Next week I will be attending Art Basel. To compensate for the splendor-at-a-prize that is to come, this week I cover art that is accessible to all budgets. I am not a fan of labelling art as affordable because price should not be the main selling point. More often than not, what is presented as affordable is glorified-IKEA art, lacking interest and ending as pure décor bound to come out of fashion. However, there is a lot happening online that is worth having a look at because it is fun, innovative, sensitive, aesthetically mindful and it is a click away. I have hand-picked works which range from under £100 and up to £8,000. What is not to like?
Magnum Square Print Sale, until June 9th
Closer is inspired by Magnum co-founder Robert Capa’s famous quote, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” Through a selection of images and texts, Magnum photographers explore what proximity means in photographic terms, and how getting closer has influenced Magnum’s classic and contemporary practices. The editions are not limited by quantity, but limited by time and are all priced $100.
All signed Magnum Square Prints are signed on either the front or back, depending on the photographer’s preference. Estate-stamped prints are stamped on the back. Each photographer’s accompanying text is printed on an archival label that is affixed to the back of the print. Below I have gone for a bit joie de vivre but you have 78 photographs to choose from.
“I’ve always believed that the fundamental ingredient in my pictures is distance. For me, photography is as much about my separation from the world as it is about my connection to it.
Making work about distance is difficult to pursue in the world of social media. Who has time to zoom in on their iPhone? Nevertheless, I like the challenge of penetrating our world of social separation with pictures that reflect a quality of distance.”
Alec Soth. Courtesy Magnum Photos
“At the time I was in Brazil, my first of many trips there, exploring the favelas of Belém, a town located at the mouth of the Amazon. The year was 1966–fifty years ago! As I walked along the river, I heard children splashing in the water and, quietly approaching them, seized the instant with my Leica, using a 21mm wide-angle lens. The challenge was to get close while trying not to disturb this perfect moment. I bent over the water, as if I was going to dive in myself. It was during that first extended stay in Brazil that I started using color seriously. Few photographers were at the time. Fortunately, I chose Kodachrome 25, a very slow film, because it withstood the humid climate. Fortunately, it is also a very stable film, and colors have not faded with time.
As if emerging from a green, liquid curtain that both hides and reveals, the two children smile, full of joy, their overlying bodies forming an X, limbs partially hidden by the cloudy waters of the great Amazon River.”
Bruno Barbey. Courtesy Magnum Photos
The fire hydrants are opened during the summer heat. Harlem, NY, USA. 1963.
“Get closer, get wet.”
— Elke Susannah Freed, daughter of Leonard Freed
Dream, Tuesday 13th until 18th June
Dream is an online international art fair, accessible to anyone with a device and an internet connection. The next one coming up coincides with Art Basel next week. They take opening hours very seriously and other than the exhibiting gallery list, which you can see on their website home page, artworks for sale are under wraps until the very day it opens. Stay tuned!
Limited edition digital artworks to enjoy on any screen. Every artwork is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity including the edition number and the artist signature. These artworks are to be exhibited on digital displays and devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets and TVs. There are HD still images as well as videos by well-known and emerging artists. Please click on the images below to see the videos on Sedition’s website.
Browse by medium, price and style, including design objects and books. There are so many exciting works that I got carried away and created what could be a fabulous salon-style hung with some humour, fun and sparse moments of quiet for domestic or corporate spaces. Please hover over the images for details.
For further information and assistance, feel free to get in touch!
