Still Sizzling… Top Ten Artists from the last live Art Basel Fair week

by Gae Savannah

*Detail of Gabe Brown, Flow, 2019, oil on linen over wood panel*

I’m dreaming of Miami. Art is a living presence, an intelligence outside of that which we already possess. Among the blows of this pandemic year, the loss of experiencing art in real space is a deep darkness. In the ecstatic buzz of a live fair, one answers the call of one booth, one artist, one artwork at a time. Dumbstruck, you feel the materiality open up in heart and mind, change, and grow.

When asked about her looking process, Roberta Smith said, “I start with the degree to which an artwork holds my attention on an almost physiological level… [then proceed with] more of an emotional tone than anything else.” As iconic NYC dealer Hudson put it: “I drop my agenda and listen. The body knows things way before the brain does. Art is primarily about the development of consciousness. The object is just a catalyst.” The absence of the Art Fair’s physical/social/sensory/perceptual field dims the light of our shared vital force. I just booked a ticket to Mexico City for ZonaMaco, being held in late April this year. Pray…