In our M-KOS Volta NY report of 2014, we concluded with an open-ended question: “How will Volta take things to the next level?” And the art fair’s answer was to change location. This year it move to Pier 90, adjacent to the Armory Show. A major shift in its eight year history, the fair however retained its distinctive identity by devoting exclusively solo and duo presentations of emerging to established artists. The fair opened to the public on 5 through 8 March in the 75,000 square foot Pier immersed with in day light, a stone’s throw from Armory’s Pier 92 & 94. Volta featured 90 galleries across all six continents, 80% of which were returnees, either from last or previous years, as well as 17 debuting galleries.
As solo/duo presentations often function in ways closer to exhibition settings, the fair showcased an eclectic sequence of art works from one booth to the next, from minimalist to maximalist, traditional to cutting-edge, poetic to political and so on. Many hanging arrangements captured our imagination, including Peterson Kamwathi’s works on paper exploring the different prayers position at ARTLABAFRICA (Nairobi); Gabriel Pionkowski’s laborious re-woven canvases at The Hole (New York); Anne-Renée Hotte’s transcendant images capturing the relationships between individual, family and landscapes at Galerie Trois Points (Montréal); Altering identity with detailed gouache, Tom Butler’s series of painted 19th Century calling cards at Charlie Smith (London); Monir Farmanfarmaian’s kaleidoscopic mirror mozaics at Haines Gallery (San Francisco); Travis Somerville’s poignant and politically charged installation at Beta Pictoris/Maus Contemporary, (Birmingham, Alabama) and many more.
If the new Volta NY has perhaps lost the intimacy of a boutique art fair, it has in exchange revitalized itself in the proximity with the sister art fair to effectively tear Volta out of the “off” circuit and now much closer to insider status. In the process the fair has gained exposure, solid sales and larger crowds as many new and established collectors, institution figures, curators and other prominent figures came to visit. Volta NY certainly made the right decision to relocate and are now reaping the next level profits.
All photos by M-KOS.
VOLTA NY website