Over the days of the art fairs I heard several artists talking about (complaining) the change(s) in Wynwood in particular, citing the negative influence of money. It would be nice if any of them would articulate those concerns here in this forum. It’s open to that. However, the influence of wealth always shows up during such events where class and race also shows themselves to be a large part of what the visual art world is built on.
Tweaking the Big-Money Art World on Its Own Turf:
“William Powhida stands out at Art Basel Miami Beach as an artist who takes on the establishment.
His satirical vision, and that of his collaborator, Jade Townsend: the flashy Art Basel fair as a Hooverville. Soup lines crammed with artists and gallery owners in chunky glasses, curators dressed like prostitutes selling their expertise for $50 a trick — all in the parking lot outside the fortresslike Miami Beach Convention Center, where the main fair takes place and where the richest galleries and artists tend to show.
‘The bubble never burst, it just got smaller,’ Mr. Powhida, 33, said, standing over the poster-size drawing. ‘For the people on the outside the oxygen ran out.'”
“ABMB Hooverville,” by William Powhida and Jade Townsend, at the Pulse Art Fair, is a satirical look at Art Basel Miami Beach.
(Via NYT > Art & Design.)