A huge thank you is due to Firelei Baez who hosted a tremendously successful Open Artist's Studio during the Affordable Art Fair last weekend. Firelei's onsite project, the Paper Bag Test, involved her sitting down with fair visitors to make an individual portrait of sorts, of each person based on their skin color. She would match the skin tone of each participant in paint and then put the paint sample onto a small square of paper which she would then afix to a faux "certificate" that compared the person's skin color to a paper bag. This comparison references the troubling history of how whiteness used to be determined in America where a person's race was assessed by whether or not their skin matched or was lighter than a paper bag. the wall of "Paper Bag Tests" that Baez subsequently assembled further established a group portrait of everyone at the fair and will befome part of a larger project, in time.

Our thanks again to Firelei for participating, and for more information on Firelei's work, chech out her website here.

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Just like last year, ArtStar will be mounting a booth at this Spring's Affordable Art Fair in NYC from April 18th-22nd. However, this year's booth will be a little different in that we'll be featuring, for the first time, all original works on paper and photographs.

Featured Artists: Firelei Baez, Darlene Charneco, Dolly Faibyshev, John Grande, Langdon Graves, Katherine Newbegin & Mark Mann (above: Son of Solar, by Mark Mann)

Come by and see us at AAF!

We're also hosting a number of exclusive talks on Art & Design and we would love to see you there.

All programs are free with admission.  Unless otherwise noted, all programming will take place in the Programming Lounge presented by The Conran Shop, Booth A-G.

Susanna Salk, author of Room for Children, Talk and Book Signing
Author and interior designer, Susanna Salk, discusses ways to integrate styling principles of art and design in kid's rooms.  A signed copy of Room for Children will be given to one lucky attendee!
Thu, Apr 19, 7pm

Maria Brito: the Art of "Living with Art"

Mario Brito, of interior design company, LifeStyling, discusses how she changes places you "live in" to places that you "can't live without."
Fri, Apr 20, 7pm

Utilizing Online Art Platforms to Help Build Your Collection

Discover expanding your collection through online resources with panelists, Tze Chun, founder of Uprise Art, Chrissy Crawford, founder/director of ArtStar and LittleCollector, Thomas Galbraith, director of analytics at Artnet, Osman Khan of Paddle8, and Sebastian Cwilich of Art.sy.
Sat, Apr 21, 3pm

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Here are some snaps from what we've seen at the Armory so far. There is so much to see and do that we're still digesting but we'll have more thoughts for you soon! The preview night at the Armory show was packed but we saw some really strong work in the Nordic section and some excellent, unexpected photography coming out of the Korean galleries - definitely worth a return visit and with a pared down exhibitor list, better lighting, and more seating, the visiting experience was much more enjoyable. Overall, however, the Armory felt a little tame.

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We also checked out the Volta Show where galleries spotlight one artist per booth. There were strong showings from Matt Rich at Samson gallery (Boston) and exciting 3D pieces from Aakash Nihalani at Carmichael Gallery (LA). Monumental portrait painting from Janet Werner was a highlight at Parisian Laundry from Montreal, a consistently strong Canadian gallery.

Aakash Nihalani

Janet Werner

Matt Rich

Thursday afternoon we also stopped by the Independent Art Fair, which has vertiginous stairs (if you're afraid of heights, bring a buddy and hold their hand!) but an otherwise beautiful space in Chelsea. Galleries are more experimental and feature more installation and object-based work and its a pleasure to wander around the different floors. Our favorites included small geometric wooden sculptures by Lucy Skaer at Murray Guy Gallery and collages by Oliver Payne at Herald Street Gallery. Today - the Pool Art Fair, Moving Image and a reception at the Norwegian Consulate (we can't wait to see the nibbles!). More to come!

Oliver Payne

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Chrissy Crawford, Hillary Thomas and Stefen Lawrence

A HUGE thank you to everyone who dropped by our booth at the Affordable Art Fair, Los Angeles. We had a fantastic weekend, made tons of new friends, had some nice press and sold out almost our entire booth(including Melanie Vote's Double-Headed Hare to Moby)! We were also very pleased to host two great panels on collecting with art and design and growing your art collection with a stellar roster of panelists including Hillary Thomas of Hillary Thomas Designs, Stefen Lawrence of Twentieth, Simmy Swinder of Carmichael Gallery, Laura Gatewood of Flavorpill, Lauren Mang of Bonhams and Julie Novakoff of Nova Fine Arts. We can't wait to come back next year!

