The 2016 edition of the Artissima presented another array of New Entries, galleries that have been open for less than five years. All of the 18 selected galleries are present at Artissima for the first time and all of them have come with fresh artistic presentations, showing either an established artist or a new name in the art scene. It was a demanding task choosing five of our favorites, since all of the galleries deserve proper attention, so we deliberated and came down to five booths we liked the most.
We employ you to visit them and wish good fair to all the Artissima newcomers!
Ab Anbar
Standing in the middle of the New Entries line, we found the Ab/Anbar gallery coming from Tehran. Dark, museum-style walls pop out of the mostly white row and provide the ideal support for the artwork on show. The booth is dedicated to pieces by Avish Khebrehzadeh, whose visceral figurative paintings converse with the viewer immediately. Second artist presented is Raha Raissinia, whose film installation creates a nostalgic, contemplative experience. Intrigued by the gallery dedicated to discovery and experimentation, we chose Ab/Anbar as one of our favorites of the section.
Doppelgaenger
Next one in the row we enjoyed was the presentation of Doppelgaenger gallery from Bari, with two artists on display. One is Domingo Milella with his large landscape photographs, while the second is Marta Roberti, with her monochromatic investigations of the depth and surface. Both of the artists’ bodies of work provide different opportunities for a journey, Milella’s more concrete, while Roberti’s rather pensive. Domingo Milella is currently exhibiting with the gallery Doppelgaenger until the end of November 2016.
One of the most visually interesting booths among the New Entries belongs to the Nathalie Halgand Galerie from Vienna. The presentation is dedicated exclusively to the work of Jumpei Shimada, whose spatial installation “Ordinary man” requires special time and attention to take in. The variety of media employed supports the investigation of form and materiality through the idea of an “ordinary man”, a person from the masses. Spread through the space, with many details, the installation appeals to the visitor through many channels, while the final, personal interpretations are left to the observer.
Madeln Gallery
Coming from Shanghai, MadeIn Gallery entered the Artissima Oval for the first time bringing three contemporary Chinese creatives with. The art of Lu Pingyuan, Shen Xin and Miao Ying. We were particularly attracted by the Ly Pingyan’s ON KAWARA series, an homage to the great Japanese artist. Miao Ying is the new generation artist deeply invested in Internet art, where bright visuals mix with the current affairs of life online. Finally, Shen Xin’s video art is rather political, dealing with the position of an artist in society
Beers London
Our definite favorite from the section is the booth belonging to Beers London and the Peter Matthews new new drawings, sculptures and videos. All of the pieces have been made in a very particular creative process, where the artist spends hours alone at the sea, with only his paints and materials at hand. He treats the canvas on the shore, occasionally painting under water, thus exploring his own connection to the nature and invoking the contemplation of the same question on a universal level. The presentation is accompanied with a video which intrigues and explains the entire body of work, alluring the the viewer to come closer and inspect the canvas rendered by both nature and man.
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