NIGHTLIGHT: VOLTA, the Basel-based art fair for new and emerging art during Armory Arts Week

VOLTA, the Basel-based art fair for new and emerging art was back in New York for Armory Arts Week at its central location at 7W 34th street. A perfect complement to its sister fair, The Armory Show, VOLTA NY showcased 78 solo artist presentations, inspired by this year's curatorial theme, "Age of Anxiety," a reflection of our present moment, located in the city where our financial drama was born and is being played out.

A collaboration between VOLTA NY, Sketch Gallery, London, and the Tribeca and Soho Grand hotels, the film and installation project A New Stance for Tomorrow, curated by Victoria Brooks & Natalie Kovacs, moves from inside VOLTA NY’s midtown elevators to various locations inside New York’s famed Tribeca Grand Hotel, located at 2 Avenue of the Americas and Church Street. Concentrating on alternative visions and innovations by artists, designers and filmmakers from the 1950s to now, A New Stance for Tomorrow included screenings, site-specific design, sound art and performative installation. The film programme, on view in the Tribeca Grand’s screening room, included work by Adrian Blackwell, Byron Broadbent, Michel de Broin, Charles & Ray Eames, Tim Etchells, Sylvie Fleury, Noam Gonick & Luis Jacob, Claire Hooper, Pierre Joseph & Philippe Parreno, Yves Klein, Oswaldo Macia, Simon Martin, Mathieu Mercier, Alain Resnais, Pia Rönicke, Robert Stadler, Mika Taanila, and Andrea Zittel. In the Sanctum visitors viewed The Wild Flowers of Manitoba by Noam Gonick and Luis Jacob, a geodesic dome structure that functions as theater, screening room and performance space.

VOLTA NY celebrated its opening day with a record attendance of more than 5,000 registered guests and a final count today of a total of 18,000 visitors for the four days of the fair. This year’s theme, “Age of Anxiety,” addressed the present socio-cultural moment directly through 78 solo artists presentations, showcasing artists and galleries from, among other countries, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Japan, Mexico, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, Thailand and Venezuela.

As winter snows gave way to comparatively balmy March temperatures, groups of important collectors made their way to VOLTA NY’s premises at 7 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Among those in attendance were Mickey Cartin, Beth Rudin de Woody, Susan and Michael Hort, Richard Massey, Scott Miller, Sherry and Joel Mallin, Hugo Brown, Jerry Speyer, Frank Williams, Alain Servais, Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, Arnold and Pam Lehman and Anita and Poju Zabludowicz. While the market momentum has slowed considerably, many of these collectors and dealers welcomed the return to a more thoughtful engagement with the artwork on display and the time to consider un-pressured, therefore feeling more confident when finally committing to purchases; some of the work that had particular success was Iraqi painter Hayv Kahraman stylized images of women at Thierry Goldberg Projects’ booth, NY; Alejandro Diaz’s politically charged cardboard signs, neon text pieces and sculptures at Happy Lion, LA: Susan CoIlis’ precious yet seemingly pedestrian objects at Seventeen, London; Christian Schoeler’s dark portraits at Schuebbe Projects, Düsseldorf; Rina Castelnuovo’s immensely moving war zone photographs at Andrea Meislin, New York; Thai artist Surasi Kusolwong’s playful installation and paper works at Ghent’s HOET BEKAERT gallery and Troels Carlsen’s witty and inquisitive paintings on paper and found objects at V1 Gallery from Denmark. The artist had created his own limited edition T-shirt for those hit harder by the economic downturn, available at Imperfect Articles.

Additionally, VOLTA NY has confirmed its position as a serious platform for art institutions to experience new cutting-edge art. As such many galleried addressed themselves accordingly, not toward sales but toward institutional interest and support, creating a visiting experience that many commented as being closer to 78 studio visits than a fair. Among the public and private institutions sending either curators or groups to VOLTA NY were the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim, the Jumex Collection, Louisville’s 21 C Museum, MoMA, the Neuberger Berman Collection, the Nerman Museum, Tate Modern, the Sculpture Center, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. After opening day, institutional shows were already on the cards for Center for Tactical Magic, whose literally magical presentation—addressing how clairvoyance, ESP, sleight of hand and magical thinking can be used to make significant physical or social change—was shown by Voges + Partner from Frankfurt; the artist was also confirmed during the fair to participate in this summer’s Athens Biennale.

While some work grabbed the spotlight—such as Fernando Mastrangelo’s moving sculpture of a poor coca farmer standing on shards of mirror that recreated a map of Columbia, which ended up in both the New York Times and New York Post’s gossip-mongering Page Six for it’s controversial use of materials—others spoke more softly but with equal power, such as the moving painting by Schandra Singh depicting the city's own Twin Towers. Singh--a survivor of September 11th--depicted each tower as made up by people: one is composed of the individual portraits of those who died as a result of the attacks and the other of a pattern of Muslims at prayer. The painting is being donated by the artist to the Ground Zero Museum, who visited the fair where representing gallery Bertrand & Gruner, Geneva, exhibited, even though it was not for sale.

A singular art experience because of its unique solo-project design, VOLTA NY has successfully presented an alternative and workable model, assuring its position in the Armory Arts Week as the second most important event in NYC. The end of this week – feared by most— has brought a warm light in the dark predictions for the art market.

Finally, the sunniest news for even sunnier times: this summer from Monday, June 8th through Saturday, June 13th -- VOLTA will present its galleries in a stunning new location. Alongside Art Basel and between the Venice Biennale and the Athens Biennale, VOLTA will be located in the historic landmark building of the Markthalle, the old market hall in the center of Basel, directly behind the main Swiss train station.

VOLTANY
New York, March 5-8, 2009
ny.voltashow.com

VOLTA5
Basel, June 8-13, 2009
voltashow.com