ART BASEL | SATELLITE ART FAIRS

Fed by Basel, independent fairs gain fresh fans

Art fairs thriving on the popularity of Basel are doing a brisk business showcasing the work of newer artists.

BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO, LYDIA MARTIN AND DANIEL CHANG

dchang@MiamiHerald.com

There is a parallel universe to Art Basel Miami Beach, and art lovers in South Florida don't have to go far to find it.

In hotels along Collins Avenue, across Biscayne Bay in public parks and under massive tents in Wynwood, more than two dozen art fairs independent of the behemoth Art Basel are churning out an alternative art experience through this weekend.

The number of independent art fairs is double last year's count of 12. The reasons for their growth are as varied as the art niches they fill -- from fashion photography and West Coast artists to interior design and works on paper.

To be sure, the satellite fairs are riding the continued success of Art Basel Miami Beach, which is considered the most important fair of its kind in North America.

But they're also cashing in on an exuberant contemporary art market that thrives -- many say largely because of Art Basel -- on an international circuit of festivals.

''There are more people and more fairs,'' noted David Lusk, a gallery owner from Memphis exhibiting at FLOW art fair in the Dorset Hotel on 17th Street and Collins Avenue.

Lusk, who exhibits at six art fairs each year, surmised that this year's explosion of independent festivals may be contributing to what he called ''more calmness'' at Art Basel. ''It's not the aggressive frenzy that last year was,'' he said. But Lusk wasn't complaining. He makes a lot of contacts during Art Basel that pay off throughout the year.

''It's who we meet, not necessarily what we sell,'' he said. ``We're in Memphis, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere, curatorially speaking. But we have clients from all over now because of the fair.''

REINVENTED FAIR

While some fairs help promote lesser-known galleries in off-the-beaten-path locales, others reinvented themselves to better compete with the onslaught of Art Basel. Art Miami, now in its 18th year, found renewed success by rescheduling itself from January to run concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach and moving to a 100,000-square-foot tent in Wynwood.

''I knew we would share the crowd, but I am so pleased,'' beamed director Ilana Vardy. ``It's been good, very good. People are happy.''

Opening on Tuesday, a day earlier than Art Basel did, proved a smart move, Vardy said. Some 4,000 people attended -- ''collectors from all over the country, and gallery owners from other shows,'' she said.

Adding to Art Miami's renewed luster was its reinvention, from a primarily Latin American and classical art event to one that now emphasizes contemporary and New York-centric art.

That change is reflected in the participating galleries -- only 21 of the 99 exhibiting have been in past Art Miami fairs; the rest are new.

Among the Art Miami premieres was the Beijing gallery Chinablue, exhibiting the grand, staged photographs of Wang Quingsong, considered China's most famous contemporary photographer, and paintings by a generation known as ``the cartoon artists.''

Prices ranged from $12,000 to $60,000 for Quingsong's The Glory of Hope, a commentary on China's aspirations for the upcoming Olympic games. Only one painting had sold by early afternoon Wednesday, but general manager James Brodie said he still considered the experience a success.

''If only for meeting new collectors, it is worth being here,'' he said. ``It would be nice to have more sales and not have to cart everything back, but we look to future sales.''

Likewise, photo Miami and the AIPAD Photography Show, staged by the Association of International Photography Dealers, reported healthy sales and a steady flow of visitors.

Priced at $12,000, the black-and-white The Raft of George W. Bush by Albuquerque-based photographer Joel-Peter Witkin quickly sold out at the Etherton Gallery from Tucson, another first timer in Miami. ''We're pleased,'' said gallery owner Terry Etherton. ``Will we return? Yes, I think so.''

One person who sees the fairs from the perspective of buyer and seller is long-time Miami art dealer José Alonso, who has a booth at photo Miami and is shopping the fairs for his clients.

Alonso said he noticed a different approach by gallerists at Art Basel this year.

''Last year, I couldn't get them to hold a single piece. Everything went right then and there,'' he said.

'Yesterday, I asked them to hold two pieces, and today I asked them to hold it another hour for me because I was tied up with a client and they said, `Sure.' That gives you an idea of how things are,'' he said. ``But at the end of the journey, whoever has good stock will sell.''

One Miami artist providing good stock is Carlos Betancourt, gauging by the rash of red dots (indicating a sale) covering the Scope Miami booth of Jack the Pelican Presents, a New York gallery selling prints by Betancourt.

POPULAR ARTIST

By Thursday afternoon, Betancourt's works had amassed 16 dots and counting. The savvy Betancourt fan at Scope (held under a tent in Wynwood's Roberto Clemente Park) bought early.

Medium-size prints of Betancourt's The Hedge, a wall-sized work on display at the Diana Lowenstein Gallery in Wynwood, sold for $1,400 for the first edition. A second edition of the same print is now priced at $2,400.

Prices for other Betancourt prints also are climbing at Scope, buoyed by buyers' familiarity with the artist, said gallerist Eva Frosch.

''He is very popular, not just in Miami, but a lot of places,'' she said. ``And people remember [Betancourt's The Cut Out Army, prints of which are also available at Scope] from the convention center last year, and from being on the cover of the Miami Herald Basel magazine. So now they walk in and see it and recognize it and want it.''

At Pulse Miami in Wynwood, gallery owners reported strong attendance and sales, even compared to last year, when art hung on walls for barely an hour before collectors snapped them up.

Carlos Durán, owner of Barcelona's Galeria Senda, said he sold two large pieces by Finnish photographer Ola Kolehmainen, at $18,000 each, almost immediately after opening Thursday. Durán also quickly moved a $50,000 painting by Karin Kneffel of Germany.

''I've been exhibiting at Pulse from the beginning and before that Art Miami for years. I would say this is our best year and it's only Thursday,'' Durán said.

At GEISAI Miami, founded six years ago by artist Takashi Murakami , bootleg versions of works by famous contemporary artists, repainted by artist Eric Doeringer, sold for $200-$250.

Even more popular were the postage stamps Doeringer had printed, featuring the faces of several art world figures, including Art Basel's outgoing director Sam Keller and Miami collectors Don and Mera Rubell.

''I have very few of the stamps left,'' said Doeringer. ``And the cool thing is that we're selling without having to deal with collectors and dealers and all of that stuff.''