SEATTLE, WA.- The
2019 Seattle Art Fair, presented by AIG, culminated with standout presentations and record-breaking attendance as a result of the diverse gallery exhibitions and highly engaging Projects & Talks curated by the fair’s Artistic Director, Nato Thompson. The Seattle Art Fair will return for its sixth edition July 23-26, 2020.
In its fifth edition, the Seattle Art Fair further established the city of Seattle as an influential player in the global art landscape. The fair showcased over 100 exhibitors from cities around the globe, including Tokyo, Seoul, Berlin, New York, Miami, London, Toronto, Hồ Chí Minh, and Moscow, and an array of galleries from the Pacific Northwest.
The visionary founder of the Seattle Art Fair, Paul G. Allen, created the fair with a goal to be a one-of-a-kind destination for the best in modern and contemporary art and a showcase of the thriving arts community in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Art Fair continues to build momentum to create a truly unique, innovative event that strengthens the Seattle art scene.
The fair kicked off on Thursday with the annual Collector’s Preview. During a celebratory toast with the Seattle Art Fair host committee, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Jody Allen thanked the city of Seattle for its continuous support of its cultural community.
FAIR HIGHLIGHTS:
PROJECTS & TALKS MERGE TECHNOLOGY AND ART
“Our Projects and Talks program offered unexpected yet pleasurable experiences for all audiences,” said Nato Thompson, Artistic Director of Seattle Art Fair. “I wanted the art fair to be a platform for people of many ages and cultures to get together and find wonderful ways to appreciate art and each other. Consider that box checked.”
Returning Seattle Art Fair Artistic Director Nato Thompson curated a Wunderkammers-inspired slate of Projects & Talks, including Stephanie Dinkins’ voice activated AI robot Not The Only One (N’TOO) that tells the stories of multigenerational black women; Incubator for Earthquakes, a kinetic dinner table sculpture that mimicked an earthquake with rattling china by Swedish artist duo Bigert & Bergström; The Bond and The Loafers by Patricia Piccinini, an intriguing anthropomorphic sculpture made predominantly of silicone and hair; and an insightful discussion on contemporary curating practices with Larry Ossei-Mensah, senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Paula Marincola, executive director of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and Rita Gonzalez, head of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and a discussion about how artists and collectors can collaborate to create market disruption and dynamic innovations.
PEARL JAM’S MIKE MCCREADY AND ARTIST KATE NECKEL’S ART & MUSIC COLLABORATION, PLUS A RED HOT CHILI PEPPER
For the first time, the fair included the second-floor mezzanine, which served as the performance space for Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and artist Kate Neckel’s art and music performance, Infinite Color & Sound, which featured special guest Josh Klinghoffer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s guitarist. Together, artist and rockstars created an immersive visual and musical experience. The mezzanine also offered access to the VIP and Premium Lounges that featured an aerial view of the fairground, and more.
ASMR WITH BREAD FACE
Social media sensation Bread Face brought her hypnotic signature ASMR videos to life with an interactive installation featuring bread sculptures in her likeness and intimate bread smashing performances each day of the fair. Twenty-four loaves of bread were left out each day, inviting fairgoers to try to experience the artist’s chosen medium—bread—in a whole new way.
RISING STAR ANTHONY WHITE AT LIVE EDITIONS AND GREG KUCERA GALLERY
Local Seattle artist Anthony White stood out to curators, exhibitors, and fairgoers throughout the weekend. His work, To a Flame, 2019, at Greg Kucera Gallery was a fair-favorite, and was selected by the Frye Art Museum for its permanent collection as part of their partnership with the fair. His printed artworks were a hit at the Live Editions booth, a pop-up printing facility within the fair, where guests lined up by the dozens for free screen prints throughout the weekend.
DEBUT OF PRZEMEK PYSZCZEK’S COLORFUL “PLAYGROUND” AT TODD MERRILL STUDIO
For his first exhibition with Todd Merrill Studio, Polish-Canadian artist Przemek Pyszczek showcased his conceptual artwork, Playground Structures, featuring high-end, playfully utilitarian furniture design.
FROM THE DEALERS
“We are grateful that we have been part of the Seattle Art Fair since the very beginning. Each of the past five years have been successful in sales and connections. This year we enjoyed sales from a broad spectrum of clients, from first time buyers and young collectors to more seasoned collectors and institutions.” — Jane Beebe, Owner, PDX CONTEMPORARY ART (Portland)
“We have thrived here in Seattle and the fair has our exceeded our expectations. We sold out of our Keith Haring artworks and placed paintings and ceramics in the $5,000 to $10,000 range with new and existing clients and started new relationships with important international collectors.” — Diane Rosenstein, Owner, Diane Rosenstein Gallery (Los Angeles)
“This year’s sales were even better than last year and we were happy to establish a 40/60 split between new and existing clients. The Collector Preview was especially successful, with the brisk sale of all three Niyoko Ikuta glass artworks we had available.” — Wahei Aoyama, Owner, Yufuku Gallery (Tokyo)
“Our participation has been outstanding this year. Many clients who purchased Heather Day’s work are from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, and it’s been wonderful to expand our relationships with collectors outside of the New York area, while also expanding Heather’s already dedicated collector base.” — Karyn Behnke, Director, Joshua Liner Gallery
