By Liz Puranam
The biggest art fair in the country opened in Auckland this evening, where 600 works from 41 of the best galleries in New Zealand and Australia are on display. But if you think the show is for art aficionados only, think again.
New Zealand Fashion Week had Pamela Anderson; the Auckland Art Fair has Knight Landesman, the charismatic editor of one of the world's most influential art magazines Art Forum, who says art is for everyone.
Landesman is here to champion the connections that help artists make it without losing sight of who the real star is.
“I think art is what celebrated. I mean, who remembers the critics that praised Rembrandt's work, no one, but I think the whole system is set up to celebrate art and there are people who are empowered to put forward art they think is good,” he says.
The organisers say artists shouldn’t be intimidated by those people.
“Galleries sometimes can be intimidating. I actually believe that's because they're big white spaces with someone sitting in the back often wearing black and you walk in by yourself and think ‘oh god I'm going to have to say something intelligent!’ The art fair removes all of that. All of the stands are open and available and you know everything is for sale,” says Jennifer Buckley.
The prices for art works range from $400 to $250,000, but this is also one of the biggest exhibitions of contemporary art in the country, and just looking will only cost you the small admission fee.
Landesman and the other works of art will be on display till Sunday.
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