer in Norwich stuffs only, and who they said had there above twenty thousand pounds value, in those goods, and no other»15.

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Franz Shultheis, "A Globalizing." in: Francesco Garutti, op.cit., p.61. 1

B. O’Doherty, op. cit., p.22.

Paul Durand-Ruel (31 October 1831, Paris – 5 February 1922, Paris) was a French art dealer who is associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School. He was one of the first modern art dealers who provided support to his painters with stipends and solo exhibitions. 3

B. O’Doherty, op.cit., p. 80.

"I’ve never loved fairs because the acoustic there is the worst, the lighting too, and it's super crowed" cf. Guido Guerzoni Interview. 5

Paco Barragàn, op.cit., p. 133.

Paola Colacurcio Interview, pp. 50-55.

Anne Holtrop Interview, pp. 18-25.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-67.

Paola Colacurcio Interview, pp. 50-55.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-67.

Alfonso Artiaco Interview, pp. 10-13.

Harrison C. White, "Where do Markets come from?" in: American Journal of Sociology, 87, (3), 1981, pp. 517-47. 14

Daniel Defoe, A tour thro’ the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journeys, 2 vols., P. Davies, London, 1927, p. 81. 15

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3.6 Admission Procedure and The Art Basel Committee

"The Show Management endeavours to create optimum conditions for the exhibitors and visitors at Art Basel, by prioritising the quality and balance of galleries and artworks present at the show. In aiming to achieve these objectives, the Show Management works in close cooperation with the Art Basel Committee. This committee is composed of gallery owners regularly participating in Art Basel, who are selected on the basis of their integrity and expertise. The Art Basel Committee is reappointed on an annual basis and its membership rotates at regular intervals. It is the Art Basel Committee that decides on the admission or non-admission of an applicant at a meeting in camera. For the selection of certain sectors, the Art Basel Committee is joined by Experts. These Experts are also gallery owners selected on the basis of their integrity and their expertise in the type of art presented within the sector. The selection decisions are taken based on the show‘s overall concept, considering factors such as: - the quality and dynamism of the gallery’s overall activities; - the quality and dynamism of the gallery’s work with the artists represented, especially those proposed for exhibition at Art Basel; - the gallery’s past presentations at Art Basel and other international art shows; - the specific content of the application submitted by the gallery for Art Basel; - the limited availability of booths and the competition for participation among galleries with a similar profile; - compliance with the conditions for admission to Art Basel as specified in the Art Basel Exhibition Regulations. Each gallery interested in participating must submit an application. All applications are evaluated anew each year. This means that galleries that participated the previous year must also go through the admission procedure. Every application is subjected to a thorough examination, spread over several stages, until the final results are decided after several rounds of deliberation. The Art Basel Committee takes its decisions by simple majority. The Art Basel Committee’s decisions are communicated in writing. Grounds for the decisions are not given to applicants. The meetings of the Art Basel Committee are ended by the Art Basel Directors who conduct the admission procedure without the right to vote.“1

Art Basel Website

Fairs have a huge power in selecting galleries and let artists emerge on the international market. At the same time the biggest issue is defining standards of quality for the galleries that take part to the event. A selection committee, made of gallerists, has to select the galleries (that might sound a little weird). If the selection is too rigid the organisers risk to not have enough money to set the event, but if the selection is too permissive, the access of too many galleries can affect the quality standard of the art displayed. Alerted by the second possibility, many top level galleries may decide not to join. «What we find in the art fairs is a highly selected choice, from highly selected galleries, who bring highly selected artists to the place. And it is a rather commercial selection of artists that we find there. There are quite a lot of other kinds of contemporary art that can’t find their way into art fairs of this kind because it’s much too expensive for galleries. They just bring premiere choices of well commercial (commerciable?) works in order to bring the money inside. Each gallery coming to Art Basel having 100 sqm booths has to pay 100.000 CFH and the cost of bringing the artworks from New York or South America to Basel is really high. I would say that the choice is made according to economical criteria. So, as I said, It’s highly selective and not representative of the art world or of what contemporary art means.(...) Especially for Art|Basel and for Frieze (a little bit less for Frieze). If you go to São Paulo, and I have been there, it’s much less like that. You don’t have the same clients, there are some big players, but there are quite a lot of smaller galleries, less important galleries, coming from South America’s countries with different sources. So you can find another kind of art represented there. Even in very good art fairs like Art Cologne the choice is less commercial and more open for younger artists and alternative forms of art creation»2. ArtBasel in Basel is certainly the most powerful and prestigious fair to have adopted very rigid standards of selection, including a high participation fee. As the collector and dealer

Exploring Fairland

Giuseppe Morra said in our interview: «Fairs are really expensive. These are the places where works of art, artists, curators, audience, context and market meet together producing many effects: promotion of artists, cultural politics and of course economical value. On one hand art fairs are the engine for the art market growth. On the other, the extreme cost must be taken into account because it influences the participation of many galleries that have interesting artistic projects, but can’t afford the fees with no guarantee of immediate economic return»3. Only top galleries dealing with Classic Modern art and celebrity contemporary artists, together with few cutting-edge emergent galleries, can access the Basel venue. This feature of selection is among the main causes for the diffusion of “off” fairs. Those fairs are especially made for newly established galleries and artists that wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to media visibility. Sergio Casoli thinks that: «Selection at art fairs is a political and cultural choice, but at the end of the day, there are many categories that are not represented there, and it’s normal»4. Furthermore, the particular interest in big international art fairs expressed here is not, however, restricted to galleries from the so-called “threshold countries“. Galleries from Europe and the USA which are not located in the established art metropolises but in more marginal or rural areas see in participation in the Art Basel a means of moving closer to the centre of the art market and the art world. A fair like the Art Basel is after all the best publicity a gallery can have. The achievement of a similar degree of public attention and awareness outside the participation in the fair would call for very substantial efforts and expenditure. The interest of the media is also visibly greater at fairs than at gallery exhibitions, which largely pass unnoticed (Franz Schulthieis)5. Talking about the selection mechanism, collector Roberto Crivellini added: «Art Basel is in a leading position. It started exporting its format in Miami and Hong Kong. I’ve never looked into

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the application fees, but I have a vague idea anyway. This non-inclusive phenomenon is very common starting from the selection committee, the commissions, the gallerists’ panels, museum directors, curators and everyone that influences the selection of the galleries. Sometimes it happens that they have a wider (I can’t say democratic) vision, but it’s always linked to the trends of that year. For example in one edition they invited young galleries, under 30, giving them special conditions to apply, or they choose a country XY to become the leading one for that year, opening to more galleries from that geographical region»6. Guido Guerzoni analysed the phenomenon in a different way, focusing on the balancing systems that this complex phenomenon has to keep on working. He stated that: «The top level fairs are few and there is a waiting list of many years for applying. There are also many controversies regarding the committees that select the galleries, allowing them to exhibit there. Art Basel is an example, one can wait up to 10 years, or even more, to exhibit there. I’m saying this because I’d like to shed some light on the compensation mechanisms that are behind this reality. This also affects the choice of the fair directors. Marc Spiegler, previously an investigative journalist, was nominated director in Basel by the director of the Beyeler Foundation. Spiegler had been a thorn in the flesh for Art Basel for ten years (laughs) and they wanted him to become the new director for the sake of transparency, the same guy that has been putting the screws to the fair system for so long. But the polemics are more, and the reason is that being there really matters for all the gallerists. This is the reason there are so many complex mechanisms at play to decide who selects and who exhibits»7.

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Goodman Gallery booth at Art|Basel, 2018

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"Admission Procedure"In Art Basel (www.artbasel.com) Retrived July, 3rd, 2018. 1

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

Giuseppe Morra Interview, pp. 32-35.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-67.

Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit. p. 86.

Roberto Crivellini Interview, pp. 56-61.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

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Art|Basel Basel seen from outside with the installation by Creative Time. Art|Basel Basel, 2018.

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3.7 Colonialism and Art Basel Cities Project

According to Angela Vettese, Art has been facing cultural colonialism as a social, political, cultural - and I would add also economic - phenomenon. The art critic and historian focuses on the fact that Oriental art came to take part in the Art System quite late (let’s think about the Venice Biennale Pavilions for example). To be more accurate colonial à la mode trends in art (such as Japonism, Chinoiserie, African handicraft and its impact on visual art in-between 1800 and 1900) must be excluded from the historical analysis1. Anyway there is still an open question: is colonial spirit still alive? Does it affect the phenomenon of art fairs? It would be interesting to focus on the brand fairs and their exported formats covering different geopolitical realities. I’ve already mentioned Art Basel - with its American edition, Art Basel Miami Beach, and its oriental one, Art Basel Hong Kong - and Frieze - with the New York edition and the upcoming one in Los Angeles. Many less commercial and known realities have been sharing the same multi-location modus operandi. Exporting a format of success is a very common trend for global companies, because it allows to reach new markets and realities. Focusing on Art Basel, that has been the model of reference for all the analysis carried out, it would be relevant to mention also the Art Basel Cities initiative, as they present it on their website: «Launched in March 2016 on the occasion of Art Basel in Hong Kong, Art Basel Cities is a new global initiative offering Art Basel’s network and expertise to select partner cities to propel their cultural scene toward a greater level of recognition in the art world. The aim of this pioneering initiative developed outside of the Art Basel shows concept, periods and locations is to expand its engagement with the art world. Adding an unprecedented dimension to its global reach, Art Basel will develop multiyear collaborations with cities all over the world, in order to deliver highimpact cultural events with international resonance. Art Basel Cities was inspired by Art Basel in Miami Beach experience - the show’s presence has been

recognised as one of the most important catalysts for the South Florida cultural renaissance, with a reported economic impact of USD 500 millions during the week of the fair»2. To accompany this new initiative, the Art Basel Cities Advisory Board3 was created in 2016. It is composed of Patrick Foret (Chair of the Board, Director of Business Initiatives, Art Basel), David Adjaye (OBE, Adjaye Associates), Füsun Eczacıbaşı (Founder, Karinca Design), Richard Florida (Founder, Creative Class Group), Jacques Herzog (Architect), Sam Keller (Director, Fondation Beyeler), William Lim (Managing Director, CL3), Simon Mordant (Advisor and collector), Lars Nittve (CEO and Chairman Nittve Information Ltd Hong Kong/Sweden, Advisor to M+ and WKCDA in Hong Kong), Anne Pasternak (Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum), Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Founder and President of Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo), Dennis Scholl (Entrepreneur and collector of contemporary art), Uli Sigg (Entrepreneur, Founder of Chinese Contemporary Art Awards CCAA, Member of TATE and MOMA international councils and of the M+Museum Board), Michael Tay (Group Managing Director, The Hour Glass). By paying attention to the advisory board professional figures involved, it’s again clear the nature of the event itself: an active relational stage. Furthermore the catalysing impact of the art fair network can be understood in the framework analysed by Franz Schultheis under the name of city grounding by art fair4.

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cf. Angela Vettese, op.cit., p.114-115.

Franz Schultheis Interview, pp. 26-31.

Giuseppe Morra Interview, pp. 32-35.

Sergio Casoli Interview, pp. 62-67.

Franz Schulteis, et al., op.cit. p. 86.

Roberto Crivellini, pp. 56-61.

Guido Guerzoni Interview, pp. 36-44.

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Art Global Cities Fairs

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Art|Basel Basel

Messe Basel. Messeplatz 10, 4005, Basel.

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Participation Package Art|Basel Basel

One Wall Washer per 6m² of booth area 2

Free dedicated booth WiFi for 20 devices One Wall Washer per 6m² of booth area

354 cm Free dedicated booth WiFi for 20 devices

3 354 cm

w on alls ly su en pp d: or 3 ted m m at ax on im e um

1 1

7,5 cm

1. Partitions 2. Lighting

Standard warm grey carpet (Statements has no carpet) Standard warm grey carpet (Statements has no carpet)

7,5 cm

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 25% of booth area) For Galleries sector, 1 wall washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter

1. Partitions

Perimeter walls, painted white ( running lengthwith = 25% of booth area) walls; for Discoveries and in Insights sectors, in accordance the package.

2. Lighting

For Galleries 1 wallstyle washer 2 linear-meters of package perimeter The show’ssector, overall flooring is greyper concrete. walls; No forfloor Discoveries and Insights sectors, in accordance with the package. covering is provided within the partecipation package Special flooring is highly to define the booth perimeters A minimum of 3 lights is recommended provided per booth.

3. Floor

4. Sign

5. WiFi

7,5 cm

A minimum of 3 lights is provided per booth.

Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form.

The show’s overall flooring grey concrete. The number of signs is basedstyle on theisconfiguration of the booths walls and location. Additional boothissign is availablewithin for 234 the USD.partecipation package No floor covering provided Special flooring isbooth highly recommended to define the booth perimeters Free dedicated WiFi for 20 devices

4. Sign

Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form. The number of signs is based on the configuration of the booths walls and location. Additional booth sign is available for 234 USD.

