artPark: The Affordable Art Fair

As we reported earlier, Migration will be an exhibitor at this year’s Affordable Art Fair in New York City. The AAF will be held in the Metropolitan Pavilion/Altman Building in Chelsea from June 12-15. There will be a special VIP preview cocktail party during the evening of June 11. Over 70 international galleries will be exhibiting. Keep tabs on the happenings at the AAF website (and here too, of course).

For the Fair, we have selected to show the best work from these six artists: Brian Mallman, Alan Dehmer, Foust, Arturo Mallmann, Joachim Knill and Randall Stoltzfus. Why did we pick them? The price and media constraints of the Fair were a factor - you gotta follow the rules. But, first and foremost, their work reflects a passionate engagement with the contemporary world necessary to allow their work to stand out. With their art, they put you directly in this mess the world is in and pull you out of it. There is no higher purpose for art than to possess these twin powers.

To explain the second reason we chose them, we must turn to a recent article written by Blake Gopnik of the Washington Post. While discussing the recent unveiling of the MLK memorial model, Gopnik discusses the rise in importance of figurative art. For us, Blake’s words had the uncomfortable ring of truth. (Note: I am loathe to agree with Gopnik, so I figure (pardon the pun) what he said must be, at the very least, true-ish.) In the article, Gopnik said:

What would a monument to King look like that was as forward-looking, as change-inspired as the man himself? I've no clear idea. It would probably be figurative, like most of today's best art. Abstraction has lost the power it once had to make us think in terms of big ideas; it's mostly come to have the feel of lobby decoration.

If you interpret "figurative" broadly, as one must, then all of the works we will be exhibiting at AAF are figurative. None of them let you pass by without being changed, like lobby decoration. That is exactly why we are putting our gallery’s resources behind them.

And so that you can get a sampling of what Migration will be exhibiting at AAF - even if you can’t make it to NYC - we have created an AAF Photo Album in the sidebar with images of some of the art we’ll be exhibiting. Consider it a pre preview. And, if you see anything you have to have, let us know before we load it into the van.

Finally, if you might be in NYC in mid-June and want to attend the AAF, please contact us and we might be able to send you complimentary tickets… if we still have some.

Alan Dehmer - "Seek"