ABMB is the perfect expression of an Urban Entertainment Center

After a hectic week during which the 38th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach took place in Miami in conjunction with numerous other art fairs, Wynwood Magazine spoke with Paco Barragán, who curated together with Nina Arias The Expanded Painting Show for MASH Miami, and who also participated actively with PhotoMiami as artistic advisor and Head of the Selection Committee. Barragán is currently finishing a book on art fairs, curatorial practices, and collecting. Wynwood, The Art Magazine shared some post-Miami impressions with him.   

RAPPEL A L’ORDRE

WAM - What did you think of the selection offered at the 38^th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach? This year Art Basel Miami Beach could be characterized as being a little on the conservative side.

Paco Barragán - I think Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) reflects the conservative times we are living in, and as thus it showcases more established art works since that is what the big collectors and museums usually look for. It is interesting to see a correlation between the period after 9/11 and the period after 1915 as both share what Cocteau called the “Rappel à l’ordre”, a Return to Order, heralded by Saatchi’s “The Triumph of Painting.” All this buzz with the Leipzig, Dresden School and Neo Rauch and this sort of social capitalist or late surrealist painting is perfectly in line with the classic return of Picasso, Derain, Severini, Carrà, and even Malevitz at the beginning of the 20th century. So there is nothing new under the sun, only a brand that appeals to “Germanity” and “German roots” for the international art market. Anyway, you will not find too many emerging artists here, although there were some interesting proposals at Super Nova in galleries like The Breeder Athens, Ellen De Bruijne or Birch Libralato. I particularly enjoyed parallel art fairs like NADA, Scope, Pulse, or even PhotoMiami much more as they had a more emerging proposal and they were not as crowded as ABMB, and engaging in dialogue with the gallerist was possible. Remember what E.F.Schumacher said: “Small is beautiful.” Fairs are headed more and more towards more focused and smaller events. 

THE ART FAIR AS URBAN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER (UEC)

 WAM - Was curatorial effort evident in the offering of galleries participating in

Art Basel?

Paco Barragán - Well, it is difficult to find curatorial effort at ABMB except for a very small group of galleries as most of them hang as much as they can in order to sell as much work as possible. I can perfectly understand that since art fairs are the expression par excellence of the art market. Sam Keller said in an interview for The Art Newspaper that “Art Basel is not a shopping mall”. I don’t think that that was a very happy statement, -although this year to some people ABMB may look more like a shopping mall than ever, see Teresa Margolles’ jewelry at Kilchmann Gallery, the Supermarket at Shangart Gallery, the Hair Cut by Cary Kwok at Herald St, or the ATM Machine by Elmgren & Dragset at Massimo de Carlo- as it may makes us think just exactly the opposite. We want to believe that art is not just a high-end luxury product, but that there is something more intellectual, spiritual or personal involved in it. Call it what you like. I see art fairs mainly as Urban Entertainment Centers (UEC) -and particularly ABMB- that, within the experience economy, offer an intense art experience where not only art is being seen or bought, but also cocktail parties and openings are being attended, collectors houses are being opened to visitors, and of course parties and after hours are being celebrated. So an art fair is not just a show, but a funky experience.

COLLECTOR’S MOTIVATION PYRAMID AND KARAOKE COLLECTORS

WAM - Do you believe that market demand or interest on the part of collectors can determine or influence exhibit offerings at these art fairs?

Paco Barragán - We are living in exciting times and roles are shifting. In terms of the market, collecting practices, and collectors, especially in the USA, there is great confusion fuelled by money and power, but not by knowledge. Let me explain myself. I have always understood the role of a collector as a Maecenas or a patron: someone that supports the arts, buys art, sponsors museums, donates works to museums or helps museums buy certain works of art according to the guidelines of a curatorial team.

I understand that the arts and the art scene are very attractive and that on a collector’s motivation pyramid social capital or social acknowledgement is at the base, and intellectual capital at the top. However, now we go far beyond social prestige and we find ourselves with the collector as prescriber telling the professionals in museums, art centers and other institutions what has to be bought and what is good or bad. This is absolutely crazy and weird. Consider that most of us dedicate maybe 60 hours a week to traveling, writing, and reading about art and that even we make mistakes; so the knowledge of a collector whose dedication is infinitely much less can’t be the same! As if I were to tell Mr. Saatchi or Mr. Broad how to run their companies. That is absolutely ridiculous. Everybody needs to know his or her place. The problem these days is that some collectors have become trendsetters. No matter what they buy, legions of other collectors and art advisors buy what they buy. So we have what one could call, paraphrasing the book “Karaoke Capitalism” by Jonas Ridderstrale and Kjell Nordström, karaoke collecting and karaoke collectors: most of the collectors are just copying what 2 or 3 buy! We could even use cultural critic Robert Pfaller’s concept of “interpassivity” as opposed to interactivity in the sense of delegated pleasure or delegated consumption -see for example soap operas where laughter and applause are already included in the show. Thus, many collectors buy what they think they should buy or what other respected or acknowledged collectors buy. So, in this sense they are delegating their pleasure; as for me, the first rule of collecting is “buy only what you like.” If we don’t buy what we like, we take the fun out of the arts and we would do better investing in bricks or bonds, and I believe that is just what makes art so different from other investments. Now we have arrived at a point where collectors impose exhibitions on museums just because they have works by this or that artist. If it is their own private space, it’s fine, but when we are talking about a public museum, then it is absolutely wrong. They should let the professionals do their work and support their decisions. Now we also have the collector-dealer who is selling works he has bought recently. Anyway, it seems that the spiritual is only in blue-chip artists!   