5. WiFi

Free dedicated booth WiFi for 20 devices

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Art|Basel Basel

Floor Damage Regulation/ Floor Loading Nothing may be attached or drilled into the floor. Any floor damages will be charged to the exhibitor based upon the labor charges and material costs involved in the repair. The maximum floor loading in Hall 2, ground floor, is 1,400 kg/ m2; in Hall 2, 1st floor, 500 kg/m2; and in Hall 1:2,000 kg/m2. Artworks Exceeding the Booth Wall Height The standard height of the Art Basel booth walls is 3.54 m. All exhibits or installations that deviate from this standard height need to be approved by the Show Management. Stability of Booth Walls For reasons of stability, freestanding walls, as well as attached walls 3 m or more in length, must be fixed to the hall ceiling with suspension wires. Without an express order from the exhibitor, the minimum required number of suspension wires will be installed automatically and charged at CHF 220 per suspension wire on the final invoice. Booth Wall Regulations All walls are 3.54 m high (11.61 in) and 7.5 cm (2.91 in) thick. The walls can hold objects of up to 30 kg (66 lbs) per 1 m (3.28 ft) wall panel. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to ensure all artwork is securely and correctly fixed to the walls. Reinforcement is needed if you want to hang heavier objects and must be ordered prior to move-in through your Gallery & Project Manager (see 2.7 Heavy Artwork Regulations). Wall Attachment Regulations The Art Basel wall system consists of a modular honeycomb construction at the center of which there is an additional layer of wood. To ensure that artworks hang safely, nails and screws should be at least 4.5 cm (1.77 in) long to reach the central layer of the wall.The exhibitors are responsible for ensuring that their artworks are correctly attached or affixed to the walls. MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. declines all responsibility for damage resulting from incorrect attachment/installation. Wall Painting Regulations To order walls painted in a color other than white please inform your Gallery & Project Manager of the specified color code (Benjamin Moore, RAL or NCS). If you do the painting yourselves, the following points need to be taken into consideration in order to avoid expensive repairs to the walls: - Use emulsion paint only (sheen level: matt, but no silk or satin) - Use only solvent-free paints - No acrylic paints

- No silk, satin or gloss varnish If the painting regulations are not followed, a penalty fee of CHF 1000 per wall element will be charged to the exhibitor. Please note that repainting the walls white will only be done by the booth builders, and will be charged at CHF 100 per meter of wall. Wall Damage Regulations Any wall damages larger than 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter or a hole that penetrates right through the wall element require the replacement of the wall/door element, and will be charged to the exhibitor at CHF 1000 per wall element. Nothing may be glued to the walls. Please also be aware not to use any varnish when writing or painting on the wall. For any wall repairs, exhibitors will be charged according to the extent of the damage. Adjacent Walls If your booth has adjacent hall walls where we permit artwork to be hung, they will be assigned to your booth and billed. The price includes one wall washer per 2 m (6.56 ft) of wall. 3.7 Booth Border and Booth Entrance Regulations Due to security and design issues, all booth borders, which face an aisle, must be accessible through an entrance that is at least 2 m (6.56 ft.) wide. Additionally, all corner booths facing the aisles have to be designed as openly as possible.Doors and curtains must not be located on the perimeter of your booth. Doors must be recessed from the aisle by a minimum of 25 cm 9.84 in); doors must open into the storage and not towards the aisle. Wall Washers and Aiming the Lights The number of wall washers included in your participation package is listed on your booth sketch. The exhibitor has to indicate the orientation of every wall washer/spotlight by drawing an arrow on the booth sketch. There is no refund for unused lights that are included in the participation package. Ordered spotlights will be charged to the exhibitor. If you wish to have special lighting, please contact your Gallery & Project Manager.Lights are installed and adjusted by on-site electricians, according to the exhibitor's specifications on their booth sketch. The participation package includes a one-time aiming of preinstalled lights. This aiming process is meant as a minimal and quick adjustment (titling up, down, left or right) of each light. The maximum duration of this one-time aiming is 30 minutes for smaller booths and 60 minutes for larger booths. The relocation of lights beyond the one-time aiming is not included in the lightaiming procedure, and can only be executed at additional costs. For safety reasons, only on-site electricians may install, move, or adjust electrical connections and lights. Any damages and failures to the electrical system, as a result of faulty connections, will be charged to the exhibitor.

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Laminate palette.

Chapter 4

1 White C102 2 Light Grey C121 3 Anthracite C131 4 Black C141 Art|Basel Basel, 5 Red C161 2017. 6 Blue C202 7 8 9

Oak White W92 Beech W110 Redwood W270

54 CHF /sqm 54 CHF /sqm 54 CHF /sqm 54 CHF /sqm on request on request on request on request on request

15 16

NM100 Grip Stone

on request on request

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Black NL200 Grey NL210 White NL 220 Black NM260 Light Grey DB100 Anthracite DB110 Chessboard NM220

on request on request on request on request on request on request on request

Exploring Fairland

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1 White C102

54 CHF /sqm

15 NM100

on request

2 Light Grey C121

54 CHF /sqm

16 Grip Stone

on request

3 Anthracite C131

54 CHF /sqm

17 Black NL200

on request

4 Black C141

54 CHF /sqm

18 Grey NL210

on request

5 Red C161

on request

19 White NL 220

on request

6 Blue C202

on request

20 Black NM260

on request

7 Oak White W92

on request

21 Light Grey DB100

on request

8 Beech W110

on request

22 Anthracite DB110

on request

9 Redwood W270

on request

23 Chessboard NM220

on request

10 Walnut W200

on request

24 Riffle Sheet Structure Silver N140

on request

11 Wenge W162

on request

12 Oak Rustique Grey W250

on request

13 Oak Grey W231

on request

14 Oak Black W172

on request

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Art|Basel Miami Beach

Miami Beach Convention Center. 1900 Washington Drive Avenue, FL 33139, Miami Beach.

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Art|Basel Miami Beach 162

Chapter 4

Participation Package Art|Basel Miami Beach

5 150 cm

2 One Wall Washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls 5

150 cm

One Wall Washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls walls painted Perimeter

white (25% of booth area)

354 cm 1 Perimeter walls painted white (25% of booth area) 354 cm

walls supported at both ends: 7 m maximum walls supported at both ends: 7 m maximum

w on alls ly su en pp d: or w on alls 5 ted m ly su en pp m at d: or ax on 5 ted im e m m at um a o

7,5 cm

3 The show’s overall flooring grey concrete The show’s overall flooringstyle style isisgrey concrete No floor covering is provided withinthe the partecipation package. No floor covering is provided within partecipation package. Special flooring is highly recommended to define the booth perimeters Special flooring is highly recommended to define the booth perimeters

1. Partitions 2. Lighting

7,5 cm

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 25% of booth area) For Galleries sector, 1 wall washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls; for Discoveries and Insights sectors, in accordance with the package.

Perimeter walls, painted white ( per running A minimum of 3 lights in is provided booth. length = 25% of booth area) 3. Floor

4. Sign

3. Floor

xim ne um

5. WiFi

The show’s overall flooring style is grey concrete. For Galleries sector, 1 wall washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter No floor covering is provided within the partecipation package walls; forSpecial Discoveries sectors, in accordance with the package. flooring isand highlyInsights recommended to define the booth perimeters A minimum of 3 lights is provided per booth. Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form. The number of signs is based on the configuration of the booths walls and location.

The show’s overall flooring style is grey concrete. WiFi on is Exhibitor-only No floorFree covering providednetwork within the partecipation package Special flooring is highly recommended to define the booth perimeters

4. Sign

Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form. The number of signs is based on the configuration of the booths walls and location.

5. WiFi

Free WiFi on Exhibitor-only network

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Art|Basel Miami Beach

Stability of Booth Walls As walls cannot be fixed from the ceiling or to the floor of the MBCC, every exhibitor is responsible for the stability of all their booth walls, including the perimeter walls (in rare cases, uneven floor conditions may require extra support). If you have additional meters of walls included in your participation package, they are listed on your booth sketch. These must be stabilized according to the booth design regulations below, just as any additional wall that you order. Additionally ordered walls, including the ones needed for reasons of stability, will be charged to the exhibitor. There is no refund for unused walls that are included in the participation package. Walls Supported at Only One End The maximum extended running length for any wall supported at only one end is 4 m (13.12 ft). In some instances, a lighting truss may help to support a wall configuration. In no case may an unsupported wall section run more than 2 m (6.56 ft) beyond a truss support. Walls Supported at Both Ends Any section of wall longer than 4 m (13.12 ft) must be supported at both ends. Options include adding a perpendicular panel of at least 2 m (6.56 ft) at the end in either a 'T' or an 'L' configuration (see illustrations below). Regardless of the configuration, the maximum distance allowed between two supporting walls is 7 m (22.97 ft). Freestanding Walls Due to their instability, freestanding walls cannot be built.The following alternatives to freestanding walls can be realized by constructing a wall with a freestanding box or end panels ('TL' or 'H' configurations). Booth Wall Regulations All walls are 3.54 m high (11.61 ft) and 7.5 cm (2.95 in) thick. The walls can hold objects of up to 30 kg (66 lbs) per 1 m (3.28 ft) wall panel. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to ensure all artwork is securely and correctly fixed to the walls. Reinforcement is needed if you want to hang heavy objects and must be ordered prior to move-in through your Gallery & Project Manager (see 2.8 Heavy Artwork Installation Regulations). Wall Attachment Regulations The wall system consists of a modular honeycomb construction, at the center of which is an additional layer of wood. To ensure that artworks hang safely, nails and screws should be at least 4.5

cm (1.77 in) long in order to reach the central layer of the wall and to ensure that the attachment cannot break loose. The exhibitors are responsible for ensuring that their artworks are correctly attached or affixed to the walls. Art Basel U.S. Corp. disclaims all responsibility for damage resulting from incorrect attachment/installation. Wall Painting Regulations All paint jobs must be executed by Union 1175 laborers. Only Benjamin Moore brand paint may be used. Please inform your Gallery & Project Manager of the specified color code (Benjamin Moore, RAL or NCS). No paint, glue or varnish may be applied to wall/door elements (including artworks applied directly to the walls) without prior written permission from the Show Management, which such permission may be withheld in the Show Management's sole and absolute discretion. If the painting regulations are not followed, a penalty fee of USD 1,100 per wall element will be charged to the exhibitor. Wall Damage Regulations Any wall damage larger than 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter or a hole that penetrates right through the wall element require the replacement of the wall/door element, and will be charged to the exhibitor at USD 1,100 per wall element. Wall Labels Regulations General booth signage is provided by Art Basel and will automatically be installed. Any additional booth signage applied to the gallery's wall, displaying the gallery's name or logo, may only be applied to a wall inside your booth (not on an aisle or outward-facing wall or spine of a wall). Letters and fonts may not be sized larger than 15.24 cm (6 inches). Adjacent Walls If your booth has adjacent walls where we permit artwork to be hung, they will be assigned to your booth and billed. The price includes one wall washer per 2 m (6.56 ft) of wall. Booth Border and Entrance Regulations Due to security and design issues, all booth borders which face an aisle must be accessible through an entrance which is at least 2 m (6.56 ft) wide. Additionally, all corner booths have to be designed as openly as possible. Doors and curtains must not be located on the perimeter of your booth, doors must be recessed in from the aisle by a minimum of 25 cm (9.84 in), and doors must open into the closet and not towards the aisle. Furniture must be set up within the booth area. It cannot be placed on the aisle

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U TR

max 2m

max

65 0.

in 2m

m in

Wall Regulation diagrams.

m m

max

max 4m

max

Exploring Fairland

Artworks Protruding into the Aisles Artworks may only be presented within the booth area. For safety reasons artwork installed on booth perimeter walls that are facing the aisles cannot protrude more than 15 cm (5.9 in) into the aisles. Should you plan to install large works on exterior walls, it is mandatory to recess the wall so that the artwork does not protrude into the aisle. If you fail to comply with this regulation, the Show Management reserves the right to either remove the artwork or recess the wall at the cost of the exhibitor. If you plan to protect your artwork on perimeter walls with stanchions, they must be placed within the booth area and walls must be recessed accordingly. Artworks Exceeding the Booth Wall Height The standard height of the booth wall is 3.54 m (11.614 ft). All exhibits or installations that deviate from the standard height of the booth walls need to be approved in writing by the Show Management, which such approval may be withheld in the Show Management's sole and absolute discretion (see Booth Wall Regulations 1.2.) Heavy Artwork Installation Regulations Your Gallery & Project Manager must be informed in writing about heavy installations, i.e. over 30 kg (66.14 lbs) per 1 m wall panel, prior to the exhibitor move-in, so that the Show Management can propose reinforcement solutions. Such orders are implemented only after the exhibitor receives and approves a signed copy of the cost estimate. Art Basel U.S. Corp disclaims all liability for damaged artwork, personal injury or otherwise resulting from incorrect attachment/installation. Floor Damage Regulations Nothing may be attached or drilled into the concrete floor of the MBCC. Any floor damage will be charged to the exhibitor based upon the labor charges and material costs involved in its repair. Storage Space Regulations Storage space within your booth must not exceed 20% of the total booth space. Storage space must be closed either by a door or a white curtain ordered from Art Basel U.S. Corp. Truss Regulations Over each booth, an aluminum framework of beams forms a rigid structure. Trusses run over booth walls at a height of 3.54 m (11.614 ft) and are marked on the booth sketch. Spotlights, wall washers, extension arms and other lighting solutions can be fixed on the truss. Artworks may not be hung on trusses. Additional trusses can be ordered, if needed, and will be charged to the exhibitor. For electrical engineering and/or rigging, additional costs may apply. Additional trusses can only be installed within the exhibitor's booth area, not in the aisles. Exceptions can be made if special booth layouts demand further light-fixing points in an aisle. In this case, additional trusses can only run parallel to the already installed ones. No extension arms are permitted in the aisles. Lights can be mounted at different points along the truss. Lights cannot be installed if additional

