This year’s Artissima marks its 31st anniversary. While the fair has grown in popularity and price, it continues to be a place for finding the touchingly creative, the odd and occasionally sardonic works. Artissima is arguably a place to catch up with the latest happenings in the art world. It’s where masses of art lovers gather under one roof with exhibitors, curators, artists and collectors to come face to face with artworks across all sectors and all levels of the market. Many reports spotlight the fair’s ‘noteworthy’ aspects, such as sales performance, attendance numbers, sponsorship initiatives and the elaborate design of Artissima’s programs, all of which showed impressive outputs. However, there was more to be seen between the lines that separated art booths.

For many, the fair is also a marketplace where transactions reflect a downturn in the market. What strikes others, however, is the eye-opening shifts in the global art market and how it translates into an array of the most exciting contemporary works being created. Economic considerations, cultural aspects or simply matters of logistics have pushed global galleries to increasingly experiment with presenting their work in Europe. This echoes a cautious optimism that’s fueled by a synergy between emerging artists and international galleries and collectors. Among Artissima’s about 200 exhibitors was a new wave of young galleries, with many curating their programs with an international perspective. The fair was an exploration of both Western and non-Western identities from North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, catering to different regions and tastes. Below, a brief review of the booths and proposals that we consider most interesting.

La Cometa Gallery exposed the ideology and generalized norms and peeks at a persecuted community through the lenses of Miguel Angel Roja. «Miguel Angel started to document the queer scene in Colombia over three decades» said Jaramillo. «He looked into a lot, from documenting secret gay encounters in Bogotá’s movie theaters back in the ’70s to examining the ties between the criminal drug market, the high society and eradicating some of the Indigenous traditions. Miguel Angel Rojas has really been a key influence in contemporary art throughout Colombia and Latin America and continues to be since some of the topics he touched on are to this day fairly relevant social issues».

Artissima strikes an interesting balance between price points and the range of galleries across the fair. It captures a broad spectrum of values presented from the new to the most established names, which also fosters creative dialogues. And the fair has contributed much to this through its uncompromising standards for arts, stringent cultural appetite and a positive curiosity toward the art scenes across the globe.

Elena Mazaheri