One good looking booth.

from left: Chrissy Crawford, Laura Gatewood, Julie Novakoff, Lauren Mang & Simmy Swinder

A close-up of Kim Holtermand's Pool Chairs which was very popular. Photo by Daniel Rolnik via Argot and Ochre

Some of LA's wonderful graffiti in Silver Lake.

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The preeminent festival of performance art (single-handedly masterminded by the indomitable RoseLee Goldberg who we admire soo much) starts today! Below are some of our picks for what is bound to be a fantastic few weeks.

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Since we try not to take ourselves too seriously, Performa Ha! is high on our list. Running from November 6th-20th this concurrent comedy fest features Reggie Watts, Dina Seiden, Hennesey Youngman, Lumberob, Bedwyr Williams, Club Nutz, and Michael Smith. If you haven't heard Henessy Youngman's Art Thoughtz yet, it will enrich your life tremendously.

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We're also excited about the Fluxus Weekend that will take place on Friday November 11th across New York City in homage to the original Fluxus movement that originated in nyc in the 60s. For fans of the original fluxus group this is not to be missed, and for those who just love all-night performances it's your best best to experience the varied talents of the Performa Consortium.

For more (waaay more) Performa events, talks and after-parties, check out the Performa website.  [All photos via Performa]

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This weekend brings a TON of cultural activities to New York from the New Yorker Festival events around town, the Art Book Fair at PS1 in Queens and Greenpoint's own incarnation of Nuit Blanche called Bring to Light, an all night festival of light, sound and performance art along the Greenpoint waterfront.

Below: some of our picks for the weekend's cornucopia of cultural offerings. And checkout the even more comprehensive listings over at ArtFagCity.

NY Art Book Fair: Last year we saw teeny tiny fashion blogger Tavi and Community's own Donald Glover at this packed fair. This year we're hoping for some equally eclectic sightings among the groaning tables covered in our favorite things after art itself, books about art!  We're particularly excited to see the return of Canadian publishing house Drawn & Quarterly whose graphic novels are preeminent in the genre; California's The Thing, a quarterly magazine whose issues take the form of an artist designed object (past issues include a switchblade designed by James Franc0); and FUKT magazine from Germany which features some of the best drawing coming out of Europe and beyond (ArtStar's own Michael Schall was featured in a recent issue). [Photo: (top) Michelle Didier (2009) and (below) e-flux project room, both via NY Art Book Fair]



The New Yorker Festival: Taking place at multiple venues around the city, pretty much any last minute ticket you can snag is bound to be for something wonderful and enlightening. Unfortunately David Cronenberg in conversation with David Denby is sold out on Saturday but there are still ticket available for Richard Dawkins in conversation with Henry Finder AND Mavis Staples talking with Lawrence Wright - and how can you say no to Mavis Staples?



Bring to Light | Nuit Blanche New York 2011: A relatively new outpost of the popular all-night art event that started in Paris several years ago. Greenpoint, Brooklyn plays host to the festivities on Saturday night starting at 6pm. Our picks include Alex Waterman's A Ballad of Accounting at 7:20 and Weston Currie and Grouper The Perception of Moving Targets at 11:30. [photo via Bring to Light]

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L'Avenir, by Guenter Knop. NEW in the ArtStar booth

Trey Speegle, He-Man (Battles Skeletor)

JOIN US! ArtStar will be at the Affordable Art Fair at 7 East 34th Street from September 21st-25th. Come by and snag your favorite piece off the wall, catch an artist talk, check out our new MakerBot sculpture from Micah Ganske, attend a tour, sip a cocktail, and get arty with us!

Special Programing Hosted by ArtStar (booth A2):

September 22, 6 pm & September 24th, 2 pm: Trey Speegle Artist Talk on his recent work and installation at AAF. Cocktail reception to follow Thursday's talk. Saturday's talk will be followed by a private tour of the fair.

September 24, 1 pm: Micah Ganske Artist Talk on art, science and his collaboration with Makerbot. Plus check out the bots in action in the lobby.

September 24 & 25, 3 pm: Larry Moss family balloon art workshop in the LittleCollector Children's Lounge.

September 25th, 2 pm: Panel Discussion, "Experts Advise How to Collect, Purchase and Care for Your Growing Collection." Join Chrissy Crawford, Director/Founder, ArtStar.com with a panel hosted by Thomas Galbraith. Members include Andrew Gristina from the Fine Art Department of Travelers Insurance; Liz Dimmitt, Curator of Gawkers Artists and owner of Etta Place; and Nick Lamina, Director of Von Lintel Gallery and fine artist as they guide you through the process of starting and maintaining an art collection.  Get the experts' advice on how to select, purchase and care for your growing collection so that you can buy with confidence!

