A Look into Cross-Collecting and Fair Curatorial Culture at Eye of the Collector 2023
The 2023 edition of Eye of the Collector ran from May 17-20, presenting works of art and design side-by-side in the unique atmosphere of Two Temple Place. Now in its third edition, the fair was founded and continues to be run by London-based art advisor Nazy Vassegh. This year, there was a heavy focus on international Modern and Contemporary artists and designers. Along with the physical fair, Eye of the Collector offers an Artsy online viewing room, a social platform, and a space to connect with collectors across the world.
The intimate setting of Two Temple Place provided an ideally opulent backdrop for imagining what each work at Eye of the Collector might look like in your own home. Two Temple Place was built in the 1890s in the neo-Gothic style for one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, American emigre and businessman William Waldorf Astor. Straying from the usual white-cube fair presentation certainly works in the fair’s favour, especially as the historic interior conjures a luxuriously decorative contrast to the distinctly modern works on display.
The curation of the fair calls forth thoughts of cross-collecting or the practice of collecting works across time periods. People often do this in their homes, sometimes without realising it. Eye of the Collector stimulates this practice by including Modern and Contemporary art, photography, textile works, and furniture ranging from mid-century Modern to the clean, sleek silhouettes preferred in design today. For example, a visiting collector could simultaneously purchase a chair from the 1970s and a painting created this year and then quickly and immediately visualise how the two might work together in one space.
Left (foreground): Revisteiro lounge chair (ca. 1979) by José Zanine Caldas, Petalas side table (ca. 1959) and Petalas coffee table (ca. 1959), both by Jorge Zalszupin, all offered by Ana Escarzaga.
Right (on wall): Not Me (2022) by Teresa Hastings, presented with One Piece (2022) by Marc Fish. Both offered by Sarah Myerscough Gallery. Photos: Gabriella Hetu.
As Eye of the Collector is notably boothless, the pieces showcased by these galleries were exhibited side-by-side with furniture and design pieces put forth by design studios like McCollin Bryan and Zelouf & Bell. The lack of booths is another area where Eye of the Collector deviates from the typical art fair form. This bold decision allows exhibitors to mingle more freely with collectors, visitors, and their peers. Thus, the combination of the domestic setting and the boothless principle cultivates an inviting ambience, resulting in an observable air of relaxation among guests. In addition, without a desk separating gallerists and visitors, it feels much less intimidating to strike up a casual conversation with a gallerist, thereby effortlessly facilitating connections with one’s peers in the art world.
Whilst the fair promotes art from galleries representing different periods, the majority of the exhibitors specialised in Contemporary art, with notable names such as Brocket Gallery, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery and Brooke Bennington participating this year. In addition, many Modern and early Contemporary works were displayed in galleries such as Tanya Baxter Contemporary and Alan Wheatley Art. And, it would only be an art fair if there were some international participants - Nairobi-based Circle Art Gallery and Santa Monica-based Peter Fetterman Gallery were particular favourites.
Left: Sculpture: Bagalana (2019) by Wassawa Donald Augustine, presented by Circle Art Gallery. Video on R screen: The Alde (2021-2022) by Jeffrey Blondes, presented by GBS Fine Art. On wall: Haystacks (2023) by Dickens Otieno, presented by Circle Art Gallery.
Right: I Go Up (2023) by John Abell, presented by Arusha Gallery. Photos: Gabriella Hetu.
Another major change that further set Eye of the Collector apart from the slew of annual fairs was the absence of wall plaques. The fair placed small poles with boards attached throughout the rooms, with approximately six artworks listed on each. Each artwork has a QR code linked to its page on the fair’s online viewing room on Artsy as well as the price of the work if the galleries have chosen to include it. Opting to include price transparency in the art fair context encourages collectors to enquire about works. It prevents hopes from being raised about objects outside one’s price range, promoting a more efficient, fair experience for collectors and gallerists. It makes people feel at ease, avoids uncomfortable conversations, and prompts approaching gallerists with confidence and serious interest. Eye of the Collector thus consciously made strides to remedy the general lack of transparency in the art world.
