Report/Gossip: SOFA NY 2012
I have probably been to 30 SOFA shows over the years. Probably more than that. SO let me give you my take on this one.
We'll start with the entrance. There was a new layout. They hired David Ling and gave up at least 10 booth spaces to create a more designed and elegant space. More design, less mercantile. And the entry and the openness of the booths were a pleasure. The large space in the center was arranged with benches facing in toward the middle, which was occupied by...nothing. Vivian Beer's bench would have been a stunning centerpiece. Perhaps the designer didn't realize that this event had something to do with objects. I understand Management's desire to make this show distinctive in the face of numerous competing "art fairs," but I can't quite understand the positioning. Design? No... Fine objects? Unclear. Could they have "curated" the show to give a specific point of view? Could they have positioned it just below but contiguous to the art market?
The opening night event had the best buzz/vibe that I have felt in years. A gathering of the Tribe with no overhanging disasters (Madoff or the stock market). Though the slow recovery of the economy seemed to underlay everything. Little buying on the first night, but there seldom has been, recently. To get to the opening night, set up was generally judged to be the worst ever. They rented the Armory for one day less than usual, taking away from the set up. General craziness. Painters still painting booths and correcting layout mistakes until late in the afternoon. Part of this may have been a result of SOFA's decision to go into the display renting business. Rumor has it they are providing the displays for Frieze, which opens this weekend. Perhaps that's why I never received the 4 pedestals that Bill ordered. They also added Monday. Why they added the extra day is a mystery to me. For most of the day the halls look like bowling alleys, with a few random pins at the other end.
The mix of galleries has changed though I think this is generally for the better. Less glass, and you could almost hear the air hissing out of the deflating glass bubble. A standard glass gallery discussion could begin with "We'll give you 20% off." Many of the galleries struggled, though it looked as though most broke even. Del Mano was not represented, having declared bankruptcy, so the surviving wood turners were scattered around. Clay was actually extremely well represented, with Lacoste being a highlight. A number of Coopers were sold at above $30,000, so historical clay was holding up well.The gossip about jewelry was that they were looking for alternatives, wherever they might be.
One of the efforts on SOFAs part to bridge the Craft/Design chasm was the designer's morning. They have tripled the attendance in the last three years, and there finally does seem to be some awareness in the design world that there are some discreet objects available in places besides designer show rooms. Unfortunately, SOFAs AV system was reminiscent of a 60s high school assembly. The sound system carried about half way through the audience, and those in back, giving up, were talking amongst themselves making it doubly hard to hear anything. They really should invest in some more contemporary technology. Bigger screens, more speakers.
Leslie Ferrin's project, Covet - Art + Objects, was singled out by many of those covering the show as the most interesting presentation. That kind of thing has been going on in the art world for 5-10 years. So will the craft galleries continue playing catch up with the art world or could they find some vision that is entirely their own? Is there a vision that could be entirely their own?
All of the above is hampered by no real published information about sales, gate, etc. to judge how the fair is really doing.
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