The speculation and inflated prices of the art market, artists and galleries turned brands, and celebrities taking selfies as peacocks who want to show how much ‘taste’ and money they have at fairs and shows, are some of the reasons why many people have stopped believing in the so-called contemporary art (as Maurizio Nannucci’s neon light work states: all art has been contemporary). But hope is a powerful energy that drives us, and it’s the last thing we should lose. Luckily, we’ve come across NADA, which expects to make you believe in art again.
“NADA holds a renowned art fair to vigorously pursue our goals of exploring new or underexposed art that is not typical of the ‘art establishment’. NADA Miami is the only major American art fair to be produced by a non-profit organization, and is recognized as a much needed alternative assembly of the world’s youngest and strongest art galleries dealing with emerging contemporary art”, the organization states. This fifteenth edition will gather more than one hundred exhibitors from more than thirty cities around the world to achieve so.
Among them, two have been awarded the organization’s International Gallery Prize: Carne Gallery, an artist-run space in Bogotá, and Dawid Radziszewski, from Warsaw. The prize helps the recipients participate in the fair with a sponsored booth. Hubbs states that “the International Gallery Prize adds another layer of diversity to the fair”, which “has become an opportunity for galleries from around the world to forge new relationships and reach new audiences”.
In addition to the fair, NADA has a Special Projects program showcasing sculptures and installations presented in collaboration with galleries and cultural partners. Some of the ones to highlight are Oliver Mosset’s Untitled (1971-2015), Bhakti Baxter’s Metro Flower Power I, IV & VIII (2016), and Sarah Derat & Rachel McRae’s Digital&Dead (2017) –you’ll need to download an app to fully see the last one.
And that’s not all. To keep promoting lesser-known names, the non-profit organization has also teamed up with the Perez Art Museum Miami to create the NADA Acquisition Gift for PAMM, which provides a fund for María Elena Ortiz and René Morales – curators of the museum – to acquire any artwork exhibited at the fair to become part of the institution’s permanent collection (the winner will be announced on Friday the 8th of December). Furthermore, there is still another one: the NADA Artadia Award, which grants an artist with five thousand dollars. The fair has also prepared some events: from DJ sessions to performances and book signings, the overall proposal covers a wide range of interests have almost everyone covered.