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walls are positioned directly under the truss. In such cases, extension arms of 90 cm (35.4 in) are required in order to fix wall washers or spotlights. Ceiling Regulations The Miami Beach Fire Marshal must approve all booth ceiling constructions including materials. Therefore, all booth ceilings are subject to verification by Show Management and must be submitted by a certain date, which will be communicated with your booth sketch. Ceiling materials must be treated with fire retardant treatment. Suspending Artworks from the Ceiling Rigging points must be executed in compliance with the MBCC Fire and Safety Require- ments (included as part of the exhibitor application and terms of application), and must be brought to the attention of your Gallery & Project Manager prior to the exhibitor move-in. Exhibitors are not permitted to suspend artworks from the ceiling themselves. Such orders are implemented only after the exhibitor receives and approves a signed copy of the cost estimate. Please contact your Gallery & Project Manager if you plan to suspend artworks from the ceiling, or if you need additional means of suspension to secure large or heavy sculptures. Special installations All installations deemed special or extraordinary are subject to approval by the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Convention Center, as well as fire and safety review by the Fire Marshal. Such installations may also require additional inspection for compliance with laws and regulations (including, without limitation, the Americans with Disabilities Act) and enhanced security review. Any additional costs and expenses incurred by or on behalf of Art Basel U.S. Corp. or its affiliates and related parties, including, without limitation, permitting and inspection fees and additional labor costs, related to such special or extraordinary installations, including bringing such installations into compliance, shall be charged to the exhibitor and will be included in the final invoice. The inability of any such special or extraordinary installations to obtain appropriate approval or to fully comply with federal, state or local laws and regulations, as well as the rules and requirements of the Miami Beach Convention Center shall mean the display of such installation is prohibited (although the exhibitor shall remain liable for any expenses already incurred). Wall washers and Spotlights A new LED light system has been introduced at the 2016 edition of Art Basel in Miami Beach, including wall washers (LED, 24W, 2400lm, 4000K, neutral white) and spots (LED, 24W, 3180lm, 4000K, neutral white). The number of wall washers included in your participation package is listed on your booth sketch. The exhibitor must indicate the orientation of every wall washer/ spotlight by drawing an arrow on the booth sketch. There is no refund for unused lights that are included in the participation package. Ordered wall washers and spotlights will be charged to the exhibitor. If you wish to have special lighting, please contact your Gallery & Project Manager.

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Wall Element Section 75 mm 22

22 top

steel rail

solid wood

ply cover

62 mm

core ply interior 4

view 100 cm

core ply ply cover

solid wood frame

30 solid wood steel rail

bottom adjustable leveler

Wall section detail. Art|Basel Miami, 2017.

62 mm

350 cm

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Aiming the Lights Lights are installed and adjusted by on-site electricians, according to the exhibitor's specifications on their booth sketch. The participation package includes a one-time aiming of preinstalled lights. This aiming process is meant as a minimal and quick adjustment (titling up, down, left or right) of each light. The maximum duration of this one-time aiming is no more than 10 minutes for up to 15 lights, 20 minutes for up to 30 lights and 30 minutes for up to 45 lights or more per booth. The relocation of lights beyond the one-time aiming is not included in the lightaiming procedure, and can only be executed at additional costs. For safety reasons, only on-site electricians may install, move, or adjust electrical connections and lights. Any damages and failures to the electrical system, as a result of faulty connections, will be charged to the exhibitor.

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Art|Basel Hong Kong

Convention & Exhibition Centre. 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

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Art|Basel Hong Kong 170

Chapter 4

Participation Package Art|Basel Hong Kong

150 cm

2 One Wall Washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls

4 150 cm

1 2 Perimeter walls painted

One Wall Washer 2 linear-meters whiteper (25% of boothofarea) package perimeter walls

354 cm

4 1 Perimeter walls painted white (25% of booth area)

walls supported at both ends: 7 m maximum

354 cm

walls supported at both ends: 7 m maximum

3 7,5 cm 7,5 cm

The show’s overall flooring style is grey concrete 3 No floor covering is provided within the partecipation package show’s overall flooring style is grey concrete Special flooring is highlyThe recommended to define the booth perimeters

2. Lighting

rt m ed m at ax on im e um

No floor covering is provided within the partecipation package Special flooring is highly recommended to define the booth perimeters

1. Partitions

w on alls ly su en pp d: or 5 ted m m at wa ax on on lls im e s ly en upp um d o

7,5 cm 7,5 cm

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 25% of booth area)

2. Lighting

For Galleries sector, 1 wall washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls; for Discoveries and Insights sectors, in accordance with the package. A minimum of 3 lights is provided per booth.

For Galleries sector, 1 wall washer per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls; for Discoveries and Insights sectors, in accordance with the package. 3. Floor A minimum Nave: carpeting or raw concrete of 3grey lights is provided per booth. South and South-West Galleries: grey carpeting Salon d’honneur and South-East Gallery: wooden flooring only

3. Floor

4. Sign

Nave: greyBooth carpeting or raw concrete signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form. South andThe South-West Galleries: grey carpeting of the booths walls and location. number of signs is based on the configuration Additionaland booth sign is available for 234 USD. Salon d’honneur South-East Gallery: wooden flooring only Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form. The number of signs is based on the configuration of the booths walls and location. Additional booth sign is available for 234 USD.

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Art|Basel Hong Kong

While planning the booth design you must adhere to certain design regulations for construction. These design regulations form an integral part of the contract between the exhibitor and Asian Art Fairs Ltd. (â€œAAF"). By submitting the application form you have agreed to the following mandatory design regulations for the Art Basel show in Hong Kong "Design Regulations"). It is your responsibility to ensure that you have read and understood the below paragraphs carefully and fully before beginning your booth design plans. Expomobilia, AAFs appointed contractor for the show, will not execute booth designs that are deemed unsafe. Therefore, all regulations must be strictly followed, and for safety and design reasons, all wall constructions are subject to verification by Show Management. Inside the show venue, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre ( HKCEC'), all installations other than exhibitors' artworks must be executed by Expomobilia. Stability of Booth Walls All booth sketches must be submitted to Show Management for approval. In the event that proposed booth wall configuration does not comply with the Design Regulations, Show Management will contact you. As walls cannot be fixed from the celling or to the floor of the HKCEC every exhibitor is responsible for the stability of all of their booth walls, including their perimeter walls (in rare cases, uneven floor conditions may require extra support). The stability of walls is ensured by the construction of additional walls, as necessary. Should any perimeter walls indicated on the relevant booth sketch. The exhibitor is free to incorporate additional walls, whether for stabilization or otherwise, according to their desired booth design and the Design Regulations. Show Management will be able to confirm which walls require stability, and guide exhibitors in the event of uncertainty. Perimeter Walls The walls defining the borders of your booth are marked on your booth sketch. Any length of perimeter walling requiring support will be highlighted. Highlighted walling must be stabilized by incorporating additional walls into your booth design according to paragraphs 1.2.2-1.2.5 below. In some cases, adding walls to support highlighted walling may not be necessary due to the design of a neighboring booth. However, if the design of the neighboring booth changes, the shared perimeter walls may become inadequately supported. If such cases occur on or before December 14, 2017, both exhibitors are required to adapt their boot booth design to ensure the shared perimeter walls are supported and structurally safe. If you change your booth design after December 15 it is your responsibility to continue to ensure that your new design adequately supports the shared perimeter wall. (This regulation applies even when the neighboring booth has confirmed their design in reliance on the incorporation of a supporting wall in your original design). Show Management

handles incoming orders for booth designs according to the date of receipt and principle of fairness toward all exhibitors. Additional Walls Any participation package walls not used to build perimeter walls are listed on your booth sketch, as "meters of walls free for use". All other additionally ordered walls, including those needed for reasons of stability, will be charged to the exhibitor. There is no refund for participation package walls no used by the exhibitor. Once onsite, orders using participation package walls will be treated as additionally ordered walls and charged. Walls Supported at Only One End The maximum extended running length for any wall supported at only one end is 5 m (164ft). Walls Supported at Both Ends Any section of wall longer than 5 m (164 ft) must be supported at both ends. Options include adding a perpendicular panel of at least 2 m (6.56 ft) at the end in either a T" or an "L configuration. Reardless of the configuration, the maximum distance allowed between two supporting walls is 7 m (22.97 ft). Freestanding Walls Due to their instability, freestanding walls cannot be built. The following alternatives to freestanding walls can be realized by constructing a wall with a freestanding box or end panels (TL'or "H configurations): The minimum width for a freestanding box is 0.65 m. For a box 5-6 m long, one hidden fitting piece is also required for stability. For a box 7 m long, two hidden fitting pieces are required. Booth wall regulations All walls are 3.54 m high (11.61 ft) and 7.5 cm (2.91 in) thick. The walls can hold objects of up to 30 kg (66 lbs) per 1 m (3.28 ft) wall panel. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to ensure all artwork is securely and correctly fixed to the walls. Reinforcement is needed if you wish to hang heavy objects. Reinforcement is a 19 mm thick layer of MDF paneling, and must be ordered prior to move-in. Generally, reinforcement must extend along any adjoining walling/fascia, such that all surfaces are flush. Show Management may grant approval for exceptions to this regulation, and reserves the right to review cases where reinforcement is only required for part of a length of walling/ fascia. Please speak with your Gallery& Project Manager if you wish to apply reinforcement. Wall Attachment Regulations The wall system consists of a modular honeycomb construction, at the center of which is an additional layer of wood. To ensure

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that the artworks hang safely, nails and screws should be at least 4.5 cm (1.77 in) long to reach the central layer of the wall system wall, so that the attachment cannot break loose. Walls are 7.5 cm (2.91 in) thick. Exhibitors are responsible for ensuring that all artworks are correctly attached or affixed to the walls. AAF disclaims all responsibility for damage resulting from incorrect attachment or installation. Exhibitors must ensure that all nails and screws are removed from the walls upon deinstallation. Contravention of this requirement may result in the charge of a service fee at USD 136.5 per hour for complete removal of the nails and screws. Wall Painting Regulations All paint jobs must be executed by Expomobilia. Please inform the Gallery & Project Manager of the specified color code (Benjamin Moore, RAL, NCS, or Nippon). AAF is unable to take responsibility for the exhibitor's choice of a color code matched to an alternative brand (such as Pantone). No paint, glue or varnish may be applied to wall or door elements (including artworks applied directly to the walls) without prior written permission from Show Management. Show Management has sole and absolute discretion to withhold or grant such permission. If the painting regulations are not followed, a penalty fee of USD 1,100 per wall/door element will be charged to the exhibitor. Wall Damage Regulations Any wall damage larger than 1cm (0.4 in) in diameter, or a hole that penetrates right through the wall/door element, requires the replacement of the wall/door element. Such wall damage will be charged to the exhibitor at USD 1,100 per element. Wall Text and Label Regulations General booth signage is provided by Art Basel and will automatically be installed. Any additional wall text (including the gallery's name or logo) may not be applied on an aisle wall, on an outward-facing wall, or onto the spine of a wall. Letters and fonts may not be larger than 15 cm (6 in) high. Wall labels displaying artist names may not be larger than 5 cm (2 in). Please note that all gallery texts and logos on walls must be approved in writing by Show Management prior to exhibitor move-in. For the Discoveries sector, no wall text or logo will be permitted unless stated in the proposed project approved by the Selection Committee. Exhibitors must ensure that all text and logos on walls (pre-approved) are removed upon deinstallation. If any text or logo traces are left on the walls the exhibitor will be liable to a service fee at USD 136.5 per hour for complete removal of the text or logos.

Exterior Wall Presentation Regulations Any exhibitor wishing to cover an exterior wall on the aisle in paint, wallpaper, vinyl or other must seek prior approval from Show Management. Booth Border and Entrance Regulations All booth borders along an aisle must be accessible through an entrance which is at least 2 m (6.56 ft) wide consecutively,

along each border. All corner booths must be designed as openly as possible, with each border kept open by at least 50% of the length of the booth perimeter (including where the border already incorporates venue column walls). The show's overall flooring style is gray concrete. No floor covering is provided within your participation package. Show Management highly recommends that you use special flooring to define the perimeters of your booth, such as carpet, vinyl or laminate. Doors must not be located on the perimeter of your booth, but must be recessed in from the aisle by a minimum of 25 cm (9.84 in). Doors must open into the closet and not towards the aisle. The use of curtains is permitted within the storage areas, however, no part of any curtain is permitted to be seen from the aisles. Exceptions for special circumstances are strictly subject to written approval from Show Management. Please note that due to HKCEC venue regulations, a 75 mm gap must exist between the curtain and the floor. All doors, curtains and flooring must be ordered through and installed by Expomobilia. All furniture must be contained within the booth area, and must not protrude into the aisle. Large flower bouquets must not be displayed in, facing, or visible from the aisles. Stability of Booth Walls All booth sketches must be submitted to Show Management for approval. In the event that proposed booth wall configuration does not comply with the Design Regulations, Show Management will contact you. As walls cannot be fixed from the celling or to the floor of the HKCEC every exhibitor is responsible for the stability of all of their booth walls, including their perimeter walls (in rare cases, uneven floor conditions may require extra support). The stability of walls is ensured by the construction of additional walls, as necessary. Should any perimeter walls indicated on the relevant booth sketch. The exhibitor is free to incorporate additional walls, whether for stabilization or otherwise, according to their desired booth design and the Design Regulations. Show Management will be able to confirm which walls require stability, and guide exhibitors in the event of uncertainty. Wall Washers and Spotlights The number of wall washers on gooseneck arms included in your participation package is listed on your booth sketch. Please order as many lights as you require by indicating their placement on your booth sketch with the given symbols. There is no refund for unused lights that are included in your participation package, nor can the participation package wall washers be interchanged for spotlights. Any lights ordered in addition will be charged to the exhibitor. Wall washers and spotlights can be ordered simply by drawing these according to the desired quantity and placement, directly onto your booth sketch. If you wish to order alternative forms of lighting contact your Gallery & Project Manager. Light Aiming All lights are installed and adjusted by onsite Expomobilia electricians, according to the specifications on your booth sketch. The participation package includes a one-time aiming of lights onsite. This aiming process is meant as a minimal and quick adjustment (tilting up, down, left or right) of each light.

