Zatista The premier source for original art online

It’s December 1st and the tenth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach is officially in full swing.

Art installation by Chrisotpher Janney at Miami airport photo: Design Boom

Running through the weekend, Art Basel “features contemporary works by more than 2,000 artists offered from some 265 major galleries representing five continents, as well as an array of events, satellite fairs extending from Miami Beach to vibrant new Miami art districts like Wynwood, and of course the jet-set parties roaring up and down the Art Deco corridors of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue,” says Time’s Global Spin blog.

Works by artist Jeff Koons at Rubell Family Collection photo: Jeff Koons

Miami billionaire and art collector extraordinaire Norman Braman (who helped bring Art Basel to Florida) tells Global Spin, “There’s no question that this is now the foremost art fair in the U.S.”

Installation by artist Paulo Nazareth at Mendes Wood photo: GalleristNY

The fair’s tenth anniversary will inaugurate a new collaboration with the Bass Museum of Art on the Art Public sector, which will transform Collins Park with unique artworks and performances by renowned artists and emerging talents. For the first time, Art Video will be presented free to the public in SoundScape Park on the large-scale outdoor projection wall of the New World Center, designed by Frank Gehry.

Installation by artist Mike Kelley at Tony Shafrazi Gallery photo: GalleristNY

If the main event is not your cup of tea, follow Huffington Post’s Miami blog for daily reports on the best under-the-radar happenings. There are, quite literally, hundreds of different events going on daily in Miami this weekend. There’s something for everyone during the Miami fair season.

Lanvin's Disco Tableau at The Rubell Family Collection photo: Huffington Post

And when your appetite for art is fully satisfied, head over to the Electric Pickle to check out the beachy club scene and kick back or find your groove via the sounds of Culpirt. If it turns out that music or a 24 hour party is a better fit for you, return to Miami in March for Winter Music Conference.

Jennifer Rubell in front of her installation "Incubation" at Rubel Family Collection photo: Huffington Post

Finally, here’s StyleCaster‘s list of eight artists not to be missed at the Miami fairs. By all means, enjoy! And don’t forget to report your findings back to us here on WallSpin.

Related articles

• Art Basel Miami: How the Seaside City Became a Cultural Hotspot (globalspin.blogs.time.com)
• Scene City: At Art Basel Miami Beach, Insiders Meet Newcomers – Scene City (nytimes.com)
• Live Blogging From Art Basel Miami Beach (LIVE BLOG) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Your Guide to Miami’s Art Basel (marieclaire.com)

Our booth at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC September 21- 25, 2011

On behalf of everyone behind the scenes at Zatista, I’m happy to report that we had a great time showing at the Affordable Art Fair in New York a couple weeks ago. If you don’t live in NY or couldn’t make the fair, we’re bringing this redux straight to your living room, desk and mobile device. In case you haven’t yet noticed, we love bringing the art right to you!

Shoppers at AAF

We were fortunate to bring several wonderful Zatista artists with us to the fair. We’re just sorry we could bring everyone! This year, the artists showing in our booth were: Katherine Fraser, Norman Lerner, Ken Horne, Lisa Caccioppoli, Susan Grissom, David Pettibone, Warren Keating, and Maude Andrade. We had two fabulous guest speakers also:

Mr Jon Call

Our recent Guest Curator Jon Call, interior designer and founder of Mr Call Designs, talked about how to find and use art in interiors. He talked about identifying locations he calls the “12 o’clocks” in your home and suggested focusing your artwork in these locations. The “12 o’clocks” are the spots where you enter a room or turn a corner and straight ahead is a major focus wall – it could be the end of a hallway or a big blank wall that you notice immediately as you enter a room. The crowd was captivated and inspired by Jon’s insightful ideas.

Kelley Carter on left

Kelley Carter, Sr. Home Market Editor at Real Simple, talked to the crowd about how to place art in your home. As Kelley herself admits, she is “obsessed with decorating” and her enthusiasm was palpable. As expected, Kelley’s ideas were smart and refreshing. Kelley was a real crowd pleaser!

Kelley Carter talking to the crowd

Again, a big thanks from Zatista to each of the artists and speakers who participated. It was great fun for us to get out from behind our computers to meet and greet buyers in person.

Would you believe me if I told you there’s a place you could shop for art where it’s proven that you don’t need to be an art expert or a billionaire to have original works of art by living artists in your home or office? No? Well, it’s true! In fact, there are two places I can think of which meet this requirement: Zatista (of course) and the Affordable Art Fair.

