artform
Globetrotter Series THE VIBRANT CITY OF CHICAGO BY RACHEL VANCELET TE
S
itting down with Tony Karman, president of EXPO Chicago Artfair one will find a warm smile and an enthusiasm that resonates throughout the room. With a true passion for the arts, he pays tribute every year to the cultural heart of Chicago. One of the longest-running artfairs started in the 1980s, it began before there were many artfairs in the world and continues today stronger than ever. In the age of Instagram and social media mobilizing art collectors, art lovers, artists and galleries, every one of the over 200 global artfairs today has to tackle the competitive nature of the worldwide fairs vying for attendance. The art market’s increase in sales to over 1 billion dollars annually has created an environment where many to have to make tough choices and selections like never before! The Chicago venue continues to hold a special place for art collectors, artists, international curators, local celebrities and art lovers who attend the fair annually. With the globalization of the art industry, many enthusiasts travel the globe almost every month looking for the latest and greatest piece of art at the next artfair. This has new syndromes such as “art fair fatigue” and also fears that artificial intelligence, AI, is now making our decisions and cultural selections in the extremely busy calendar year. The recent announcement of MIT/ Microsoft’s collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art has AI curating selections for you, directed by social channels which point you to its chosen preferences. AI has now arrived full speed into the art world and culture. I wanted to dive deeper into how Chicago manages to stay in the top ranks of artfairs, and what changes they are making to shift quickly to stay current with the fast pace of changing markets. With all the current buzz regarding artfairs being in jeopardy due to terms such as “context collapse”, Mr. Karman takes time to reconfirm to us that regional artfairs still reign with laser focus and commitment to quality. In the new cultural
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