Paris Art Fair 2013

LIZ SAYS: What a long winter it has been! Spring just would not take hold. Last year the Grand Palais was quite warm with the sun blazing in almost blindingly on the art of 2012. 

This year we had to check our coats an polar fleeces as we entered through the security guards to see what the 2013 Paris Art Fair had to offer. 

My immediate reaction was that the fare offered was much kinder and gentler than last year. There were not as many big plastic guns and big, plastic Micky Mouses, thankfully.

Of course, I loved the bird themed works of course and there were quite a few. One of my favs was the black bird on a branch with shadow birds on shadow branches projected behind the branch bird.

For some reason, there were several Tatlin's towers, odd.

Another fav presented was Nils Udo. He’s fantastic. He does grand land/earth installations and then photographs them. For example, one installation was a nest made of trees with a naked man, in the fetal position, in the middle of the nest. To do the installation, he found fast growing trees, cut them down, arranged them with earth moving equipment, took the photos, then he put everything back the way it was, planting new trees. The photos are gorgeous, oversized electric nature and at the same time, the nature I know just arranged nicely, like an English garden. 

There were several of his works at the show and I was very happy to see them. 

Many variations on wild, outside, trippy landscapes lined the walls. The feeling of calm overall was a welcome relief from the  glaring electro splatter of the previous couple of years. Colors were more earthy. There was political awareness and expression, a confusion with capitalism, and a questioning of how to untie the strings of global and local politics and injustices. And, a profusion of works by or about China. 

There was also a fair showing of op art and illusions. 

Check my video here. I hope it works!