The second Buy Art Fair was held this weekend in the Urbis Centre in Manchester and I got to attend with work and see what the North's answer to Frieze was all about.
Featuring over 300 artists presented by 75 galleries, the contemporary art society also presented The Manchester Contemporary - a new platform within the fair dedicated to cutting edge contemporary art. It featured well known London galleries Domobaal, Nettie Horn, Rokeby and, Limoncello. Initially the fair was designed to meet the growing demand for art ownership in the region, there's work that can be bought for most budgets, talks, events, a collectors collection, and education programme for children, all which make it an accessible and event for art lovers a-like.
What I found when I went there was a bit of a mish-mash of galleries, all crammed together in the strangely-organised Urbis space. Some of the work was professional and corporate, craft-based, mainly wall-based and all 'sell-able'. The Manchester Contemporary clearly had the best range of works and of galleries but unfortunately situated on level 3, in a strangely-designed plan few people went to see the experience the work on display. The name of the fair, and even design identity (bubble wrap with Buy Art Fair stickers on) seemed to be so focused on selling I think little attention was actually paid on the quality and range of work displayed, which is a shame as so much more could've been made in the space.
Last year John Dare (Show Director) gloated with reports of £200,000 worth of sales during the weekend, no comments have been made the results of this year as of yet.
Roll on frieze.
Featuring over 300 artists presented by 75 galleries, the contemporary art society also presented The Manchester Contemporary - a new platform within the fair dedicated to cutting edge contemporary art. It featured well known London galleries Domobaal, Nettie Horn, Rokeby and, Limoncello. Initially the fair was designed to meet the growing demand for art ownership in the region, there's work that can be bought for most budgets, talks, events, a collectors collection, and education programme for children, all which make it an accessible and event for art lovers a-like.
What I found when I went there was a bit of a mish-mash of galleries, all crammed together in the strangely-organised Urbis space. Some of the work was professional and corporate, craft-based, mainly wall-based and all 'sell-able'. The Manchester Contemporary clearly had the best range of works and of galleries but unfortunately situated on level 3, in a strangely-designed plan few people went to see the experience the work on display. The name of the fair, and even design identity (bubble wrap with Buy Art Fair stickers on) seemed to be so focused on selling I think little attention was actually paid on the quality and range of work displayed, which is a shame as so much more could've been made in the space.
Last year John Dare (Show Director) gloated with reports of £200,000 worth of sales during the weekend, no comments have been made the results of this year as of yet.
Roll on frieze.
