Quick Overview of Artexpo New York 2011

I returned home late last night after a very enjoyable visit to International Artexpo New York 2011, held at Pier 94 in New York City. For many years, I visited the show when it was held at the Jacob Javits Center about 20 blocks south of Pier 94. Pier 94 is located at 55th Street and 12th Ave, and this year’s event has over 400 exhibitors from more than 20 countries. According to the show catalog, “This year, Artexpo New York celebrates 33 years of collaboration with the fine art community and art enthusiasts from around the globe.”

What I like most about Artexpo is the huge diversity of art throughout the show, including sculpture, painting, photography, mixed media and more. As in the past, original oil paintings as well as reproductions (usually described as “giclée on canvas”) dominate the walls of the show. Artist originals are one-of-a-kind works, so the reproductions offered by many artists and/or galleries make it possible for a larger audience to own art that they like. The multiple print concept is not new (for example, photographers who sell prints almost always sell multiple prints of a specific image), and in booths where both original paintings and reproductions were located, I found it interesting trying to guess which prints were originals and which were reproductions before reading the placards that described the prints. In many cases, it was very difficult to tell.

Below are just a few of the exhibitors whose work caught my eye. In this overview, I focus mainly on photography-related artists and exhibitors, but I also included the work of some painters and mixed media artists. If you are planning to attend Artexpo in the future, I’d give yourself at least six hours to properly take in the whole show (with a few much needed breaks for your eyes and feet in between). The many educational workshops (free with your show admission fee) offered during the show should also be considered by anyone who is in the business of creating or selling art.

Artist: Blaise Arnold
Lili-Ubel Gallery, Paris – Booth 752
Website: www.lili-ubelgallery.com
Comments: This gallery is exhibiting a group large-scale photographs (about four feet tall) featuring exquisite night scenes in Paris. They are super-glossy (I believe they are face mounted to acrylic).  You can view the images online here.

Artist: Kwan-Woo Lee
Able Fine Art, New York – Booth 929
Website: www.ablefineartny.com
Comments: This gallery is exhibiting a number of artists, including an artist whose work stopped me in my tracks – Kwan-Woo Lee. Lee’s works are large-scale assemblies of rubber stamps, arranged in ways that create a larger overall image (similar to photo mosaics). In most cases, the stamps contain Chinese characters, but I’ve also seen some pieces containing stamps of animals and various objects.  You can find more work (including some close-ups that show amazing details) by Kwan-Woo Lee here.

Artist: Sean Flynn
Coral Canyon Publishing, Los Angeles – Booth 911
Website: www.facebook.com/seanmflynnphotography?v=info
Comments: Photographer Sean Flynn is showing about 20 images-most of them framed and about 16×20 inches in size, and some about 30×40 inches in size. Sean Flynn utilizes HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography, and I found many of his images to be quite stunning. You can view the photos from the show, as well as many more of his photos on his Flickr page here.

Artist: Malteste
Malteste Expressionist Photography – Booth 1006
Website: www.malteste.com
Comments: This photographer is exhibiting about twenty large-scale photographs featuring outstanding nature and wildlife imagery. Like the work of Arnold Blaise, they are super-glossy, with no frame (Maltese calls the finishing technique “Plexi-arts”). His website contains over 70 of his images, but as with most artwork, seeing them in person is the best way to experience them.

One of the areas at Artexpo is called the SOLO pavilion. It’s not unlike other areas of the show, but the booths are generally a bit smaller, and reserved for independent artists to show their work. I was very impressed by the work I saw there, including the paintings of Vanessa Sheldon, who showed just a handful of pieces that were both beautiful and quite “calming,” thanks to their muted colors and nautical themes. For more information, or to see more of her work, visit her website below:

Artist: Vanessa Sheldon
Vanessa Sheldon, Nicholville, NY
Website: www.vanessasheldon.com

Below is a link to the Artexpo SOLO photo gallery over the years on Flickr.com. It really gives a sense of what it’s like at the show (you can view it full-screen by clicking on the button in the bottom right corner of the gallery below):

And to see more Flickr galleries from the show, visit this page.

I often announce events like this on my Facebook page, which you can see here. And for more info about this year’s show, or future Artexpos, visit www.artexpos.com.