Drop by and say “Hi” to us (we’re friendly!) Booth A-10 at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City next weekend, September 22-25. Works by the following Zatista artists will be exhibited: Katherine Fraser, Norman Lerner, Ken Horne, Lisa Caccioppoli, Susan Grissom, David Pettibone, Warren Keating, and Maude Andrade. Plus, we’d really, really love to see you.

It’s a casual and inviting atmosphere, suitable for anyone who’s ever been intimidated by a gallery before. Here’s a peek at what the fair has to offer:

Affordable Art Fair Spring 2011 NYC from Affordable Art Fair on Vimeo.

We look forward to meeting you!

Veterans say Burning Man isn’t what it used to be. I suppose, when articles appear in the Home & Garden section of the New York Times depicting people showing up to the festival in accommodations like this, I can understand why that may be true. What’s more, this year the festival sold out in advance for the first time in its 25-year history. Regardless of how times have changed, this vintage Airstream is one cool ride.

photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

In addition to its distinctive design, the juxtaposition of this trailer’s overhauled interior vs. the energy of burning man is intriguing. The interior has a Moorish theme whose nomadic culture appropriately reflects some of the concepts behind Burning Man.

photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

According to the New York Times, “Among those attending [the festival] this year are neophytes Rachel Horn, 43, a Los Angeles interior designer, and Justin Kreizel, 33, her husband and business partner, who gutted and renovated a 180-square-foot 1969 Airstream trailer for the trip. The trailer, which they found on Craigslist for $5,000, has a working kitchen and a full bathroom, a living room, a bedroom and plenty of storage space.

photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

The Times continues, “(Their budget for the entire project, including the trailer itself, was $20,000; as of this writing, what they actually spent had not been determined, but Ms. Horn said they had “gone way, way over budget.”)”

photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

Needless to say, the airstream’s interior is filled with high end finishes one would not usually find in a trailer: custom cabinets, Carrera marble, stainless steel appliances, and a fancy cappuccino machine.

photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

My favorite fact from this article is that Rachel has never been camping before. Funny, huh? I can’t help but be impressed by how this rookie rolls out. And to Burning Man, no less. I wonder where their campsite will be on the playa? Who will their neighbors be?

photo: hilong2 James Price flickr.com

Burning Man 2011: August 29 – September 5. Long live Black Rock City.

Following the Moving Image fair, Zatista strolled over to the Independent on Chelsea’s gallery-lined 22nd Street. The second year running, the Independent art fair likes to think of itself as “the fair that’s not a fair.” Tucked away into the former space of the Dia Art Foundation‘s X Initiative, this four floor showcase of cutting edge art has generated a big buzz, and hosts striking younger galleries, predominantly with an international/Euro-centric flavor.

photo: Peter Dobey

art by Virginia Overton photo: Peter Dobey

GOING UP…

photo: Peter Dobey

This fair also prides itself as being an “art fair without walls” which exudes a certain avant-garde authenticity and perhaps a lack of organization as well. Here, a gallery attendant from the Brussels Galerie Jan Mot sits next to an important video work by Manon de Boer. “Laurien, March 1996 – Laurien, September 2001 – Laurien,  October 2007″ portrays a woman reading the daily newspaper at different times over the span of many years:

video by Manon de Boer photo: Peter Dobey

A splash of color and sexiness is provoked by this bell jar holding the bottom portion of a mannequin leg. Modeling purple stockings, “American Leg” is both an ambiguous and fashionable sculpture by the glossy yet critical German born artist Josephine Meckseper of Elizabeth Dee Gallery, NYC:

photo: Peter Dobey

art from Elizabeth Dee Gallery photo: Peter Dobey

Going Down…..

photo: Peter Dobey

These colorful, loose-knit paintings by British born, Berlin-based artist Dan Rees at the New Galerie in Paris seemed to exemplify the spirit of the Independent with their carefully crafted semblance of untidiness and pizzazz:

art by Dan Rees photo: Peter Dobey

art by Dan Rees photo: Peter Dobey

Everyone ended up at the closing soirée, which included music and an epicurean café by Bidoun Magazine. Due to the cold New York weather, the party which was ON the roof was under one as well. Of all the week’s fairs, the Independent was my favorite for its fresh and experimental programming and its inventive presentation. Its simple yet refreshing ambience was a breath of fresh air from the sometimes overwhelming abundance of the art fair week.

photo: Peter Dobey

But most of all it reminded me of the most important reasons for going to the fairs and collecting art in the first place – pure fun and enjoyment.
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