At the height of summer, art fairs are probably the last thing on anyone’s mind. It is one of the great mercies of the season. But this sense of relief raises a question about art fairs.
If everyone is happier being on an island in the Mediterranean with an occasional trip to an art foundation then why does anyone attend them? Art fairs are a slightly odd phenomenon. Art is best considered in a state of quiet contemplation; piling as much art as possible into a confined space with as many people as possible is no one’s idea of a good time. But for those of us who consider ourselves part of the art world, fairs dictate what we look at and when we look at it.
For convenience, there is very little to rival an art fair. If you are time-poor and want to look at a lot of art quickly, the shape and scale of these events begin to make sense. If you add in the narratives that the fairs tell about themselves and the way dealers respond to them, the pulling power of these gatherings is even clearer.
In the same way that luxury brands have crafted stories about the allure of their clothes and accessories that rest on gilded histories and a glint of exclusivity, some fairs have been able to position themselves as elite or exciting or some other adjective that identifies their role in the minds of their visitors. Galleries have responded by holding back certain works for certain events, and so the fairs have taken on an identity that, if not profound, is at least compelling. It’s eno.