Exploring Fairland

The maximum duration of this one-time aiming is no more than 10 minutes for up to 15 lights, 20 minutes for up to 30 lights and 30 minutes for up to 45 lights or more per booth. Aiming beyond these times incurs a light-aiming fee. If exhibitors wish to relocate their lights, this will also be executed at additional costs. For safety reasons, only onsite Expomobilia electricians may install, move, or adjust electrical connections and lights. Any damage to the electrical system, as a result of faulty connections or contraventions of the Design Regulations, will be charged to the exhibitor. Truss Trusses may be hired for hanging lights or sculptures. In order to maintain consistency, Show Management will standardize the height of the truss that is to be hung above your booth. All trusses must be hung at 4 meters high, and within the booth border whether it is for lights or for hanging sculptures. The location, configuration and minimum length of truss segments are dependent on the location of the existing rigging points in the venue ceiling above your booth. Registered Structural Engineer (RSE) reports are also required according to the HKCEC venue regulations. All truss segments are ordered at an additional charge. To order trusses please indicate the preferred position on your booth sketch (existing rigging points are indicated on your booth sketch). Wall washer lights provided within your participation package are not suitable for use on trusses. Floor Damage Regulations / Floor Loading The show's overall flooring style is gray concrete. No floor covering is provided for your booth within your participation package. Show Management highly recommends that you use special flooring to define the perimeters of your booth, such as carpet, vinyl, or laminate. It is not possible to drill holes in or paint on the floor. Any floor damage will be charged to the exhibitor. This charge will be set by the HKCEC, based upon the labor charges and material costs involved in repair. The maximum floor loading weight within the halls are as follows Halls 1A/18/C can hold up to 1,700kg/sqm or 350lb/ft Halls 1D/E can hold up to 1,250kg/sqm or 255lb/ft Halls 3B/C can hold up to 1,700kg/sqm or 350lb/ft Halls 3D/E can hold up to 1,250kg/sqm or 255lb/ft Clearance on Move-out (Empty Crates and Waste Disposal) It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to ensure their booth, passageways or zones outside of the booth and Encounters project space area (if applicable) are cleared of all crates, storage materials and large waste on move-out. A charge of USD 282 per cubic meter will apply for the removal of any crates or waste (including but not limited to plinths pedestals and discarded wallpaper, whether or not ordered through Expomobilia) left behind in the HKCEC venue by the exhibitor. Ceiling Regulations All booth ceiling constructions must be ordered through and installed by Expomobilia. According to HKCEC venue regulations, wooden ceilings are not permitted, and a 600 mm gap is required after every 100 sqm of ceiling area covered. The

173

maximum area of unbroken ceiling coverage is 100 sqm. Storage Space Regulations For the Galleries sector, storage space within the booth must not exceed 20% of the total booth space. Storage space must be closed either by a door or a white curtain ordered through your Gallery& Project Manager. Curtains must not be visible from the aisle. For the Insights sector, the set storage space within each booth may be used to store personal belongings. It is not permitted to reconfigure or extend this set storage area. For the Discoveries sector, it is not permitted to have a closet or storage area within the booth. Should exhibitors require onsite storage space for artworks, secure art storage bays are available for order. Electrical Outlets The standard participation package does not include any electrical outlets. Electricity must be ordered. The outlets are positioned on the floor at your desired location. Please indicate clearly on your booth sketch exactly where you would like your electrical outlet(s) located. Repositioning onsite may be possible, however this will only be confirmed by the onsite electrical team during exhibitor move-in, and will be subject to an onsite relocation fee. For safety reasons, conduits must be ordered if the electrical outlets are installed outside the perimeter walls. If electricity is required in several locations in the booth, multiple electrical outlets must be ordered and indicated on your booth sketch. Exhibitors may charge up to 3 low-power mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops using a multiple adaptor. Items which must not be charged through a multiple adaptor or extension cord include large monitors, kettles, coffee machines and other high-power appliances, and onsite checks will be conducted by Show Management during exhibitor move-in and throughout the show. For clarity, all artworks requiring power need an individual socket with the appropriate wattage. The use of high-power appliances exceeding the electrical outlet capacity may result in power cuts to your booth and to neighboring exhibitors. If you are in any doubt, please refer to Show Management, which requires strict compliance with this regulation. A USD 5000 charge may be applied for continued offence onsite. Artworks Protruding into the Aisle Artworks may only be presented within the booth area. For safety reasons, artwork installed on booth walls which are facing the aisles cannot protrude more than 15 cm (5.9 in) into the aisles. Should you plan to install large works on exterior walls, it is mandatory to recess the wall so that the artwork does not protrude into the aisle. If you fail to comply with this regulation, Show Management reserves the right to either remove the artwork or recess the wall at the cost of the exhibitor. If you plan to protect your artwork on exterior walls with stanchions, the stanchions must be placed within the booth area, and the exterior wall must be recessed accordingly. Artworks Exceeding the Booth Wall Height The standard height of the booth wall is 3.54 m (11.61 ft). All exhibits or installations that exceed the standard height of the

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booth walls must be approved in writing by Show Management. Show Management retains sole and absolute discretion to withhold or grant such permission.

of the cost estimate. AAF disclaims all liability for damaged artwork, personal injury or otherwise, resulting from incorrect attachment or installation.

Artworks Involving Fire, Smoke, Dangerous or Flammable Materials

Suspending Artworks

Artworks involving fire, smoke, dangerous or flammable materials are strictly prohibited. All artworks are subject to the fire and safety regulations of the HKCEC venue. Gas-filled balloons, with the exception of helium filled balloons, are prohibited. Artworks featuring liquid require Show Management approval. Performance Any performances held inside the booth must not disturb the exhibitors in neighboring booths either visually, acoustically or spatially, and must be approved in writing by Show Management. Performances must not in any way impede the circulation of the visitors in the aisles. If you fail to comply with this regulation, Show Management reserves the right to stop the performance. Audio and Video Audio and video systems must be operated with a subdued volume at all times, as determined by Show Management at its reasonable discretion. Artworks Involving Light and Electricity The installation of certain artworks may entail special electrical requirements. These must be in compliance with the electrical safety requirements, and be brought to the attention of Show Management prior to exhibitor move-in for approval in writing, Light Installations (neon displays, LEDs, etc.) must not be placed on the external walls of the booth, to avoid interference with the presentation of neighboring booths. Neon Regulations Hong Kong Government Law states that neon on public display at the HKCEC venue requires special provisions. If you wish to show neon, you MUST notify Show Management of your intention to hang a neon display at the time you submit your booth sketch by detailing all information relating to the display. Neon displays should not be placed on the external walls of the booth, as all displays must be placed to avoid interference with the presentation of neighboring booths. (However, each individual case is subject to Show Management approval). Neon displays cannot be connected to the electrical supply through a standard plug and electrical outlet arrangement. The Neon Installation Package should be ordered. Heavy Artwork Installation Regulations Gallery & Project Manager must be informed in writing about heavy installations, i.e., over 30 kg (66.14 lbs) per 1 m wall panel, prior to exhibitor move-in, so that Show Management can propose reinforcement solutions. Such orders are implemented only after the exhibitor receives and approves a signed copy

Exhibitors may hang artworks within the booth area. Artworks can be attached directly from a rigging point, or on a truss depending on the location of the existing rigging points in the venue ceiling. Hanging artwork from rigging points must be approved by the HKCEC venue. Registered Structural Engineer (RSE) reports are required according to HKCEC safety regulations. Details of the artwork, such as its weight, material and hanging distance from the ground, must be sent to your Gallery & Project Manager in advance. Artworks suspended from the booth's fabric ceiling are subject to evaluation by Expomobilia and your Gallery & Project Manager. Artistic Content Exhibited There will be a considerable number of young people among the visitors so we ask exhibitors to ensure that the artworks on display will not be unduly shocking, disturbing or objectionable to the reasonable visitor. Exhibitors must familiarize themselves with the provisions in the Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance, Chapter 390 of the Laws of Hong Kong, in particular those which: - Prohibit the publication and possession of obscene articles. - Regulate the publication of indecent artictes. - Prohibit the public display of indecent objects. Exhibitors must ensure that their artworks on display are not in any way libelous or otherwise defamatory or discriminatory to any person. Exhibitors must familiarise themselves with the provisions of the Prevention of Child Pornography Ordinance Chapter 579 of the Laws of Hong Kong, and refrain from displaying any works which may constitute child pornography. Violations of the Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance or the Prevention of Child Pornography Ordinance constitute serious criminal offences hence may lead to criminal prosecutions. AAF does not permit the display of obscene, indecent, defamatory or discriminatory items and reserves the right to require their removal from the show. In any event, each exhibitor agrees to indemnify and keep indemnified Asian Art Fairs Ltd. against all loss, damage, expenses and costs (on a full indemnity basis with or without litigation) which may result from the adverse legal consequences of the display of any item by the exhibitors.

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Art| Basel in Hong Kong, 2017. Courtesy: Art|Basel.

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Carpet and

Chapter 4

1 Marron 1389 2 Orange 1370 3 Beige 1310 4 Pamplemousse 1360 5 Turquois 1335 6 Emeraude 1366 7 Anis 1323 8 Bleu Adm 1390 9 Parme 1391 10 Bleu CI 1969 Bleu CI Art|Basel 1969 laminate11palette. Hong 12 Bleu Roi 1349 13 Bleu Fon 1380 14 Violet 139 15 Rouge 1964

35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm Kong, 2017. 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Fuchsia 1340 Cerise 1375 Corail 1984 Gris Fonce 1896 Gris CIair 1893 Noir 1961 Gris Moyen 1897 EPL018 La Mancha Oak EPL116 Natural Bayford Oak EPL030 Grey Inverey Pine EPL117 Tabacco Bayford Oak EPL103 Hamilton Oak ELP107 Cream Hamilton Oak ELP006 Gray Wighton Concrete ELP119 White Raydon Oak

35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 35 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm 97.50 USD/sqm

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1 Marron 1389

35 USD/sqm

16 Fuchsia 1340

35 USD/sqm

2 Orange 1370

35 USD/sqm

17 Cerise 1375

35 USD/sqm

3 Beige 1310

35 USD/sqm

18 Corail 1984

35 USD/sqm

4 Pamplemousse 1360

35 USD/sqm

19 Gris Fonce 1896

35 USD/sqm

5 Turquois 1335

35 USD/sqm

20 Gris CIair 1893

35 USD/sqm

6 Emeraude 1366

35 USD/sqm

21 Noir 1961

35 USD/sqm

7 Anis 1323

35 USD/sqm

22 Gris Moyen 1897

35 USD/sqm

8 Bleu Adm 1390

35 USD/sqm

23 EPL018 La Mancha Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

9 Parme 1391

35 USD/sqm

24 EPL116 Natural Bayford Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

10 Bleu CI 1969

35 USD/sqm

25 EPL030 Grey Inverey Pine

97.50 USD/sqm

11 Bleu CI 1969

35 USD/sqm

26 EPL117 Tabacco Bayford Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

12 Bleu Roi 1349

35 USD/sqm

27 EPL103 Hamilton Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

13 Bleu Fon 1380

35 USD/sqm

28 ELP107 Cream Hamilton Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

14 Violet 139

35 USD/sqm

29 ELP006 Gray Wighton Concrete

97.50 USD/sqm

15 Rouge 1964

35 USD/sqm

30 ELP119 White Raydon Oak

97.50 USD/sqm

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Frieze London

Regent's Park, London.

179

Participation Package Frieze London and New York 180

Chapter 4

Participation Package Frieze London and New York

2 4 2 4

12’

1 1 3

1. Partitions

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 30% of booth area)

2. Lighting

1 Floodlight per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls

3. Floor

1. Partitions

4. Sign

The show’s overall flooring style is grey carpet.

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 30% of booth area) Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form.

2. Lighting

The number ofper signs2islinear-meters based on the configuration of theperimeter booths wallswalls and location. 1 Floodlight of package

3. Floor 5. WiFi

The show’sbooth overall Dedicated WiFi.flooring style is grey carpet.

4. Sign

5. WiFi

Dedicated booth WiFi.

Additional booth sign is available on request.

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Frieze London

Stand installation special requirements

Oversized artworks

To ensure that you have a great experience and that your stand presentation looks its best, please make sure that you are in touch with us about:

- floor pieces heavier than 350kg per floor metre;

Due to the new entrances design at the fair this year, please let us know if you intend on bringing any artworks or shipping crates larger than 1.8 metres wide by 2 metres tall, by 2 September. We will review the information provided so that we are able to arrange the most appropriate delivery/ pick-up route for you. If we have not received confirmation of large and heavy works by the above dates, we may not be able to accommodate their delivery or installation.

- hanging objects;

Insurance

- any paint or wallpaper you wish to install yourself.

You are reminded that you must carry adequate insurance during the fair as per the Exhibition Termsand Conditions which were listed on the application system and printed on the completed Exhibitor Application form. Whilst we take every precaution to protect Exhibitor’s property during the Event, we are not responsible for any loss, consequential loss or damage to such property whilst at the exhibition.

