The Armory Show, Piers 94 and 92, New York, March 5-8, 2015
The Armory Show, New York’s long-running annual “local” art fair, reliably draws the city’s collectors to its Contemporary and (smaller) Modern sections on Piers 94 and 92, conveniently close to the affluent Upper West Side; a few foreign visitors were to be seen, though not many (a situation not helped by snow sweeping the city, which delayed some arrivals), at the crowded opening on Wednesday. For New York galleries, the Armory is the fair one feels obliged to attend, whilst Frieze, the powerful British contemporary art fair which launched its annual New York edition in May 2012, has the competitive edge for excitement, more experimental art and internationalism.
There is a degree of tension between the two, and a high number of galleries—local and foreign—plan to attend both. New York names can be fairly sure of selling to their American collectors at the Armory, and visiting galleries may have decided to return to it having developed a client group in New York. Decorative painting is prevalent, mostly of an accessible size. That said, the Armory Presents section, featuring younger and more experimental galleries, is certainly strong—a compact and engaging cluster at the back of the hall this year. The curated Focus section in 2014 featured Chinese galleries, and this year turns an eye to the (rather broad) “MENAM” area—Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. The feel is flown-in; despite last year’s theme, only two Chinese galleries featured in the fair this year—recurring participant Tang Contemporary and MadeIn Gallery in the Armory Presents camp.
Sales reports seem thus far to be “okay”, in general, with some galleries having slightly surpassed their expectations. Running parallel to the figures, however, is a sometimes dogged will to keep at it and continue to present at the Armory, which in recent years has made serious efforts (and developments) in its programming in a bid to gain traction. Lawrence Abu Hamdan is the 2015 commissioned artist with audio and installation work—a choice reflecting the fair’s good ambitions (though his souvenir silver crisp packets – part of the sound research project “A Convention of Tiny Movements”—may not have made much more impact on many visitors than as a slightly puzzling free snack). Meanwhile, satellite fairs including Independent (in Chelsea) and Volta have claimed significant attention, making this a busy week for all concerned.
