Went to the NY Affordable Art Fair last week and took some shots. Large show w a solid variety of work. Nothing very edgy as one would expect at AAF where the emphasis is more on collectors and work that is "within reach." If you want edgy, hit Armory and the other shows. I always look for trends and noticed two. On the interesting side, there were some wonderful, almost introspective, still -lifes. Uncluttered, naturalistic, and executed well. I think with all the chaos in the world, there's a longing, or even a need, for work like that. The adjective that kept coming to mind w alot of these works was "calm."
On the other end, two trends I'm not crazy about. Several drip paintings and elements of drippiness, I attribute this to the fad of acrylic drip painting classes that are trendy at the moment. The drip doesnt bother me much, but the "shmear" does. Too many artists doing portraits w layers of impasto, then shmearing the painted face w a trowel or large palette knife (see last photo). All process, no substance.
However, all in all, AAF was an enjoyable show and lived up to its name of presenting some solid "affordable" art.
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