by Natasha Roux

How is it possible to sustain a critical eye when experiencing the artworks within the system of the Art Fair? The purpose of an art fair is to provide art galleries with the opportunity to exhibit and sell pieces of art. With art fairs’ main interests vested within the commercial success of artworks, the galleries are primarily concerned with showcasing the most marketable artists. However, no matter how commercially centered a fair may be it still functions as an exhibition space for art, and this is particularly true in South Africa where there are still so few other major art events. With a little help from the Joburg Art Fair’s marketing crew and the appeal of prominent artists’ work on display, large crowds are drawn to see what is exhibited in some of the most pivotal contemporary galleries showcasing work from South Africa and the continent. In a country where access to international art is scarce, any chance to not only view international artwork but also to be seen by an international audience is a very welcome opportunity. With so much excitement, and so much money, surrounding the fair, the ability of visitors and press to retain a semblance of critical distance work itself is prone to compromise.
For most art buyers it is much safer to acquire works by established artists, and with the current economic crisis affecting the consumer budget this is very likely to be the case at the Joburg Art Fair. The galleries at the fair will need to ensure the sale of artworks and it will be interesting to monitor their willingness to exhibit new artists. With such high pressure on the commercial success of the fair a large portion of the work will not have been selected for its critical value but for its profitability. With easy to hang editions likely to saturate the fair, I also look forward to seeing if any of the galleries will be brave enough to exhibit less sellable installation, video, or, god forbid, performance pieces.
A chance to inject funds into the art market is a positive occasion, but ensuring the longevity of the market is no less important. If the participating galleries were to focus solely on exhibiting established artists they could be missing opportunities to uplift young artists and create tomorrow’s investments. Encouraging local art buyers and collectors to invest in ‘new media’ and less traditional work, is also integral to creating a truly contemporary South African art market.
Critics too have a crucial role in furthering the development of contemporary art. Criticality is imperative, to prevent confusing cultural value with economic worth. With a relatively small artistic community in South Africa there is an amplified fear of criticising influential figures in contemporary art lest the big-name galleries get offended and (as we have recently witnessed) pull their much-needed funding or advertising from critical forums. When potential money is involved, criticality in any field is difficult to sustain, but to ensure that contemporary art does not become stale it is a very necessary role to be undertaken by all involved.
With all that in mind, I look forward to experiencing what the 2009 Joburg Art Fair aspires to offer. While market-watching remains one of the chief activities of the fair’s patrons and press, let’s hope these few days still manage to inspire a constructive debate around some of the current issues facing contemporary art both in Africa and globally, a debate fuelled by the artworks on show.