- wall-mounted objects heavier than 30kg per wall metre or cantilevered wall-mounted objects;

We would also like to remind you to please take note of the following guidelines: - Keep your desks and chairs tidy at all times. Do not leave boxes, artworks or other items in piles on the floor, or leaning against walls. - Artworks should not be stored behind curtains on your stand. - The space available behind walls in certain areas of the fair is not fit to serve as storage. Items left there may be removed by contractors. - Storage cupboard doors should open towards the stand and not to the corridors. - If choosing a custom colour for your outside walls, be considerate of your neighbours. - Artworks should not be hung on any wall that is a fire exit wall. - Artworks should not be hung on any wall leading to a toilet. - Artworks should remain within the limits of the stand and cannot expand across corridors. - Artworks should be labelled with the artist’s name. - Neons must be hung at least two metres from the ground when installed on a wall facing a corridor. - If your stand faces a square or is on a corner and you choose to build additional walls on the perimeter of your stand, the total length of these extra walls should not exceed 50% of the additional perimeter space available.

Each Exhibitor must have in place for the duration of the Event (including set-up and dismantling) Public Liability Insurance of at least £2,000,000 per occurrence insuring Exhibitor’s legal liabilities in respectof bodily injury to third parties and loss or damage to property belonging to third parties.

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Frieze New York

Randall's Island, 10035, New York City.

183

Participation Package Frieze London and New York 184

Chapter 4

Participation Package Frieze London and New York

2 4 2 4

12’

1 1 3

1. Partitions

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 30% of booth area)

2. Lighting

1 Floodlight per 2 linear-meters of package perimeter walls

3. Floor

1. Partitions

4. Sign

The show’s overall flooring style is grey carpet.

Perimeter walls, painted in white ( running length = 30% of booth area) Booth signs are produced according to the info provided on the application form.

2. Lighting

The number ofper signs2islinear-meters based on the configuration of theperimeter booths wallswalls and location. 1 Floodlight of package

3. Floor 5. WiFi

The show’sbooth overall Dedicated WiFi.flooring style is grey carpet.

4. Sign

5. WiFi

Dedicated booth WiFi.

Additional booth sign is available on request.

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Frieze New York

Stand installation special requirements

Oversized artworks

To ensure that you have a great experience and that your stand presentation looks its best, please make sure that you are in touch with us about:

- floor pieces heavier than 350kg per floor metre;

- hanging objects;

Insurance

- any paint or wallpaper you wish to install yourself.

You are reminded that you must carry adequate insurance during the fair as per the Exhibition Termsand Conditions which were listed on the application system and printed on the completed Exhibitor Application form. Whilst we take every precaution to protect Exhibitorâ€™s property during the Event, we are not responsible for any loss, consequential loss or damage to such property whilst at the exhibition.

- wall-mounted objects heavier than 30kg per wall metre or cantilevered wall-mounted objects;

We would also like to remind you to please take note of the following guidelines: - Keep your desks and chairs tidy at all times. Do not leave boxes, artworks or other items in piles on the floor, or leaning against walls. - Artworks should not be stored behind curtains on your stand. - The space available behind walls in certain areas of the fair is not fit to serve as storage. Items left there may be removed by contractors. - Storage cupboard doors should open towards the stand and not to the corridors. - If choosing a custom colour for your outside walls, be considerate of your neighbours. - Artworks should not be hung on any wall that is a fire exit wall. - Artworks should not be hung on any wall leading to a toilet. - Artworks should remain within the limits of the stand and cannot expand across corridors. - Artworks should be labelled with the artistâ€™s name. - Neons must be hung at least two metres from the ground when installed on a wall facing a corridor. - If your stand faces a square or is on a corner and you choose to build additional walls on the perimeter of your stand, the total length of these extra walls should not exceed 50% of the additional perimeter space available.

Each Exhibitor must have in place for the duration of the Event (including set-up and dismantling) Public Liability Insurance of at least $2,000,000 per occurrence insuring Exhibitorâ€™s legal liabilities in respectof bodily injury to third parties and loss or damage to property belonging to third parties.

186

Fiac Paris

Grand Palais. Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008, Paris.

187

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Participation Package Fiac Paris

20 cm

One 70 W HQI track-mounted spotlight per 5m²

20 cm

One 70 W HQI track-mounted spotlight per 5m²

350 cm

6 3 6 3

Reach of the board without any post: 6 m maximum Reach of the board without any post: 6 m maximum

1. Partitions

Three dividing partitions, painted white (height 3.50 m, width 5.2 cm)

2. Lighting

One 70 W HQI track-mounted spotlight per 5m²

1. Partitions 2. Lighting 3. Floor 3. Floor 4. Sign

5. Fascia board

4. Sign

5. Fascia board

Three dividing partitions, painted white (height 3.50 m, width 5.2 cm)

Onegrey 70carpeting W HQIortrack-mounted spotlight per 5m² Nave: raw concrete South and South-West Galleries: grey carpeting Salon d’honneur South-East wooden flooring only Nave: grey and carpeting orGallery: raw concrete

and Galleries: grey carpeting 1 South to 3 signs (60 xSouth-West 40 cm) according to your booth location featuring the name of the gallery, the city the number of your exhibition spaceflooring Salon d’honneur andand South-East Gallery: wooden

only

Situated at 3.50 m (height 20 cm x 52 mm) on the front, the sides and 1 inside to 3 signs x according 40 cm) according tomap. your booth location the of your (60 booth to your lighting

featuring the name of the gallery, the city and the number of your exhibition space Situated at 3.50 m (height 20 cm x 52 mm) on the front, the sides and the inside of your booth according to your lighting map.

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Heavy artworks It is possible to hang an artwork with a 50kg / linear meter maximum weight. If the wall is reinforced, it will carry up to 150 kg / linear meter. Please contact the Technical service if you want to reinforce a wall. Any pinpoint load is totally prohibited; loading has to be equally spread on a load distribution plate, based on metallic joist (distance between each joist: 0.70 m involving a minimum dimension of the load distribution plate of 1.40 m). Floor loading - Nave: floor loading is 800 kg / m2. Depending on the area, it can vary between 800 kg and 1330 kg / m2. - Upper Galleries: floor loading is 500 kg /m2 uniformly distributed. - Salon d’honneur: floor loading is 750 kg /m2 uniformly distributed. Furniture All furniture present in the booth of galleries exhibiting in the Alley H (South-West Gallery) must be classified M1; i.e. furniture must be made of materials which are non-inflammable, or which present a very high resistance to fire. Fabric, mousse and foam stuffing are prohibited. Wood must be M1. It is preferable to use metal furniture. Plinths and pedestals must be made of metal or M1 agglomerate. Partitions Height 3.50 m (available width: 1 m, 0.5 m, 0.25 m), thickness 52 mm. Material Wooden structure, with 2 faces in MDF 8 mm, painted white. Baseboards (10 cm high, 8 mm thickness). Reinforcement Advice & quotes available from the Technical service. Painting Please indicate to the Technical service the Pantone or RAL reference of your choice. Painting by the gallery is not allowed. The standard height of the partitions is 3.50m. Please inform the Exhibitor Relations service if any of your artworks exceed this height. Artworks may only be presented within your designated exhibition space. For security reasons, artworks installed on the walls facing the aisles alongside your exhibition space cannot protrude more than 10 cm into the aisles. Should you plan to install large works on exterior walls, you must recess the wall so that the artwork does not protrude into the aisle. Boards and posts Boards: white aluminum structure (height 20 cm x 52 mm), situated at 3.50 m from the floor on the front, the sides and the inside of thebooth according to the lighting map. In order to support the boards and stabilise the structure, posts

(3.50 m height in white aluminum covered by a casing in white chipboard (75 mm x 75 mm)) are positioned every 6 meters in your exhibition space. It is however possible to replace the posts by ordering additional dividing walls. Technical service is available to offer advice. Lighting It’s recommended placing the track-mounted spotlights 1.5 m away from the partitions. Track lighting spots cannot be positioned on exterior walls (aisle walls). Stem-mounted spotlight must be used for exterior walls. Important: galleries using their own electrical material must order an electrical box to the Technical service. Price on request (depending on electricity consumption). An electrician will stop once by each Exhibition Space to check the lighting. Signs Sign (60 x 40 cm) feature the name of the gallery, the city and the number of your exhibition space. Allowance : 2 signs (1 face / sign).You may order one additional sign. Exceptions: - Nave under balconies: 1 sign (2 faces). -Corner exhibition space: 2 signs (1 face/sign) and 1 sign (2 faces). Safety Regulations The Grand Palais was built in 1900 and is classified as a historic monument. It is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and is in a sought-after location in the heart of Paris. Considered as a masterpiece of the early 20th century and an achievement of great technical prowess, its architecture imposes the respect of certain rules. Please take note of the following instructions. All displays must comply with the regulations issued by the Prefecture as well as the legislation currently in force. If you have any questions, please contact the organising team. When the safety commission visits the site, any exhibition spaces containing non-compliant installations will immediately be closed by the commission. The gallery manager must be present during the commission’s visit – the exact timing of which will be advised at a later date. Prevention against fire Any artwork that might be deemed a fire risk must be submitted to the organiser for authorisation for exhibition at least 30 days prior to the start of the fair: This concerns any artwork: - Containing a flammable or toxic gas (such as acetylene, oxygen, hydrogen, etc.). - Made of natural flammable materials (e.g. celluloid). The

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calorific potential must be low, with a maximum of 5MW. - Containing light(s), audio, and/or connected to an electrical source, especially neon light(s). - For non-resinous solid wood: if ≤ 18 mm, classified M3. - The presence of pyrotechnics or explosives, generators of sound detonations, sparks, and flames. - The presence of flammable liquids (such as diethyl ether, carbon disulphide, sulphuric ether, acetone, etc.) General provisions: - Any artwork which may pose a risk must be placed near to the ground. For artworks attached to partition walls, these must be placed at a height greater than 50cm from the top of the walls. - These artworks must also be kept at a distance from the pillars in the Grand Palais, as they are at high risk from fire. Fire prevention: - Emergency procedures and access must be visible and accessible at all times. - If there is a fire hose cabinet in the exhibition space, access to this must be kept clear at all times, with a 1m wide passageway from the aisle. - Ergency signs must be visible at all times. In the case of a fire, please immediately advise the Exhibitor Desk and alert the fire service by calling 18. Physical protection of the public The artworks must not: - Impede the public’s circulation; - Endanger the public; - Move. If this is the case, please allow for a distance of at least one metre; - Have a heated surface without an appropriate protection system; - Have any sharp edges or projections; - Be unstable, or at risk of falling on the public; - Present a raised or protruding surface (relief) when bordering the aisle. Moral protection of the public FIAC is open to the public of all ages. Article 227-24 of the new French penal code specifies that the “manufacture, transport, distribution by whatever means and however supported, of a message bearing a pornographic or violent character or a character seriously violating human dignity [is prohibited] [...] where the message may be seen or perceived by a minor.” Inspectors will check wall hangings daily and have the right to demand that these be taken down.

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Booth Atmospheres

192

Art|Basel Basel

Alfonso Artiaco booth at Art|Basel Basel 2017, plan. ÂŠ Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco.

4.00m

Rigging Point Artwork

Suspension

Electricity

Standard light 75 Watt, HQI

W W

4.00m 3.50m

1.60m

W W W

W W

2.50m W

W W

A10 Alfonso Artiaco W

3.03m

5.50m

2.50m W

3.57m 1.07m

W W

5.64m

193

5.74m W

15.50m 1.50m

87.41mÂ²

194

Alfonso Artiaco booth at Art|Basel Basel 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

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195

196

Art|Basel Basel, 2017. Courtesy: Alfonso Artiaco.

Chapter 5

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197

Additional light(s)

CHF

Light: 75 watt HQI (per item)

320

Walls and Doors

CHF

Additional wall element (per meter)

530

Additional wall element (per 0.5 meter)

Suspention wires for stabilizing walls

260

Custom made wall

according to cost estimate

Damaged wall element

1000

Door element (per item)

650

Key deposit (refundable / per key)

Reinforcement (per running meter)

530

Vinyl Flooring

CHF

Deluxe White 501, including (de-)installation and covering (per square meter)

Standard electrical outlet

CHF

1 socket type 13 - 10A; 230V; 2.3kW

315

Curtain

CHF

Curtain with header (per running meter / white)

350

Ceiling (including labor, transport and basic framework)

CHF

Scrim ceiling (per square meter / black or white)

Scrim ceiling over 100sqm (black or white)

according to cost estimate

Additional beam for lighting (per meter)

Pricing list. Art|Basel Basel, 2017.

