Contemporary Art Fair By: Jacqueline Penhos
Hundreds of artists and exhibitors, Art San Diego an Art lovers dream come true. Artists, Parties, Exhibitors, Art Labs, Talks and Events. Writing about an Art show rarely gives the experience justice, however I will do my best to provide a virtual journey. San Diego is one of the most diverse cities in the country, but it’s not just geographic diversity that makes us unique. For example, the artists in San Diego bring about their own culture with a splash of love, light and hope. For example, such local artists as, “James T. Hubbell, Ingrid Groce, Raul Guerrero! Roberto Salas, and Margaret Noble demonstrate a huge artistic range.
There were eight Art labs curated by local entities, mostly academic. Among them this year are the Museum of photographic Arts, the Oceanside Museum of Art, the San Diego Mesa College Art department, the new school of architecture, and the San Diego Museum of Art. There were furniture designers, Art galleries, multimedia projects and interactive exhibits. During our time, we had the opportunity to meet artists from Mexico City, Atlanta, Georgia and a few from our own backyard.
“This year’s theme, [ COLLIDE ] lived up to its name – with numerous fantastic creative collisions occurring at the fair. One attendee described it as a “living environment” of creativity. Highlights included an exhibition featuring the sculpture work of James Watts juxtaposed against a 50’ long mural by Japanese artist Shinichi Sugimoto “City of Gravity” – a stunning pairing; a large exhibition of rare, newly discovered photographs from Robert Mapplethorpe, THE AGENCY – 1983, his first fashion photography commission in NYC; and The Salon Project: paintings by Raul Guerrero featuring portraits of of John Baldessari, Robert Matheny and Erika Torri.”
“Performance highlights included a piece by performance artist Avery Lawrence entitled “Mowing the Lawn” – which became a media favorite during the week with front page stories in City Beat, Pacific San Diego and Riviera Magazine. The Art Lab designed by the New School of Architecture Students from the Alpha Rho Chi, and
their dynamic and movable designs for the fair’s center lounge, was also a huge success. The Silent Disco event took on a life of its own with headset – wearing music lovers roaming the fair orchestrated by the music of DubLab choreographing flash mob scenes at random times throughout the evening. Art Talk with rock photography icon Henry Diltz attracted hundreds of rapt listeners.”
I love when ideas come to life, the phrase “from concept to completion” creates a whole new meaning when we are able to see someone’s visualization in Art. I’m a lover of many things, but nothing makes me smile like an abstract piece, a painting, sculpture, poem, or art in motion, best known as live Art. Attending Art SD 2013 reminded me of the true beauty behind each artists passion, knowledge, and personal purpose.
Enjoy the eclectic review of the energy one can look forward to when they attend Art SD next year.
