The current art market in the Bay Area is precarious. Two of the City’s three major art fairs disappeared last spring, galleries are getting evicted and artists are leaving due to unimpressive sales and rising rents. Curators from San Francisco and Oakland alike are racking their brains about how to appeal to the growing class of Twitterati. There is a disconnect between the Bay Area’s influx of wealth and its art. Tucked away in suburban San Mateo, just south of SF, Art Silicon Valley was envisioned as a fair that would entice the tech elite. With Maserati as a sponsor and only high-end galleries allowed, this was the glitzy answer to DIY endeavors that have been popping up recently (like Art Beats,covered here).
Regardless of one’s stance on the Bay Area’s rapid gentrification, it’s clear that a new approach is needed to keep the arts viable. The selection of galleries at Art Silicon Valley was refreshing. The event was put together by Art Miami, the organization behind several annual Basel Week fairs in December, and felt truly cosmopolitan. Art Silicon Valley was like a playground. There was a heavy emphasis on unusual materials, surprising effects and optical illusions. Read more on Hi-Fructose.