198

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Hall 1

D10

C1 D7

D11

D13

D14 E2

E12

E13

E10

E14

E11

E15

F10

F11 F12

D15 D12

B10

G10

B11

G11

B12

G12

B13

G13

B14

G14

B15

G15

B16

G16

H11

F13

D16

F14

C C4

Hall 1 C5

A C6

Galleries

Hatje Cantz

A9 A13

Hall Manager Art Basel Books

The Art Loss Register

A7 A12

A10

Edition

J J7

H A11

Taschen Books

Feature

UBS Welcome Desk

VIP Desk

Concierge Miami Tourism

Basel Museums

Parcours & Film

Basel Tourism

Art Basel Books

Statements

H1 H2

J10 H6

H12

J11

H13

H4 H10

Magazines

H14

J12

Exploring Fairland

M25

199

M26

M1 M5 M2

M10

M14

M17

M21

M11

M15

M18

M22

N1 N2

M12

M16

M19

M23

M20

M24

M13

M4 i8

N11

N12

N13

N15

L16

P13

P10

P14

P11

P15

P12

N16 N17

M L6

N18

L9 L3 L10

L12 Hall 1

L13

L19

L20

L21

T7 R18 R19

R17

L25

T R16

R10 R20

S K15

K19

K12

K16

K20

K10

K13

K17

K21

K11

K14

K18

K22

Collectors Lounge

S13

S20

S10

S14

S17

S11

S15

S18

S12

S16

S19

S21

S23 S3

K23

Edition

Feature

K24

K25

T10

S22

Galleries

R15

R11

L23

Hall 2.2 Terrace | MGM Resorts Art & Culture | Davidoff Cigar Lounge

L22

L24

P19

R14

L15

R13

L14

P18

R12 L18

L L11

P17

L17

P16 Sies +

P20

N14

M8 M9

N10

K26

Statements

Magazines

S24

T11

T12

200

Chapter 5

# 303 Gallery | L21 47 Canal | N6

Buchholz | R4 Buchmann | B6 Bureau | T8

Exhibitors List. Art|Basel Basel, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

O Nathalie Obadia | K18 OMR | R17

201

Chapter 5 202

U42

U45

U43

U47

U38

U52

U37

U53

U51

U33

U34

U36

U54

U55

U57

U32

U56

U30

U31

U35

U22

U58

U23

U60

U59

U29

U61

U28

U25

U24

U21

U63

U27

U62

U17

U18

U65

U67

U16

U69

U13

U70

U15

U14

U71

U11

U10

U12

U72

U73

U74

U76

Coat & Bag Check on Level 2

U75

Conversations

U26

U19

U20

U64

U66

U68

Guided Tours

U39

U50

Tickets

Magazines

Unlimited

U41

U44

U49

Magazines Hiltl

Auditorium:

Stampa

Zucker Art Books

UBS Planet Art Lounge

U40

U46

U48

Hall 2

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203

MAGAZINES Apollo Magazine Art in America ArtAsiaPacific Arte Artforum ARTnews ArtNexus ArtReview Beaux Arts Magazine Canvas Cura Flash Art frieze

Kaleidoscope Kunstbulletin Le Journal des Arts Leap L’oeil Monopol Mousse Magazine Spike Art Quarterly springerin Texte zur Kunst The Art Newspaper Collective Booth

Exhibitors List. Art|Basel Basel, 2017.

204

Art|Basel Miami Beach

Lia Rumma booth at Art|Basel Miami Beach 2017, plan. ÂŠ Courtesy of Lia Rumma.

TRUSS 6M

205

TRUSS 6M

11.00m

F2 Lia Rumma

96.25mÂ²

4.20m

TRUSS 6M

8.75m

0.50m

2.00m

5.36m

W W

3.68m

3.60m

TRUSS 6M

2.00m

2.01m

3.68m

BM 1602, gunmetal 3.00m

2.04m

F1 Franklin Parrasch

ceiling white

truss for light

color

spotlight

extension bar

electricity

long distance wall washer

colored ceiling

wall washer

W ceiling white

W W

206

Lia Rumma booth at Art|Basel Miami Beach 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

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208

Chapter 5

Participation

USD

Galleries, Edition and Survey sectors (per square meter)

840

Outside wall surfaces allocated to thebooth (per running meter)

520

Nova sector (flat rate) These rate include taxes.

21,500

Positions sector (flat rate). These rate include taxes.

10,000

Painting

USD

Two coats (incl. removal/per running meter)

200

Three or more coats

according to actual cost

Walls and Doors

USD

Additional wall element (per meter)

520

Wall repair

according to cost estimate

Suspention wires for stabilizing walls

Custom made wall

according to cost estimate

Damaged wall element

1,100

Door element (per item)

650

Key deposit (refundable / per key)

100

Reinforcement (per running meter)

500

Flooring

USD

Standard grey carpet (per square meter)

Special orders and particular installation needs

according to cost estimate

Standard electrical outlet

USD

1 socket type 13 - 10A; 230V; 2.3kW

315

Ceiling (including labor, transport and basic framework)

USD

Scrim ceiling (per square meter / black or white)

120

Scrim ceiling over 100sqm (black or white)

according to cost estimate

Additional beam for lighting (per meter)

Price List. Art|Basel Miami Beach.

Exploring Fairland

209

Additional light(s)

USD

Spotlight (per item)

350

Wall washer (per item)

350

Special lighting

according to cost estimate

Extension bar (per item)

250

Empty crates (left after move-out)

USD

Empties (per cubic foot)

Special Orders

USD

Additional truss per piece (3 meters)

520

Extension bars for lights per piece

250

Curtain

USD

Curtain with header (per running meter / white)

350

Edition

Nova

Positions

Survey

UBS Lounge

VIP Lounges

P10

P11

P12

P14

P13

VIP

Kabinet

C10

G10

WEST

Magazines

D12

F10

H10

H11

H12

G17

H13

C12

C11

G11

H14

F16

H16

C14

D10

C13

G13

G12

C16

D11

C15

F12

F11

C18

D13

G15

G14

C19

D14

C17

G16

A10

B10

D15

B11

C21

C20

D17

A11

E10

F15

F14

D16

F13

G19

G18

B13

B12

C23

C22

D19

D18

G21

G20

H15

A12

D20

F17

B14

C25

C24

G22

D21

A13

B15

C27

C26

F18

D22

G23

H17

C I5

EAST

VIP

EAST

VIP

F19

F20

G24

H19

H18

B16

C29

C28

D23

Magazines

A14

E11

E12

G25

G26

H21

H20

B17

B18

C31

C30

D25

D24

F21

F22

B19

B20

C33

C32

D27

D26

E13

E14

F23

N16

N29

N21

B21

B22

C35

C34

D28

G29

A16

N17

N19

N20

F24

G28

N18

A15

G27

I10

S10

S11

S12

S13

S14

S15

S16

D29

E15

E16

F25

F26

G30

N15

N22

N28

N23

D30

D31

E17

F27

F28

N14

N27

N24

N13

N26

N25

N12

N11

N10

VIP CAR

210 Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

211

Exhibitors List. Art|Basel Miami Beach, 2017.

212

Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

213

Art|Basel Miami Beach, 2017. Courtesy: Massimo De Carlo, Milan/London/Hong Kong Photo credit: Andrea Rossetti

214

Art|Basel Hong Kong

Lia Rumma booth at Art|Basel Hong Kong 2017, plan. Â© Courtesy of Lia Rumma.

215

12.68m

1D16 Lia Rumma 69.74mÂ² W W

4.24m

W electricity

W wall washer

3.54m

5.50m

216

Lia Rumma booth at Art|Basel Hong Kong 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

217

218

Chapter 5

Late order fee

USD

Orders after November 28, 2017

1200

Walls and Doors

USD

Additional wall element (per meter)

510

Additional wall element (per 0.5 meter)

390

Additional wall element with trap doors (necessary under smoke curtain)

1100

Custom made wall

according to cost estimate

Damaged wall element

1100

Door element (per item)

580

Key deposit (refundable / per key)

100

Reinforcement (per running meter)

450

Carpentry

USD

Pedestals

special construction

Stanchions (per pair incl. white string up to 2m span)

100

Stanchion deposit (refundable / per pair)

100

Additional white string for stanchions (per 2m)

Wooden shelves (per meter / white)

special construction

Curtain

USD

Curtain with header (per running meter / white)

330

Ceiling (including labor, transport and basic framework)

USD

Scrim ceiling (per square meter / black or white)

Scrim ceiling over 100sqm (black or white)

according to cost estimate

Additional beam for lighting (per meter)

Price List. Art|Basel Hong Kong, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

219

Electrical Outlets

USD

500w Socket – 13Amp

165

500w Socket – 13Amp, 24 hours

290

1000w Socket – 15Amp

197

Conduit (per meter)

*A standard 13Amp 500w socket is sufficient for small electric appliances, such as mobile devices, laptops and printers. All artworks requring power need an individual socket with appropriate wattage. If electricity is required in several locations in the booth, multiple electrical outlets must be ordered and indicated on booth sketch. Multiple adaptors and extension cords must not be used for large monitors, kettles, coffee machines or other high-power appliances. Show Management requires strict compliance with this regulation.

Flooring

USD

Revexpo (per square meter), including edging and daily cleaning service

Approx. 35

Vinyl (per square meter), including edging and daily cleaning service

Approx. 60

Laminate (per square meter), including edging and daily cleaning service

Approx. 97.5

Painting

USD

Colored walls (per running meter)

195

Lighting

USD

Additional wall washer fixed by gooseneck arm

315

(per item / white light) Wall washer on track under ceiling (per item / white light)

395

Spotlight fixed by gooseneck arm (per item / white light)

315

Spotlight on truss (per item / white light)

385

Spotlight on track under ceiling (per item / white light)

395

Black 35w spotlight on track under ceiling (per item / white light)

295

Spotlight with wall washer lens on truss (per item / white light)

385

300w floodlight on truss (per item / yellow light)

255

220

Chapter 5

Neon Installation Package

USD

Electrical connection and fitting by registered neon light installer, and

495

regulation-compliant measures incl. Firemanâ€˜s Emergency Switch and fire extinguisher *materials including transformer and 'do not touchâ€˜ sign provided by the exhibitor Neon protection (bespoke Perspex cover)

according to cost estimate

Rigging and Truss

USD

Rigging point (each point holds up to 900kg), including labor and transport

330

Aluminium lighting truss 280 x 280mm (priced per meter), including labor and

115

transport Motorized chain hoist (per hoist, each carries 0.5 ton)

300

Manual chain hoist (per hoist, each carries 0.5 ton)

250

Aircraft cable (for suspending artwork from a truss)

165

Registered Structural Engineer Report (RSE Report) with calculations

300

(RSE report must be provided for any hanging objects in the venue to ensure their safety standard)

Heavy machinery and labor for object installation, price per hour

USD

Forklift Type 1 (carries up to 2,500 kg), ordered pre-site

340

Forklift Type 2 (carries up to 5,000 kg), ordered pre-site

580

Scissorlift (carries up to 230 kg), ordered pre-site

340

Empty crates (left after move-out)

USD

Empty crates (per cubic meter)

282

Booth Sign

USD

Additional booth sign (per item)

234

Price List. Art|Basel Hong Kong, 2017.

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221

Art|Basel Hong Kong, 2017 Courtesy: Lia Rumma Gallery

Galleries

Art|Basel Hong Kong, 2017.

Insights

Discoveries

Auditorium

UBS Junior Art Hub

E17

1B10

1B19

1B20

1B31 STPI

1B01

1B09

1B11

1B18

1B03

Magazines

1B02

1B12

1B17

1B06

1B13

1B16

1B24

1B23

1B22

1B21

1B28

1B07

1B34

1B29

1B08

1B33

1B30

1B32

1B04

1B27

1B26

1B05

1B14

1B15

1B25

1B35

1C42

1C01

1C11

1C12

1C22

1C23

1C41

1C43

Dane

1C02

1C10

1C13

1C25

Encounters School Tours

1C09

1C14

1C20

1C04

1C35

1C48

1C26

1C36

1C47

1C03

1C37

1C46

1C38

1C21

1C24

1C39

1C45

Media Partners

1C40

1C44

1C49

1C08

1C15

1C19

1C27

1C34

1C50

VIP

1C33

1C16

1C32

1C51

1C17

1C30

1C53

1C05

1C07

1C18

1C28

1C31

1C52

1C06

1C29

1C54

1C55

1D01

1D38

1D02

1D12

1D13

1D24

1D25

1D37

1D39

Bookstores

1D11

1D14

1D23

1D26

1D36

VIP

1D03

1D10

1D15

1D22

1D27

1D35

VIP Welcome

1D04

1D40

1D09

1D16

1D21

1D28

1D34

1D05

1D08

1D17

1D06

1D32

1D42

1D29

1D20

1D33

1D41

1D07

1D18

1D19

1D30

1D31

1D43

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Kabinett

Galleries

Insights

Discoveries

3C01

3C11

3C12

3C23

3C24

3C35

3C36

3C37

3C10

3C13

3C21

3C25

3C34

3C38

3C02

3C09

3C14

3C20

3C26

3C33

3C39

3C03

3C08

3C15

3C19

3C27

3C32

3C40

3C04

3C07

3C16

3C18

3C28

3C31

3C05

3C06

3C17

3C29

3C30

3C41

VIP

E10

E11

E12

3D48

3D01

3D09

3D10

3D19

3D20

3D33

3D47 3D45

3D18

3D02

3D08

3D22

3D31

3D11

3D21

3D34

3D46

3D37

3D03

3D07

3D12

3D17

3D23

3D30

3D36

3D44

3D06

3D13

3D16

3D24

3D29

3D38

3D04

3D43

3D05

3D14

3D15

3D25

3D28

3D39

3D42

VIP

3D26

3D27

3D41

3E01

3D40

E13

E14

E15

E16

3E02

3E08

3E09

3E10

3E16

3E17

3E15

3E07

3E11

3E18

Cafe East

3E03

3E19

3E04

3E05

3E06

3E12

3E13

3E14

UBS VIP Lounge

VIP Lounges

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Encounters

Kabinett

224

Chapter 5

Exhibitors List. Art|Basel Hong Kong, 2017.

