Original Melting Pops Plus Blinged-Out Mix Tapes By Betsy Enzensberger, at Art Unified of Venice, CA (Photos By Gail)
Welcome at last to my much-anticipated photo recap of NYC’s 2023 Affordable Art Fair, Fall Edition! While the event took place back in September, we’ve been busy curating all the best photos for you to savor in the crisp days of October. This fall’s fair was a testament to the enduring allure of this unique art marketplace, offering a vibrant and diverse array of creative expressions that will surely captivate your imagination without putting you in the poorhouse.
Fish Sauce For Your Soul By Nessa Nguyen at Artbean Coffee
As always, the AAF was a bustling hub of artistic energy, where both seasoned collectors and budding art enthusiasts came together to celebrate the power of art. From favorite artists whose work we’ve grown to adore over the years to exciting new discoveries, this virtual tour will attempt to encapsulate the essence of the event, bringing to life the kaleidoscope of colors and inspiration that filled the two-floor exhibition space at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
Art by Marc Quinn, Gavin Turk and Sarah Morris at Manifold Editions, London
Prepare to be enchanted by a diverse range of works spanning various styles and mediums, from paintings to sculptures and everything in between.
Balancing Act c857 By Ross Bonfanti: $7550 at Rebecca Hosack Art Gallery, London
Fara Thomas’ Lollipops Series: $3,000 at Azart Gallery, New York
Colorful geometrics are always an attention-grabber.
These works of acrylic on shaped canvases by artist Linling Lu were spotted in the booth for Arting Gallery of Baltimore. Very fun!
Nigerian artist Toyin Loye uses aluminum cut-outs of geometric shapes to represent the thoughts inside the head of this Lady ($5,000 at Chiefs and Spirits, The Netherlands).
For something truly whimsical and unique, sculptures like Mellll ($1800), comprised of mini inflatables combined with hand-sculpted papier-mâché from artist duo MooknTaka (at Arts Gowanus, Brooklyn) were a hit of the show — and especially popular with the younger art fans !
Artist Myung Nam An’s Eye Series ceramics always remind me of colorful spiny sea urchins. They’re priced from $550 to $2600 each, according to size, from Cube Gallery in London.
The Lurie Gallery of Park City, Utah is where I found this fantastic Murakami DoB / Octopus sculpture, which they were selling for the bargain price $4,000. Sigh. So cool.
Stand-out works spotted in Italy’s Palma Arte Booth include Cherry, a sculpture by Giorgo Laveri, and Enrico Pazzoni’s Identity Loss, both priced at $3,500.
New York-based artist Cristina Vergano blurs the line between painting and sculpture a bit with her modern surrealist works featuring hyper-realist depictions of the human eye. Her entire eye series — priced between $800 and $1750 each — sold out completely on the first night of the show! Cristina is represented by Leonard Tourne Gallery in NYC.
Sarah Rahanjam is a Persian fine artist whose plate series sculptures are both fun and provocative. This piece is $1500 from High Priestess Project.
Fans of Pop Art can find a lot to love at Art Unified Gallery in Venice, California. Besides giving lots of love to the one of our favorite artists, Original Melting Pops sculptress, Betsy Enzensberger (most works under $500), they also represent Corey Paige, whose Smiley Face resin works ($1,850 each) can be seen propped against the wall, and thick-paint artist Mojo. Do some holiday gift art shopping here!
More Collectible Sculptures By Betsy Enzensberger
Someone else who loves to work in resin is artist Alben, who’s always doing something new with the medium. Coca Cola Christ ($2,900) embeds red Coke bottle caps in a clear resin figure of our Lord and Savior for a definitive statement piece for your home. At Nicolas Auvrey Gallery for Galerie l’Atelier, New York.
If you like the color pink, you’ll love this sewn-on-canvas work called Bubble Yum by Kiki Aranita. Find at New York’s Treat Gallery for $3,990. Tactile!
Let’s move on now to explore a variety of paintings, drawings and works on paper in both abstract and realist styles where you’ll find something to suit (almost) every taste.
Coincidentally, Cherie Harte’s They Loved ($3,600 at Spence Gallery) reminds very much of my friends Cristina and Eric (her hair really is that color) who just got married this past summer. I love it.
If you’re going to appropriate, find an original approach, like this Dissected Warhol by Sanuj Burla ($2,800 at Studio3, Mumbai, India).
You can spot the essence of artist Denis Ouch’s street art background in this vibrant work called For 100% Yo (Pink), selling for $4,800 at 1 Dutch Projects, New York.
Over at NYC’s Fremin Gallery, artist Alea Pinar du Pre creates optical illusions with her work, Iris ($12,000) by using cake piping and relief paste without the manipulation of the digital image. Pretty wild!
Purple Hat is limited series of pigment prints by photographer Chervine, which is priced according to the print size. A framed 12 x 18 inch print will set you back $1,400, at Emmanuelle G. Contemporary in Connecticut.
Artist Greg Creason of Creason’s Fine Art, New Orleans
Of course, it can be argued that not all of the best art is on the walls.
I love these small abstract paintings by Alex Voinea, with their tiny vortexes of swirling color. These are super affordable at just $290 each, from i le gallery, based in Catalunya, Spain.
I love this piece so much I didn’t even want to crop it! Free of All Persistent Passion, an archival print under acrylic glass, is by Zhou Hongbin. Priced at $5,400 at Michele Mariaud Gallery in NYC. I find it breathtakingly beautiful.
No one would say that these paintings of desolate interiors by Vanessa Smith don’t encourage imaginative extrapolation. These are priced at $2,300 each from TAG Fine Arts, London.
Here’s conversation starter for you: Opus, a 3D lenticular print of $100 Bills, by Josephine W.H. is available at Able Fine Art of NY for $8,000.
Let’s wrap up the recap with some sweet things, like this flawless rendition of a Cherry Filled donut by Brian Burt. Just $420 at JJ Gallows Studios of New York. Yummy.
People of a certain age might get nostalgic looking at Spin the Bottles by Amanda Coelho, depicting tiny wax bottles filled with sweet syrup that I can recall buying at the candy store as a kid. These childhood memories can be yours for $1,000 from Alida Anderson Art Projects in DC.
Also found at Alida Anderson is Daisy Macaron Duo by Jennifer Kahn Barlow, priced at $800. So clever.
Thanks Affordable Art Fair! See You Next Spring!