EXCLUSIVITY. Who goes there?
by Sabine Rothman.
The explosion of venues has naturally led to an explosion of VIP lounges…so many fantastic vehicles for sponsorship upon sponsorship. It was hard to figure out which card would get you in to the innermost circle…wherever that was…and how you would pay for the $30+ salmon salad once you got there!
Some visitors had silver cards. Some had black. Some had black with special holes punched in them. And so on. (I particularly wanted to see a standoff between UBS guests and the HSBC invitees.)
Last year, Eric Doeringer, a very clever young artist, created a replica of the VIP card—you might call it a “fake i.d.”— in a limited edition of 15. Art, it was.
This year, his Bootlegs were the buzz. Doeringer exhibited his affordable—and hysterical—appropriations of work by contemporary art stars at GEISAI Miami, yet another satellite exhibition. He has been making Bootlegs for a few years now, and selling them on the streets of Chelsea. One of the things I love about them is that Doeringer’s editions are unlimited at a time when limited editions are a surefire way to drive prices for just about anything right through the roof. Who took note this week? Alix Browne AND Horacio Silva in their blogs for the New York Times’ T Magazine.
I went for the Hirst in the end. But I might track Doeringer down for a Richard Prince.
GEISAI is the offspring of a Japanese event founded by Takashi Murakami (of Vuitton fame) in 2001. And it was not the last we’ll see of these young artists!
Some links:
Sabine, I am grateful to you for your insightful coverage of this event. With so much to cover yet you managed to encapsulate (forgive the above referenced pun) the whole of what it has come to mean. Thanks for the extra links to look at for additional info. Like I said once before, yummy!