J Bernard Jacobson | 3E19 Jensen | 3C34 Jhaveri | 1C47 Annely Juda | 3E02

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225

226

Frieze London

Massimo De Carlo booth at Frieze London 2017, plan. ÂŠ Courtesy of Massimo De Carlo.

extension bar

HEB 200

Electricity

Standard light 75 Watt, HQI

Truss

0.2m

W W

2.00m

10.675m

2.00m

227

7.00m

0.375m

228

Massimo De Carlo booth at Frieze London 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

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230

Chapter 5

Walls and Doors

GBP

One-metre wall panel 50mm thick (3500 × 1000 × 50mm)

220

Half-metre wall panel 50mm thick (3500 × 500 × 50mm)

166

One-metre wall panel 400mm thick (3500 × 1000 × 400mm)

410

Half-metre wall panel 400mm thick (400mm x 500mm x 3500mm)

333.50

Lockable door set into full height one-metre wall panel

307

Header panel (h:1200mm × w:1000mm or h:600mm x w:1000mm)

111

Reinforcement (per running meter)

450

Carpentry

GBP

Basic shelf with brackets (per linear metre)

52.25

Floating shelf with brackets (per linear metre)

130

Curtain

GBP

White curtain on track (h:2000mm x w:1000mm) attached to 1500mm header panel

244

Ceiling (including labor, transport and basic framework)

GBP

Blackout ceiling per m2 up to 25m2 then + 25%

32.50

White Muslin Ceiling per m2 up to 25m2 then + 25%

Coloured Muslin Ceiling per m2 up to 25m2 then + 25%

18.50

Rigging and Truss

GBP

Truss per linear metre

22.40

T-Branch Section

4-Way Cross Section

Price List. Frieze London, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

231

Painting

GBP

Painted Walls per wall panel

138

Lighting

GBP

Floodlight

197

Spotlight

187

Extension Arm (1 metre long)

Electrical Outlets

GBP

Standard wall socket (240V single phase 13amp, centred in a one-metre wall panel 20cm from ground)

122

Custom wall socket (240V single phase 13amp, location in panel to be determined by exhibitor)

162

Standard floor socket (240V single phase 13amp, sits 30mm proud of floor)

122

Recessed floor socket (240V single phase 13amp)

245

Firemans Switch Acorn ÂŁ163.00

163

N N

No smoking

232

o ks

Exploring Fairland

Main Section #

303 Gallery | F4

A Gentil Carioca | A14 Miguel Abreu Gallery | F1 Allied Editions | B21 The Approach | C11

Thomas Dane Gallery | E4 Massimo De Carlo | A8

Galerie Eigen + Art+| A11

Taka Ishii Gallery | C7

Alison Jacques Gallery | B8 Galerie Martin Janda | G15

Simon Lee Gallery | e6 Lehmann Maupin | A3 Lisson Gallery | B5

Taro Nasu | A16 Galleria Franco Noero | D17 David Nolan Gallery | D15 Galerie Nordenhake | B10

Galleria Lorcan O’Neill | G23 Office Baroque | G12 Galería OMR | A18

233

T293 | A15 Timothy Taylor | B16 The Third Line | G4 Travesía Cuatro | G25

Vermelho | G14

W Fons Welters | G22 Michael Werner | A7 White Cube | D8 Barbara Wein | G13 Z

Zeno X Gallery | F7 David Zwirner | B3

Live Bosse & Baum Candida Powell-Williams The Commercial Agatha Gothe-Snape Project 88 Neha Choksie Southfirst Mark Fell

Exhibitors List. Frieze London, 2017.

234

Chapter 5

Exhibitors List. Frieze London, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

235

Frieze London 2017 Courtesy: Massimo De Carlo, Milan/London/Hong Kong Photo credti: Todd-White Art Photography

236

Frieze New York

Alfonso Artiaco booth at Frieze New York 2017, plan. ÂŠ Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco.

237

Frieze New Yor Alfonso Artiac

1:1

7.00m

7.05m

0.3m

6.45m

0.3m

238

Alfonso Artiaco booth at Frieze New York 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

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239

A1 0

B1 0

A1 1

B1 2

B1 1

C1 2

A1 2

C1 1

A1 3 A1 4

C1 C1 4

Re a Ro din om g **

2 4

5 6

A1 7

0 2

B3 5

1 3

M2 H1

C3 C2

SH IP OFFPERS ICE â€™

JU PR ICE ES S

M3 M4 M5 M11

Reading Room**

B50

B49

A22

B48

C39

C41

D28

D29

D30

D31

A 23

B52

A 24

A 25

B54 B53

B51

A 26

B55

A 27

D33

Juice Press

A 28

A 29

B60

A30

B57 B59 B61

C49 C51

D35 C53

D34 C50 C52

D32 C48

B58

B56

C42 C44 C46 C40 C47 C43 C45

D27

A31

B62

M6 M7 M8 M10 M9

B63

A32

A34

C59

B66

B67

INFO DESK

ARTBOO & KOE K BOOKSNIG

D 39 D 40 D 41

C58

B65

A33

C56 C 57 C55

B64

C54

D36 D 37 D38

240 Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

# A

303 Gallery C58 Miguel Abreu Gallery | C5 Acquavella Galleries | C39

The Third Line | B9 Travesía Cuatro | B16

Karma | D38

Peter Blum Gallry | C25

Paul Kasmin Gallery | c17

Blum & Poe | C59

Sean Kelly Gallery | B63

Boers-Li Gallery | C21

Anton Kern Gallery | B2

Tanya bonakdar Gallery | C19

Galerie Peter Kilchmann | A32

The Box | A34

Tina Kim Gallery | C29

The Breeder | C33

David Kordansky Gallery | B3

W White Cube | C54

Gavin Brown’s enterprise | B36

Andrew Kreps Gallery | B65

Buchholz | B44

Kukje Gallery | C29

Shane Campbell Gallery | B67

Castelli Gallery | C43

M Matthew Marks Gallery | B47 The Mayor Gallery | B59 Galerie Greta Meert | B15 Mendes Wood DM | C4

Chi-Wen Gallery | A6

Victoria Miro | B6

Galleria Continua | B41

Mitchell-Innes & Nash | B64

Alan Cristea Gallery | B46 Galerie Chantal Crousel | B18 N

dépendance | D24 O

P·P·O·W | C1

Peres Projects | A17 Perrotin | C24

Foxy Production | C56

PKM Gallery | B14

Fredericks & Freiser | B5

Simon Preston Gallery | D39

Stephen Friedman Gallery | b13

Project 88 | A8

Frith Street Gallery | A33 R

Goodman Gallery | b4 Marian Goodman Gallery | C8 Alexander Gray Associates | D41 S

Focus

Frutta | D16

Instituto de Visión | A21

Franklin Parrasch Gallery | c40

Marc Foxx Gallery | B66

Gallery Hyundai | C6

White Columns | B42

Galleria Lorcan O’ Neill | A3

Parra & Romero | A9

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel | C18

Xavier Hufkens | C27

SculptureCenter | B40

James Fuentes | A4

Maureen Paley | C35

Foksal Gallery Foundation | C57

Herald St | D20

Judd Foundation | B39

David Nolan Gallery | A31

Pace | C3

Henrique Faria | B10

Hauser & Wirth | B7

Non-Profits

Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde | D11

Overduin & Co. | D1

Eykyn Maclean | C47

Grimm | D14

Zeno X Gallery | B43 David Zwirner | C53

A Gentil Carioca | D3

October Gallery | A12

Derek Eller Gallery | C26

Gagosian Gallery | B61

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects | A11

Taro Nasu | C20

Galerie Nathalie Obadia | C15

galerie frank elbaz | B12

Entwistle | B54

Axel Vervoordt Gallery | B55

The Modern Institute | C28

Nature Morte | D10

Elizabeth Dee | B45

Donald Ellis Gallery | B51

Vermelho | A10

Galerie Meyer Oceanic Art | C51

James Cohan | B38

Galerie Eigen + Art | C23

Venus | C45

Galerie Lelong | C16

Cheim & Read | C55

Massimo De Carlo | B1

Lehmann Maupin | C12 Lévy Gorvy | B49 Lisson Gallery | B62

Ceysson & Bénétière | C37

Galeria Luisa Strina | C14

Daniel Blau | C49

Casa Triângulo | D8

Casey Kaplan | A7

Stevenson | D12

Galleri Magnus Karlsson | d19

Cardi Gallery | C48

Sprüth Magers | C7

Bernard Jacobson Gallery | b56 rodolphe janssen | D2

Galerie Gisela Capitain | B37

Galeria Filomena Soares | D4

Jason Jaques Gallery | B57

Canada | A2

Skarstedt | B48

Taka Ishii Gallery | C34

Altman Siegel | D40 Alfonso Artiaco | C32

Ibid Gallery | C11

Galería Juana de Azipuru | B8 The Approach | D5

241

Rampa | C13

On Stellar Rays | C31

Almine rech Gallery | C9

Parafin | A16

Galeria Nara Roesler | A1

Seventeen | D17

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac | C38

Silberkuppe | C36

Exhibitors List. Frieze New York, 2017.

242

Chapter 5

Various Small Fires | A18 Kate Werble gallery | D15

Talks H1 Projects Dora Budor | P1 MANICOMIO! Elaine Cameron-Weir | P2 two horizon Jon Rafman | P3 Dream Journal Tribute to Teatro Delle Mostre (1968/2017) | P4

Exhibitors List.

Leap | M7 Magazine Kiosk | M11 W Magazine | M8

Exploring Fairland

243

Frieze New York 2017 Courtesy: Alfonso Artiaco

244

Fiac Paris

Massimo De Carlo booth at Fiac Paris 2017, plan. ÂŠ Courtesy of Massimo De Carlo.

Booth Sign

W W W W

W W W W W W

floor: Vinyl white, 501 floor: Vinyl white, 501

Standard light 75 Watt, Standard HQIlight 75 Watt, HQI

W W W

W W

2.00m

8.25m

2.00m

W W W

8.25m

Fiac Paris Massimo De Carlo 245

9.75m

2.00m

9.75m

1:100

Fiac Paris Massimo De Carlo 1:100

246

Massimo De Carlo booth at Fiac Paris 2017. Perspective views.

Chapter 5

Exploring Fairland

247

248

Chapter 5

Walls and Doors

EUR

White wooden partition (height 3.50 m – length 1 m)

330

White wooden partition (height 3.50 m – length 0.5 m)

165

Wooden partition (height 3.50 m – length 0.25 m)

82.5

Reinforced wall (Plywood board 19 mm – length 1 m)

450

Wooden door painted white, lockable (height 3.50 m – length 1 m)

398

Code door handle (option)

225

Damaged partition (per linar meter)

750

Any significant damage (more than 1 cm diameter hole and / or partition pearced from side to side) to the partitions observed by our Technical service will be charged €785 / linear meter excl. tax to the exhibitor. Any other reparation will be charged €150 / linear meter excl. tax.

Carpentry

EUR

White melamine base

according to cost estimate

White melanime shelves

according to cost estimate

Curtain

EUR

Brushed cotton curtain (height 3.50 m – length 1 m) per linear meter

Ceiling (including labor, transport and basic framework)

EUR

White net velum (per square meter)

Cotton White velum 140 g /m2 (per square meter)

Cotton White velum 280 g / m2 (per square meter)

Blackout black 280 g / m2 satin velum (per square meter)

Installation of the velum under the boards option (per square meter)

Exhibitors’ storage space

EUR

Storage in the exhibitors’ storage space, max to 4 m2 per gallery (per square meter)

250

Booth Sign

EUR

Additional sign recto / verso

Price List. Fiac Paris, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

249

Painting

EUR

Painting, includes reconditionning (per linear meter)

150

Lighting

EUR

70W HQI spotlight on rail

119

70W HQI stem spotlight

134

Spotlights on demand (profile spots, par, floodlight, etc.)

according to cost estimate

Electrical Outlets

EUR

16A wall plug

100

16A plug

3-plug panel

Floors

EUR

Color carpet (per square meter)

Semi-thick carpet (per square meter)

High quality thick carpet (per square meter)