STAGING AN EXPERIENCE

WAM - Art Basel Miami Beach has incorporated guided tours, programs which include performances, film, video, sound art, books launches, conferences, round tables, seminars, etc. with a view to combining the commercial with the cultural at this show. How do you view this formula?

Paco Barragán - In the aforementioned interview (The Art Newspaper, December 5, Page 5), Sam Keller talks about one of his greatest achievements being the fact that “Art Basel has developed as an event which combines commercial and cultural goals. We don’t even use the term ‘fair’ anymore to describe Art Basel, we call it an art ‘show’ which is more appropriate.” Of course Sam Keller did a great job, and it was very courageous of him to continue Miami Beach after 9/11, and Miami wouldn’t exist in the art world were it not for Sam Keller, or at least not like it exists now. Of course Sam Keller has turned ABMB into the maximum expression of this model. However, we should honor history and the fact is that the art fair as an event was already invented by ARCO in the 80s, not by Art Basel, and all the other fairs have just copied ARCO’s model. When ARCO began we had 40 years of dictatorship behind us and Spain was disconnected from contemporary art, and the lack of collectors forced ARCO to become more than an art fair and to organize panels, parties, museum openings, after hours, and so on. This model has been copied by Art Basel and the rest ever since. I would recommend viewing an art fair more as an experience than an art show. We live basically in an experience economy according to Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, and we want to have new experiences. Good art is not enough by itself; it needs to stage a great experience. That explains why art fairs in places like Miami, or MACO in Mexico, CIRCA in Puerto Rico or Art Shanghai can easily position themselves internationally very quickly since they offer new and exotic experiences.

WAM - As you well know, in the last few years other fairs, such as Scope, Photo Miami, NADA, PULSE, amongst others, and more recently ArtMiami, have taken advantage of the avalanche of collectors and art lovers who descend upon South Florida during Art Basel Miami Beach, transferring their centers of operation to Miami during the first week of December. How do you feel about what these fairs had to offer this year as compared to Art Basel?

Paco Barragán - I think these fairs are a good complement to Art Basel in the sense that they offer more emerging art and it is always good to see more options. At NADA, Pulse, and Scope there were good proposals at good and affordable prices. Also PhotoMiami had a really interesting selection away from the traditional photo fair with many galleries exhibiting photo-based work, conceptual photography, video and new media. These parallel art fairs benefit from Art Basel, but Art Basel also benefits from them as there is a wider scope for collectors and art professionals, making the trip to Miami much more interesting.

 ART FAIR CURATORS

WAM - Each year there is an increase in the number of galleries, as well as in the number of fairs taking place during Art Basel week. Do you consider this a stable trend or a kind of “bubble effect?”

Paco Barragán - Well, art fairs aren’t good or bad, it’s just what you make of them. Just like globalization, it has surely some good effects on poverty, child labor, and slavery. Fortunately, more and more curators are getting involved with art fairs -what I have coined as art fair curators- and we try to create funkier and more intellectually- challenging art fairs. As such, art fairs are intrepid and agile curatorial platforms where you can get projects off the ground on the spot. The show I curated f.e. at PhotoMiami -The Last Painting Show- with works from galleries exhibiting at the fair, is an example of how we can make art fairs more interesting. Many curators are getting more and more involved with the market -see Sophie Cay Rabinowitz at Art Basel, Andrea Bellini at Artissima, Amanda Coulson at the Volta Show…- and it is more than just a trend. Now, what has happened in Miami is really interesting -I know that many collectors and especially gallerists hate this excess- as Miami is putting the art system and the art fair madness to the test. However, as I always say, it is about making choices, you don’t need to see them all, but I’m happy I have much more to choose from. What is happening in Miami is amazing because no other art fair in the world, not even Art Basel, has been able to generate so many parallel art fairs. What’s going to happen in the future? Mr. Darwin knows all about it; the fairs that are not really focused or don’t sell well will disappear. Nevertheless, I believe that Miami has room enough for at least 5 or 6 art fairs parallel to ABMB.

A POST-BASEL EVENT

WAM - How do you visualize the future of the Miami art scene?

Paco Barragán - In general terms I have great confidence in Miami and I see that in maybe 10 years, if the city keeps on investing in visual arts, it can become one of the most important cultural destinations in the US. Capitalism is on the move. It is not about production anymore; it is about differentiating yourself and branding yourself as a city. Therefore, you have to stop the karaoke and reinvent yourself as a city and do something else. Miami has reinvented herself with ABMB and parallel art fairs and has come up with a highly competitive and unique concept. Networking in the art world has never been as intense as it is here. Having said that, I really think Miami needs a post-Basel scene as everything occurs during these three weeks. So, it would be important to have an art event sometime in April or May; different, more low-scale, intimate but more theoretical, if you like, to remind the rest of the art world of Miami’s existence. I have heard rumors about a possible biennale, and that is karaoke again! The biennale is absolutely passé, démodé. It belongs to the 90s, and many biennales have been discontinued or just aren’t that important anymore. Besides, is there a big difference between Venice and an art fair? We should stop lazy thinking -just like the booths and food at art fairs: so horrible and user unfriendly!- and come up with something new, a new concept, with new people. Right now I’m involved as artistic director and curator with a project called SOS 4.8 in Murcia, Spain. It is a.o. about cultural, urban, visual, and touristic sustainability, with 48-hour, non-stop artistic creation as a work in progress, where the audience participates with the visual arts, visual jockeying, performance, net art, music, and panels. Thus, we are trying to get a new format off the ground, and likewise, it is important to make Miami exist artistically beyond Art Basel Miami Beach.