DISPATCH - MARCH 1, 2013 (8:46 a.m.)
NEW YORK CITY, NY-
This just in -- don't forget to look up when attending Fountain Art Fair next week during Art Fair Week. Otherwise, you might become startled when confronted with the massive floating installation hanging from the rafters of the Armory. Now that you know, get set to be awed.
The ceiling-bound installation consists of 20 canvases stretching 10 x 10 feet. Each panel will represent a different section of New York City's diverse street art community. The installation is curated by Alex Emmart (Mighty Tanaka, Dumbo) and Robots Will Kill.
Contributing artists include Dark Clouds, CERN, ChrisRWK, Veng, Danielle Mastiron, NEVER, ND’A, Joe Iurato, Chris Stain, See One, CAM, Apolo Torres, Cake and more. Emmart & Robots Will Kill selected these artists based on their individualism and ability to transcend street art into fine art, according to Fountain Art Fair.
“The urban landscape provides the perfect setting for individuals to leave their personal expression for all to encounter," said Emmart. "It removes the idea that art is for the institutions and makes it accessible for all to view and interact with.”
Mighty Tanaka is a gallery and organization committed to art and artists in New York City and beyond that demonstrate the range and breath of the upstart generation, according to its website. Through its curatorial efforts, Mighty Tanaka aims to foster the advancement of breakthrough art forms that express the voices of the young generation. They are based in Brooklyn, NY.
Robots Will Kill is an online platform that represents an international community of underground artists. Its mission is to give emerging street artists exposure to the mainstream art world through collaborative projects and installations. Its core group of artists are Chris, Kev/Psyn, Veng, Mike Die and OverUnder, and ECB (Germany), Peeta (Italy), Flying Fortress (Germany) and JesseRobot (Belgium).
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Bringing the two groups together to tap into their strengths as curators to create something new, edgy and unexpected is right up Fountain Art Fair's alley.
Keeping its rep as an alternate art fair where anything can happen, Fountain Art Fair presents fairs that challenge and inspire through notoriously unpredictable platforms. This mission that has been fundamentally linked to the renegade spirit of street art since their start.
Fountain's ties to street art has resulted in a strong tradition of grandiose, collaborative projects. With every fair, Fountain presents a site-specific street art installation curated by leading experts in the movement. The collaboration with Mighty Tanaka and Robots Will Kill is the sixth for the art fair.
In Miami last December, Fountain collaborated with Living Walls to create a site-specific installation that stretched 175 feet at the site of the fair. Lending their artistic talents were 22 artists from the United States, Argentina, China, South Africa, Italy, Canada and Australia.
Fountain has also collaborated with Samson Contompasis of Albany's The Marketplace Gallery, Carly Ivan Garcia and Dickchicken. These partnerships allow Fountain to showcase works by Gaia, Chris Stain, Joe Iurato, Chor Boogie, Imminent Disaster, En Masse, Know Hope, Gilf, Lee Trice, Cake, Elle, Clown Soldier, OverUnder, Tip Toe, Shark Toof, Hugh Leeman, Eddie Cola, Cryptik and many others.
Fountain Art Fair was founded in 2006 and received acclaim for its uniquely alternative art fair model and genuine dedication to the artists and galleries who share in its vision and ideology. Known as a forerunner in a new influential generation of alternative fairs, Fountain is dedicated to reinterpreting the concept of the art fair experience and paving a new path for the future of contemporary art.
BASIC FACTS: Fountain Art Fair will be presented from March 8 to 10, 2013 at 69th Regiment Armory 68 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10010. (Between 25th and 26th Streets). Admission is $45 for a VIP Pass ($55 at the door), $13 for a Weekend Pass ($15 at the door) and $8 for a Day Pass ($10 at the door). The fair is open on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
A VIP preview will be held on Friday, March 8, from noon to 5 p.m. The fair opens to the public afterwards from 5 to 7 p.m. An Opening Night Reception will be held from 7 p.m. to Midnight. A Saturday Night Event will be held from 7 p.m. to Midnight.
For details on Fountain Art Fair, visit www.fountainartfair.com.
Mighty Tanaka is located at 111 Front Street, Suite 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201. www.mightytanaka.com. The gallery is also presenting works by 15 artists in a booth at Fountain. Exhibiting are Adam Miller, Alexandra Pacula, Alice Mizrachi, Daniela Valle, Ellen Stagg, Fedele Spadafora, Hellbent, Hiroshi Kumagai, H. Veng Smith, Jeff Faerber, JMR, John Breiner, Mia Tyler, Miguel Ovalle and Nathan Vincent, according to their website.
Robots Will Kill (and some of the walls they've been involved with) can be found at www.robotswillkill.com.
RELATED STORIES:
Hamptons Art Hub: "International Street Artists Create Living Walls at Fountain Art Fair" by Pat Rogers. Published Dec 6, 2012.
Hamptons Art Hub: "Street Art Inside" by Pat Rogers. Published Jan 6, 2012.
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