Works by Wendell Castle (produced by R & Co), Luis Cruz Azaceta (presented by George Adams Gallery), and Marsha Hafif (presented by Franklin Parrasch) at That '70s Show
Remember when Frieze New York was new? It feels like eons ago. Back in 2012, the import of London’s latest concept for a market moment shook up the sleepy Armory Show and smaller outfits that have since pivoted a zillion times, some folding, others like Volta pushing for a comeback to offer something distinct. Add in Independent, and by 2014, the New York art press was declaring “Fair Fatigue” — I would know, we atArt+Auction(RIP) ran an editorial with that headline. Oh, such sweet naiveté!
Fast forward a decade, and here we have an arts landscape that at once feels static — enclosed by corporate overhead and confining real estate influence — but equally as agile (or fragile, depending on your disposition) and ever-shifting. “You know, the game has changed radically. And if you’re not hip to what that is, it’s just gonna pass you by. So you have to think about different ways to engage,” said Eric Firestone, the Hamptons-based, bespeckled gallerist whose Great Jones St. loft space is hosting the second edition of That ’70s Show. Eighteen fellow galleries have joined in for the art fair, which runs through the weekend, including Andrew Kreps, Franklin Parrasch, Magenta Plains, Karma, and Gordon Robichaux. “There’s no ‘big box’ gallery,” Firestone told me.
The premise is simple: The work must be from the 1970s. (One dealer snuck in a work from 1969.) Otherwise, “nobody’s had to pay for this,” Firestone explained. “Come in your own way and you only have to deal with your own inquiries” Every dealer receives nearly the same-sized wallspace, and QR codes lead back to a website where interested collectors can contact the dealers … in part because dealers aren’t required to “man the booth,” as there are no booths.