Art Paris Art Fair, which opens tomorrow at the Grand Palais, has proven year after year to be the one general-interest Spring fair not to be missed.
As Director of Art Paris Art Fair since 2011, you are behind the revival of this general-interest fair of modern to contemporary art. What are its most important features?
Over the past five years, we have managed to rebuild the image of Art Paris by centering its program around two main axes: first, discovery, with the invitation of a foreign scene, featuring a specific country or a region or a continent, this year Africa, a sector called “Promising” devoted to newer galleries ,encouraging the presentation of monographs “the sector Solo show”. The second axis promotes European regions, with 50% French exhibitors (who are the original core of the fair), including 14 regional galleries this year.
Photography occupies a special place at Art Paris Art Fair…
When we get ready for the fair, we never work by discipline but rather focus on galleries, making sure, however, that there is a balance between “star” galleries that represent well-known artists and those that I would call “auteur” galleries. Take for instance the Binôme Gallery which we welcomed shortly after it was created: it has moved from the Promising sector, which is reserved for galleries under six years old, to the general sector. From the start, it has specialized in new approaches to the image.
Since 2015, the fair has presented solo shows. What makes them worthwhile within such an event?
Solo shows are a good way to offset a wide assortment of works and overcrowded booths because they encourage galleries to be attentive to how the works are displayed… For galleries, a solo show means taking a great risk, whereas to the visitor, it affords some breathing room. Solo shows are often well received, so there’s a feedback loop… This year, we are going to have some twenty solo shows, including Hicham Benohoud (Loft Art Gallery, Casablanca), Mario Macilau (Ed Cross Fine Art, London), and Marion Boehm (Artco Gallery, Aachen).
Having showcased Russia, China, Southeast Asia, and Korea, in 2017 you are spotlighting Africa. What motivated your choice?
Contemporary African art remains under-recognized. In France, we still have a tendency to reduce the whole continent to statuary art and black-and-white studio photography. This year, Art Paris is placing contemporary African artists center stage, namely by focusing on video art relating to the theme of the body, which is a key topic in much of the artistic production of the younger generation who, unlike their elders, are connected to the world thanks to the Internet and residency programs, specifically in the Low Countries, in France, and the UK. The Promising sector, which features exclusively foreign galleries this year, is hosting a great number of African galleries—another sign that, this year more than ever, Art Paris is oriented toward discovery. But we are also showcasing some well-established figures, such as Seidou Keita and Valérie Belin (Galerie Nathalie Obadia) as well as a number of artists from the period of modernism, which is once again enjoying a comeback.
What types of audience come to Art Paris Art Fair?
We are expecting to see forty groups of art collectors from nineteen countries… This is a proof that the work we’ve been doing for the past five years is bearing fruit. There will also be many art lovers who come just for the pleasure of looking at art, but not necessarily to buy…
What sort of resources have you prepared for the latter public?
First of all, as Art Paris has grown over the years, we have made sure that it preserves its convivial and open character, so that art lovers who are beginning to take serious interest in art feel welcome and comfortable when inquiring about prices. Then, through various initiatives, such as art insight tours organized jointly with the Observatoire de l’art contemporain, or by equipping our website with a search engine that sorts results by price, country, or the type of medium. We also offer assistance and information prior to the fair and throughout its duration.
Interview by Sophie Bernard
Art Paris Art Fair
March 30 to April 2, 2017
Africa in focus
Grand Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill
75008 Paris
France
For the third consecutive year, from March 25 through April 3, Bus Expo will bring five works from the Art Paris Art Fair Solo Show to a wider audience and circulate through the streets of Paris and Ile-de-France.