One highlight of Eye of the Collector was found tucked in the corner of the main room on the lower floor. This particular space positioned contemporary paintings from Gillian Jason Gallery in conversation with an Andy Warhol screenprint of Queen Elizabeth II from Tanya Baxter Contemporary. Alongside these print and painting works were koi-fish patterned nesting tables and a mesmerising pink cocktail cabinet from Zelouf & Bell. The blue and pink hues of the furniture complemented the brightly-coloured paintings, especially Nancy Cadogan’s Kind Painting for Kind People (2023). In addition to the pleasing colour scheme of this corner, its works exhibited a harmonic synthesis of subject matters of nature and animal life, as well as some compelling portraiture. This corner’s success lay in accurately representing what a well-designed home might look like. It is far more realistic to juxtapose different types of furniture and alternately-sized paintings together and transpose them into your home rather than surveying a uniformly curated exhibition.
Top images: paintings presented by Gillian Jason Gallery, from left: Yellow (2023) by Jenya Datsko, Romance with a Fantasy (8) (2023) by Megan Baker, Fighting Cock Vessel (2023) by Michelle Nguyen, Kind Painting for Kind People (2023) by Nancy Cadogan. Tables: Koi Pond in the Snow & Rain Nesting Tables (2023). Cabinet: Stones in a Pond Cocktail Cabinet (Flamingo) (2018). Both by Zelouf & Bell. Photos: Emma Andreoli.
Bottom images: close-ups of Queen Elizabeth II, from: Reigning Queens , F.S. II 337 (Blue) (1985) by Andy Warhol (image courtesy of Tanya Baxter Contemporary on Artsy) and Stones in a Pond Cocktail Cabinet (Flamingo) (photo: Gabriella Hetu).
Another standout of the fair was the Contemporary Aboriginal works from Australia created by Carol Young and Steven Mitakiki on display at Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery. To see Aboriginal Australian artworks included in an art fair amongst the usual fair fare of Contemporary Western works was intellectually stimulating. According to Invaluable, the demand for Aboriginal art has increased significantly throughout the 2010s, so naturally, this demand will be reflected in art market spaces. However, Aboriginal Australian artists are still often isolated from art historical dialogue, despite the genre’s diversity of style and significance to national and international history. As such, their inclusion at Eye of the Collector gives rise to consideration of the art fair’s continued predilection for Western art. It shows how Aboriginal art works with any collection, proving sceptics wrong who may feel that these works have no place in their collection or have little market value. If this is the case, Eye of the Collector provides a beginning model for incorporating more international works into art fairs.
Left: installation view of Ngura Tjuta: Big Country - Carol (2022) (R) by Carol Young alongside Heartburn…In my Lungs pt. 3 by Milan Young (L), presented by Gillian Jason Gallery.
Right: installation view of Nggayuku ngura - My country (2021) (L) by Steven Mitakiki, presented alongside The Tenderness of Wolves (2022) by John Abell (R), presented by Arusha Gallery. Images courtesy of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery on Instagram.
A final highlight of Eye of the Collector was the area by the staircase leading up to the second floor. Two works stand out here: the mixed-media work Clip Clop (2023) by Anya Paintsil and the large-scale sculpture Mastectomy Mameria (2019) by Charlotte Colbert. Much like the rest of the fair, contradictions shine; these two works comment on themes of race, gender, anatomy, and medicine, contrasting starkly with the antiquated interior and the connotations it might bring. Consequently, these works exemplify the ethos of Eye of the Collector and underline its advantage as a truly unique art fair, bolstered mainly by its strong curation and unique setting.
Overall, Eye of the Collector is a young yet trendsetting fair; some of the top dogs in the fair world might learn from its innovative curatorial style.
Left image (foreground): Mastectomy Mameria (2019) by Charlotte Colbert. Left (background): Tutti Frutti (2022) by Charlotte Colbert, both presented by Eye of the Collector: Curatorial Artists. Right (background): The Two Fathers (2022) by Eugene Palmer, presented by Ed Cross Fine Art.
Right image: Clip Clop (2023) by Anya Paintsil, presented by Ed Cross Fine Art. Photos: Ilaria Bevan.
Gabriella Hetu
Emerging Artist Co-Editor, MADE IN BED