Featured artwork via ArTech Collective
Saatchi’s Other Art Fair, held each November in Greenpoint, is a truly accessible opportunity to view innovative works, meet the artists who created them, and *vibe*. In my humble opinion, Saatchi’s curation is always aesthetically on point.
With a diverse lineup of artists and collectives, great organization, and [a very fun] sponsorship by Bombay Sapphire Gin, The Other Art Fair is something to look forward to every Autumn. It’s there that I first connected with Creatrix alumni Kat Ryals (co-founder of Paradice Palace), and the magnanimous Elisa Valenti.
I like to peruse the fair, gin drink in hand, flowing towards whatever draws me in, visually. This year, I had the experience of being attracted to booths full of works that featured stunning subjects of color, only to find that the artist was white. I found this to be a bit jarring, and it raised some questions for me.
I would never presume to put limitations on the kinds of art people ~should~ make, and if white artists want to celebrate the beauty of people of color, what’s wrong with that? Though I will say that felt, in the moment, like a bit of a bait and switch.
Art, historically, has been an expression of the white male gaze. White men sculpting feminine nudes, white men painting people of color, and so on. In 2021, if we’re going to be consuming art that features beautiful Black or Indigenous subjects, it would be ideal to be supporting artists from those communities.
To quote my friend Christina,
“Just once I would love it if white people would ask themselves ‘Do I need to be the one creating this?’”
If artists do find themselves featuring subjects from more marginalized communities than themselves, it feels appropriate to ask, “What are you doing to support this subject and/or their community?”
If people with privilege hold this question in our minds as we feature subjects with different backgrounds than us, our art can truly exist as a celebration of the subject’s beauty- rather than an objectification and/or exploitation.
That is my personal spiel, and I had to get it out of the way before moving on with the rest of the article.
Thankfully, the opportunity to support a diverse range of artists ABOUNDS at Other Art Fair.
So without further ado, here is a selection of the Creatrix editorial team’s favorite artists from the 2021 fair, and how to follow them on Instagram.
This is Blackground by @giovannijmartins
ArTech Collective @artechcollective
Maria @hatecopy
Kaylee Reynolds @kayleereynolds.art
Deborah Evadney Myrie @evadneyart