Vinyl flooring

Clipped-in solid-wood parquet Rough Oak

130

Other floor covering

according to cost estimate

250 FIAC DESIGN***

0.D48

0.D46

0.D44

0.D50

0.D42

0.D46

0.D48

0.D50

0.D42

0.D44

0.D48

0.D46 0.D44

0.D42

0.D50

1.K07

PALAIS DE LA DÉCOUVERTE

1.J02

1.J06

1.J12 1.J14

1.J10

1.J08

1.J18 1.J20

1.J16

SALON D’HONNEUR

1.K06

1.K04

1.K05

1.K02

1.K03

1.K08

SALON JEAN PERRIN

1.J03 1.J05

1.J13

1.J07 1.J09 1.J11

1.J01

1.J15

1.J17

1.J19 1.J21

1.J23

CONVERSATION ROOM

FIAC DESIGN** LOUNGE VIP

0.D38

0.E40

0.D36

0.E38 0.E36

0.D34 0.E34 1.H06

1.H04

L1 20

1.G10

1.G17

S E CTE UR L AF AY E TTE

1.G12

1.H09

1.H11

1.H15

1.H13

0.C08

1.H22

0.D30

H 1.H17

0.C16

1.H19

0.C22

0.C20

0.D28

0.D24

0.E32 0.E30

0.C24

0.C30

E 0.C36

0.C32

0.C38

0.C44

0.C52

1.G19

1.G16 1.G14

1.H07

0.C04

1.G

1.G18

1.H20

1.H18

GALERIE SUD-OUEST

1.H05

1.H03

1.G

1.H10 1.H12 1.H14 1.H16

1.H08

LOUNGE VIP

0.C01

1.G15

0.C03

0.C07

0.B04

0.B08

0.C09

0.C11

0.C13

1.G13

0.C27

0.B16

0.B20

0.B24

0.B26

0.B30

0.C29

0.C33

0.C35

0.C39

0.C41

0.C43

0.C49

0.B32

0.B34

0.B36

0.B40

0.B42

0.B44

0.B50

0.B03

0.B07

0.B09

0.B13

0.B15

0.B19

0.B23

0.B25

0.B27

0.A04

0.A08

0.A10

0.A14

0.A16

0.A20

0.A24

0.A26

0.A30

0.C51

0.C53

0.C58

0.B29

0.B52

0.B54

B 0.B33

0.B35

0.B39

0.B41

0.B43

0.A34

0.A36

0.A40

0.A42

0.A44

0.B51

0.B55 0.A58

0.C25

1.G07

.G03

1.G0

0.C23

1.G09

1.G05

1.G06

0.C21

0.B54 0.B10 0.B12 0.B14

1.G11

1.G08

0.C15

0.B02

0.A32

0.A50

0.A52

0.A54

1.G

0.A03

1.G

DESK VIP

0.A11 1.F13

1.F15

1.F12

0.A15 1.F11

1.F09

0.A19

1.F10

1.F08

1.F06

1.F03

GALERIE SUD-EST 1.F04

0.A35

0.A23 1.F05

1.F07

0.A37

0.A41

1.F01

1.F02

Galleries 0

Galleries 1

Feature

Secteur Lafayette

0.A43

0.A47

0.A51

Exploring Fairland

Galerie 1900-2000 | 0.C30 303 Gallery | 0.B20

Martine Aboucaya | 1.F08

Emanuel Layr | 1.H15

Selma Feriani | 1.K08

Le Minotaure | 0.E38

Air de Paris | 0.B14

Konrad Fischer | 0.A43

Simon Lee | 0.B19

Allen | 1.G17

Lars Friedrich | 1.G15

Lehmann Maupin | 0.C43

Gagosian Gallery | 0.B33

Lelong & Co. | 0.A42

Arratia Beer | 1.G05

Christophe Gaillard | 1.K05

David Lewis | 1.G13

Art:Concept | 0.B09

Gaudel de Stampa | 1.H12

Lisson | 0.B40

Alfonso Artiaco | 0.B50

gb agency | 0.C13

Balice Hertling | 1.J16 Baudach | 0.C20

Gladstone Gallery | 0.A34 Laurent Godin | 0.C04

Thomas Bernard

Marian Goodman | 0.B35

Maisterravalbuena | 1.G03

Cortex Athletico | 1.H03

Bärbel Grässlin | 0.B29

Edouard Malingue | 1.H05

Blum & Poe | 0.A40

Green Art Gallery | 1.G19

Marcelle Alix | 1.J20

Isabella Bortolozzi | 0.B10

Karsten Greve | 0.B34

Giò Marconi | 0.B03

Max Hetzler | 0.B23

Martos Gallery | 1.H17

Galerie Buchholz | 0.A14

House of Gaga | 1.J12

Mazzoleni | 0.D34

Shane Campbell | 1.F05

Xavier Hufkens | 0.B25

Fergus McCaffrey | 0.A52

Capitain Petze | 0.B43l

Eric Hussenot | 1.H16

Meessen De Clercq | 1.F11

Cardi | 0.A54

Hyundai | 0.C51

Mendes Wood DM | 0.A15

In Situ - Fabienne Leclerc | 0.C03

kamel mennour | 0.B32

Catherine Issert | 0.A51

Metro Pictures | 0.A24

Jousse Entreprise | 1.H13

Meyer Riegger | 0.C11

Annely Juda Fine Art | 0.C35

Mezzanin | 1.F09

Magnus Karlsson | 1.F02

Francesca Minini | 1.F15

Sadie Coles HQ | 0.B41

Karma | 1.F07

Massimo Minini | 0.A41

Continua | 0.C39

Karma International | 1.J07

Victoria Miro | 0.B16

Paula Cooper | 0.B24

kaufmann repetto | 0.A19

Mitchell-Innes & Nash | 0.B51

Vera Cortês | 1.F04

Anton Kern | 0.B04

Monitor | 1.H06

Raffaella Cortese | 0.A47

Peter Kilchmann | 0.C07

mor charpentier | 1.H08

Chantal Crousel | 0.B26

Kisterem | 1.K07

Ellen de Bruijne Projects | 1.H04

Kohn Gallery | 0.C36

Massimo De Carlo | 0.B15 Delmes & Zander | 1.J18

König Galerie | 0.A08 David Kordansky Gallery | 0.C15

Rosemarie Schwarzwälder | 0.B08 Nagel Draxler | 0.A04

dépendance | 1.J05

Tomio Koyama | 0.C44

Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art | 0.E32

Downs & Ross | 1.G07

Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler | 1.J23

Nahmad Contemporary | 0.C33

Dvir Gallery | 0.A37

Krinzinger | 0.B52

Neu | 0.B07

frank elbaz | 0.A11

Tina Kim Gallery | 0.C21

Neue Alte Brücke | 1.J13

Casas Riegner | 1.J08

Pedro Cera | 1.F12 Ceysson & Bénétière | 0.C49

ChertLüdde | 1.G11 C L E A R I N G | 1.J17

Labor | 1.J06 Landau Fine Art | 0.C24

Imane Farès | 1.K03

Gavin Brown’s enterpr | 0.A16 C

Miguel Abreu | 0.A10

Applicat-Prazan | 0.C27

espaivisor | 1.H10 Essex Street | 1.J03

251

Loevenbruck | 0.C52 M

Magazzino | 0.C08 Mai 36 Galerie | 0.B30

Jan Mot | 0.B12 N

Nächst St. Stephan

Exhibitors List. Fiac Paris, 2017.

252

Chapter 5

T U V

Exhibitors List. Fiac Paris, 2017.

Exploring Fairland

253

Fiac 2017 Courtesy: Massimo De Carlo, Milan/London/Hong Kong Photo credit: Robert Glowacki

254

The Desk Complexity

Herman Miller's Noguchi table, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Mr. Chairs, flowers and networking. Pace/MacGill Gallery booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

255

256

Dealers' desk, David Chipperfield's Piana folding chairs, iPad, tea and flowers A Gentil Carioca booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

257

Iron desk and chairs, San Pellegrino, flowers and networking. Fergus McCaffrey at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

260

On the previous page: wooden benches with books, soft drinks and nuts at n.d gallery. Here: dealers' desk and Jamรณn Serrano, flowers. Juana de Aizpuru booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

261

Wooden desk and vintage chairs, books and networking. neugerriemschneider gallery at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

263

On the left: Fastrup Denmark 1960s teak chairs and table, iPad and notebooks at GalerĂa Elvira GonzĂĄlez. Here: green marble desk, collectors and flowers. n.d gallery at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

265

On the left: Hans Wegner's Danish wooden set with flowers and accouting books, n.d gallery. Here: white marble Eero Saarinen table, Ron Arad's Tom Vac chairs and custom walls. nd. gallery at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

268

269

Here: Metro Pictures wooden desk with collectors. On the previous pages (from left): LC2 Petit Modele Armchair and flowers at Starmach Gallery. Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs, iPad, cards and flowers at i8 Gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

270

Front stage and back stage. Herman Miller's Noguchi table, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Mr. Chairs, Apple devices and flowers. Pace/MacGill Gallery booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

271

272

Twin chairs, marble side table, books and back stage storage. Sperone/Westwater Gallery booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

273

Wooden table with chairs, Apple devices, office supplies and Financial Times. n.d gallery. at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

274

Front metal desk with chairs, iPad and custom walls. n.d. Gallery booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

275

Eero Saarinen table, iPads and calculator. Luhring Augustine Gallery booth at Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

277

On the left: green marble desk, flowers and networking at Stephen Friedman Gallery. Here: Vitra chairs, white table, Acqua Panna at Two Palms Gallery booth, Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

278

Here: wooden table with chairs, iPad and water at Anthony Maier Gallery. Next page: table, chairs, Alvar Aalto Artek stools, Mac and coffee at Metthew Marks Gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

281

On the left: velvet sofa, glass table, chocolates and flowers at Kicken Berlin Gallery. Here: velvet armchairs, golden wooden table and books at Gmurzynska Gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018

282

Here: wooden desk with stools, San Pellegrino and flowers. Next page: same desk, yogurt and pricing lists. Howard Greenberg Gallery booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

283

285

On the left: Vitra furniture, white roses, coffe, Mac and office supplies at Galerie Thomas Schulte. Here: assembled forniture, books and Swiss Alpina. n.d. gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018

288

289

On the previous page: wooden bench, leather bag, coffe, books and Macs at Upstream Gallery. On the left: dealers networking on Arne Jacobsen chairs at Richard Gray Gallery. Here: Italian collectors, folding chairs and veggie juice at Brooke Alexander Gallery booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018

290

Hans Olsen '60s Danish Teak Table with three-leg'd chairs, Vittel, flowers and office supplies at Sean Kelly booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

291

Eero Saarinen white marble table, books, water, iPhone and flowers at Skarstedt booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

293

On the left: round table with Nicos Zographos's CH66 chairs, Ricola, coffe, books, MacBook and flowers at Berninson. Here: Teak Danish Modern table set by Hans Wegner, cheese plate, Arkina, Aesop products and flowers at Blum & Poe booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

295

On the left: wooden desk, active networking, Apple devices, calculator, fruits and custom walls at Sies + Hรถke. Here: metal desk, information sheets and iPhones at Fonti booth. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

296

297

On the left: vintage Arne Jacobsen chairs and table, multiple Apple devices, San Pellegrino, Acqua Panna at Nicolai Wallner Gallery. Here: Charlotte Perriand chairs for Les Arcs at Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

298

Storage!

Edwynn Houk Gallery storage space with curtain. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

299

302

On the previous pages: Massimo De Carlo Gallery storage with internet point (left). Carolina Nitch Gallery storage with artworks and a ladder (right). Here: Galerie Thomas Schulte wall storage. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

303

307

On the previous pages: Galleria Continua storage space with artworks (left). Paintings stored in the wall thickness at Andrew Kreps Gallery. Here: Alan Cristea storage room with table, chairs and a fridge (left). Georg Nothelfer Gallery storage room, filled with artworks and books. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

308

In-between galleries storage spaces. Aisle before storage space with curtain at Gagosian Gallery (right). Art|Basel, Basel, 2018.

309

310

311

Thin wall storage space, n.d. gallery (left). Michael Haas wide storage room. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018

313

Open storage space, n.d. gallery + detail. Art|Basel, Basel, 2018

314

Conclusions

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This work investigates the relation between art fair and architecture at different scales. At first it was necessary to understand the nature of the event itself to then make it possible to question its architecture. According to the overall material collected, the art fair has become the ultimate meeting time and space for the art world, the essential stage where all the players can come together, and expand their connections. Understanding it as something between market and cultural institution is not the primary objective (even if it’s what contemporary art debate talks about) because it emerges as one of the proudest moments of the art system, by providing a physical stage for people and insiders to meet on. Indeed, art fairs can be seen as temporary built networks whose nature is somewhere in between their physical hosting building’s features and the ephemeral, almost Baroque event, that takes place there, in a very limited time frame. The very first architectural question ponders the possibility of understanding the art fair from an urban point of view, revealing the possibility to look at it as a microcosm city. In fact, the interviews, analysis, drawings and regulations proved that the art fair seems to share the same dynamics of localisation, belonging and neighbourhood present in our cities’ built environment. Art fairs have a huge impact on the urban, cultural, economic and spatial network of the hosting territories. Each art fair’s regulations, influence and shape the specific spatial configuration, policies and social interactions, as it happens with our cities’ urban environment regulations. This phenomenon affects different scales from the envelope structure to the booths that are per se projects of architecture. Indeed, the fair shares many urban and architectural features: it goes beyond the layout of the masterplan to the individuality of the booths. Their ephemeral nature, in fact, challenges, emulates and maybe even shares a dwelling phenomenology (and its drawbacks). Front stages, back stages, storage spaces, lounges, tables, chairs, carpets, lights,

iPads, flower bouquets, Evian water bottles, coffee cups and champagne glasses: everything has its place inside white cube booths or warmer spaces born to display (and sell) art, but hosting different collateral activities.

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All the price lists, regulations, policies, design guides, maps, plans, layouts and documents addressing the galleries and the art fairs have been kindly provided by Alfonso Artiaco, Massimo De Carlo and Lia Rumma galleries from their digital archives and from their private areas on the following websites: www.artbasel.com www.frieze.com www.fiac.com I wish to thank the following people for their cooperation and help: Matilde Cassani, Victoria Easton, Pietro Vallone, Gaia Mauri, Ilaria Artiaco, Alfonso Artiaco, Angela Vettese, Anne Holtrop, Franz Schultheis, Thomas Mazzurana, Giuseppe Morra, Guido Guerzoni, Ilaria Bonacossa, Paola Colacurcio, Roberto Crivellini, Bianca Crivellini, Sergio Casoli, Sergio Fermariello, Cora Manzi, Giulia Tettamanti, Alessandra Santerini, Damiana Leoni, Alessandra Cirotto, Maria Giulia Rocco, Agnese Cutuli, Giorgia Rea, Sara Ceroni, Solange di Rocca, Jacopo Sposito, Nadia Magnacca, Gabriella Maglietta, Elisabetta Savoia, Carlotta Testa, Vincenzo Cacciaguerra.

Dedicated to my father Giuseppe that makes all of this possible everyday - and much more.

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