BERLIN ART FAIR GOES ON
This year's edition of Art Forum Berlin, opens at the Berlin Messe, Oct. 3-7, 2001. The fair's overall profile is "radical, contemporary," with about 170 dealers from 28 countries participating. As usual, the fair presents an exceptional survey of new German art, with a total of 74 German galleries participating. The contingent from the U.S. numbers 18, including Gavin Brown's Enterprise, De Chiara/Müllerdechiara, Dee/Glasoe, Greene Naftali, I-20, Leo Koenig, Lombard-Freid, Florence Lynch, Maccarone, Pierogi, The Project, Thomas Erben and Gabrius-Tema Celeste. Twelve galleries come from Britain, including Asprey Jacques, Collective, Doggerfisher, Entwistle, Hales, Lisson, Locus, the Modern Institute, Mummery, Reynolds, Rocket and Anthony Wilkinson.
Among the first-time participants are Chelouche of Tel Aviv, Nina Menocal Gallery of Mexico City, La Casona of Havana, Akira Ikeda of Nagoya and Gallery i8 from Reykjavik. Other newcomers include Cokkie Snoe of Rotterdam, Torch of Amsterdam and three galleries from the People's Republic of China.
In recent years the Berlin fair has pioneered something of a new exhibition concept -- encouraging two or more galleries to take a booth together, creating larger, more motley shows to exciting effect. This year, several of the London galleries are teaming up with European colleagues -- Asprey Jacques and Griedervonputtkamer, for instance. Five Hamburg galleries -- Jürgen Becker, Ascan Crone/Andreas Osarek, Produzentengalerie, Sfeir-Semler and the new Karin Günther -- have teamed up in one stand under the name "Admiralitätsstrasse."
The fair's program also features daily discussions on a variety of subjects -- "Chinese Art Today," "Cities in Dialogue: Paris - Berlin" and others. These are available online via live video streaming each day at 5:30 p.m. Berlin time at website, http://www.art-forum-berlin.de/. The site also features the complete catalogue online.
DEMOCRACY'S DOCUMENTS
"American Originals: Treasures from the National Archives," a group of 27 original documents that made American history, goes on view at the New York Public Library, Oct. 5, 2001-Jan. 5, 2002. The selection, organized by Stacey Bredhoff, senior curator of the National Archives and Records Administration, includes the deed of gift of the Statue of Liberty, a preliminary version of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a letter from Leon Trotsky 1917 formally notifying the U.S. of the establishment of the Soviet Union and a petition of Susan B. Anthony protesting her imprisonment for illegal voting in Election of 1872. The New York Public Library is the first stop on the show's national tour; admission is free.
DIALECTIC ONLINE
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center in Santa Fe, N.M., launches its online symposium today, Oct. 1-14, 2001, under the title, "The Modern/Postmodern Dialectic: American Art and Culture, 1965-2000." The debate over Postmodernism -- and its relevance or irrelevance after the events of Sept 11 -- is taken up in an online exchange moderated by curator and critic Maurice Berger and joined by a host of art-world big foots, ranging from Whitney Museum director Max Anderson and Wexner Center curator Carlos Basualdo to CUNY prof Michelle Wallace and conceptual artist Fred Wilson. Casual visitors can't actually participate in the cyberspace discussions, though they can email questions to the moderator to be put to participants.
SILVER LIVES IN LONDON
Like things with that silvery shine? Then take thyself off to "Silver Lives!" at the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House in London, Oct. 15, 2001-Jan. 31, 2002. London's newest museum -- it opened in May in the refurbished 18th-century structure -- is juxtaposing items from its collection of some 300 historical pieces with contemporary works by artists like Jocelyn Burton, David Clarke, Ndidi Ekubia, Rod Kelly, Michael Lloyd and Linda Robertson. Original pieces are for sale in the museum shop, and visitors may also commission works from designers in the exhibition. For more info, check out www.gilbert-collection.org.uk.
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