Russell Young, Marilyn Crying (2013).
Photo: Courtesy of Tagliatella Galleries.
Of the three Hamptons-based art fairs, ArtHamptons is proving to be more than overpriced beach house decor and Market Art + Design is even becoming hip, which makes this year's Art Southampton the underwhelming alternative.
On opening night, the fair was jammed with the expected crowd of Louboutin-heeled, champagne-swilling Hamptonites, who appeared to be a bit confused by the works on offer.
Ormond Gigli, Girls in Windows, New York (1960).
Photo: Courtesy of Beetles + Huxley.
With about 75 galleries from far-flung locations like Seoul, Munich, and Brussels (and of course, ample representation from New York, Miami, and Long Island), it's certainly not an endeavor for the easily fair-tigued. Few people won't resent having to wander down seemingly endless aisles of derivative Pop art and Zombie Formalism in search of something compelling. This isn't to say there aren't solid booths and good pieces, but the fair as a whole feels cartoonish.
But for all the Basquiat and Warhol wannabes lining the aisles, there are several booths boasting solid secondary market selections from big names, like the Indianapolis-based Long Sharp Gallery, which is touting several works on paper by Joan Miró, black-and-white Warhol prints, and a fun Keith Haring print.
Banksy, Grumpier Truck Door (2013).
Photo: Courtesy of Keszler Gallery.
Similarly, there are enough prints by Banksy and Mr. Brainwash floating around to open a small museum, but if a true Bansky original is what you desire, head to Keszler Gallery.
Stephan Keszler, the premiere dealer of excavated Banksy walls (who made a guest appearance in the film Banksy Does New York, and who may or may not have called this reporter out for her characterization of him as the "villain" of said film) has two at the fair—a brick wall done in Detroit in 2010, and an amusingly apposite truck back door that reads "the grumpier you are, the more assholes you meet" from Brooklyn in 2013.
"How do we know this is really him?" one fairgoer said to a friend, bemoaning Banksy's anonymity. "I think it's a scam!"
"It's on his website, it was in the movie, and if you want to buy it we have proof that it is a Banksy," Keszler responded when we alerted him of the woman's skepticism. "Do you want to buy it?" he asked.
Rafa Macarron, Caos.
Photo: Courtesy of Galeria Casa Cuadrada.
Nearby, Bogota-based Galeria Casa Cuadrada has a selection of sculptures and paintings by Spanish artist Rafa Macarron, which feature spindly, Nightmare Before Christmas-looking characters rendered in pastel and Day-Glo colors.
Towards the entrance, Lower East Side staple Catinca Tabacaru Gallery serves up an impressive collage by Felix R. Cid, which stitches millions of tiny concertgoers together into one massive party, along with a selection of Shinji Murakami's delightful block sculptures. We predict the candy-colored puppies will appeal to an eager dog-toting crowd.
Shinji Murakami, Marilyn.
Photo: Courtesy of Catinca Tabacaru Gallery.
The highlight of the fair, however, is Benjamin Rollins Caldwell's Label Whore Mirror 1, which eschews the quintessential selfie-baiting shiny artwork in favor of a bona fide selfie mirror, which films viewers taking pictures of themselves in it. The sides of the mirror are covered in hundreds of labels ripped from the backsides of denim jeans. It exemplifies a work of art you will find at any glossy art fair these days.
"It's part of a larger conversation on vanity," Caldwell said. "It's a mirror, but not one that you could actually use for any real purpose."
Art Southampton is at Nova's Ark Project from July 9–13.
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