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Art Basel’s Most Swinging Satellite Fair Enters a New Orbit

It all began at New York’s Gershwin Hotel back in 2002. For three days in the middle of May, artist and gallerist Alexis Hubshman and gallerist Peter Surace hosted a bustling mass of art stars and their entourages under a banner called Scope. That first year’s exhibition included an international array of 28 galleries, curators and art organizations, and was attended by 3,500 swells. Nearly a decade later, Scope would boast triple the exhibitors and 10 times the attendees in Miami alone.

But Miami and New York aren’t the only cities where Scope brings its vision. The fab Fair also takes place in Madrid, Basel, the Hamptons and London, and this year it’s adding LA, Dubai and Beijing to its ever-expanding global market. On Scope’s website, Hubschman sums up the fair's mission with an added twist: “This season, we want to highlight Scope’s lead role as creative R+D for a wider audience of tastemakers who make art their business. Introducing artists, curators and cutting-edge galleries to new international audiences has made Scope the most comprehensive destination for the emerging art world.”

And Hubschman isn’t kidding when he says cutting-edge either. Among Scope Miami’s 2010 suggested highlights are Dada Post from Berlin with artists Sandra Eula Lee and Sebastian Mejia; Christopher Henry Gallery (New York) artist Olek, who does elaborate crocheted room installations; Analix Forever artist Mark Horowitz; Like the Spice artist Chino Amobi; and Miami’s own Spinello Gallery, where gallerist Anthony Spinello will be showing artists Augustina Woodgate, who creates fiber works, and Dead Dad’s Club Corporation, who work with crayon).

Scope Global Relations op Bessie Zhu told 944, “We are also very excited about partnerships with 3rd Ward/Artists Wanted, who are doing an artists’ open call called Art Takes Miami, [and] Artist Pension Trust (APT), who will bring three ambitious installations by artists Karyn Olivier, Alex Schweder [and] Monika Bravo.”

Personally, I’d like to plug my ol’ pal Hubert Kretzschmar, who’ll be showing works from the Shattered collection at Basel’s Gallery Lichtfeld’s booth. In addition to his rather robust work with the Rolling Stones, Kretzschmar did a series of manipulated Dead Boys portraits which were quite a hot sight at last year’s Scope. Expect this year’s run to be equally impressive.

But to cite a small handful among what will undoubtedly be a horde is kind of unfair to the whole idea of Scope Art Fair, which seems to pride itself on showcasing an insanely diverse and increasingly numerous assortment of the world’s most vivid visualists. In fact, folks have been known to return to each year’s lineup again and again, and still miss an important piece or three.

That doesn’t mean one can’t try though; nor of course that one shouldn’t. Basel brings to Miami a challenge; that is to see and experience as much as you possibly can in as short a timespan as possible. And Scope has taken that challenge and brought it up to the absolute minute. The key is to rise to the occasion and leave whirled by the whirlwind and better for it, as much effort as it takes. Sure, you can simply slip in and find one great good work among the many — and that’s okay. But if you wanna be fully conversant in all that’s new and now in the wild world of art, you’re gonna have to Scope it out one great fair at a time.

Are you up for the orbit?

scope-art.com

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