Plus read about ArtStar at AAF in the Wall Street Journal.

Click here for fair hours and directions.

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From ArtStar curator Meenakshi Thirukode we've got a great studio visit with Firelei Baez. And be sure to catch two of Firelei's lastest pieces which will be featured in the ArtStar booth at Affordable Art Fair, starting this Wednesday and running from September 21-25. Want to join us? email hello@artstar.com for tickets!

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ArtStar's Southeast Asian & Middle Eastern curator, Meenakshi Thirukode, was kind enough to share a look ahead at some of her top picks on view this summer in New York and beyond. It's truly an embarrassment of riches and we're so lucky to have Meenakshi's insider perspective! Stay tuned for more picks, recommendations and insider tips from ArtStar's curators around the world. And be sure to check out Meenakshi's Project for Empty Space and their sure-to-be-fabulous summer benefit.

1. Subodh Gupta, A Glass of Water, Hauser & Wirth, New York

Subodh Gupta's Solo at Hauser & Wirth is a must see. The show titled A Glass of Water is a turning point in the way Gupta's works are evolving. The pieces included in the show are more singular and are a move away from his earlier works that typically included large scale sculptures made from assembling utensils that are typically used in middle-class households in the subcontinent. The meaning behind his works always suggested the complex layers of Urban India and its relationship with the rural. Here's a previous article I had written on Gupta's earlier work which offer my perspective on his work and a segue into understanding the directions he takes with this current body of work.



Sbodh Gupta, Untitled, 2011. photo: Thomas Mueller for Hauser and Wirth.

2. Indian Pavilion at The Venice Biennale. June 4 - November 27, 2011

This is a historic moment in Indian Art History. This is the first time that India is being represented in 116 years at the Biennale. And what's truly commendable is the curatorial angle and the artists that have been chosen to represent the countries artistic milieu. Ranjit Hoskote, the curator, explains about the curatorial stance - " “In selecting the artists I have focused on practices that are conceptually rigorous and aesthetically rich which are not hyped by the art market and auction houses. They represent diverse local, cultural, historical economies of image making.”

Artists include printmaker and sculptor Zarina Hashmi of Aligarh; the husband-and-wife team from the North East, Mriganka Madhukaillya and Sonal Jain, who are also known as The Desire Collective Machine and work in public spaces; Gigi Scaria, Delhi-based painter and video artist; and Praneet Soi, a mixed media artist who works both in Amsterdam and Kolkata.

(Read Meenakshi's artist profile of Zarina Hashmi in WhiteWall magazine here!)



Zarina Hashmi, Travels with Rani (I & II), Courtesy of Luhring Augustine, photo via WhiteWall magazine.

3. Project 95, Runa Islam, MoMA, May 27th - September 19th 2011

Runa Islam, born in Bangladesh, and currently based in Britain works primarily in Film and Video. I highly recommend seeing the work of an artist whose films are minimal and yet poetic.



Runa Islam, Magical Consciousness, 2010. Courtesy of the artist and White Cube gallery, via MoMA.

Here are ArtStar HQ we are getting very excited  for the Affordable Art Fair, coming up May 5-8.  Not only will ArtStar and LittleCollector each have booths, but we will also be hosting some of the excellent programming during the fair in our booth (to be followed by drinks and nibbles, of course). How will we do it all? Umm... we're not sure yet, but it's bound to be awesome! So drop by, bring us coffees, and be sure to check out all the great affordable art on offer. Never seen an ArtStar edition at 30 x 40 beautifully framed and hung? Now is your chance!

Buy your ticket here, and be sure to join us on Thursday night from 6-8 for free admission!

Artist's Studio at AAF

Hosted by ArtStar.com

New York Artist, Don Porcella, represented by Claire Oliver Gallery, will be making his signature pipe cleaner sculpture series 'Own the Art World' throughout the duration of the fair.

Taking the Intimidation Factor Out of Collecting Artwork

Hosted by ArtStar.com

Chrissy Crawford, Director/Founder, ArtStar.com; Rebecca Heidenberg, Director, RH Gallery; Nicole Berry of Accessible Art NY, and Kate Singleton of Art Hound will offer expert tips and insight to new & established collectors on how to approach and navigate emerging art galleries, negotiate with dealers, and how to engage with and learn more about the contemporary art scene in New York.

A short reception will follow.
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2PM
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2PM