Pinta NY. Near Macy’s and Cuny

The 6^th edition of PINTA NY art show took place in late 2012 right in the heart of Manhattan, where 34^th Street is about to meet 5^th Avenue, and issued a solidarity statement dedicated to the city and the victims of hurricane Sandy, whose effects couldn’t wipe out the collecting longing or knowledge avidity related to religion art because, if my impressions serve me right, this edition was attended by a larger number of people, if it’s compared with the previous one.¹

This edition of PINTA NY counted on the participation of nearly fifty art galleries from Latin American countries, Europe and the United States of America², and the event’s special guest was the New York-based outstanding Argentinean artist Liliana Porter, whose career is admired by all of us.

This time, if chauvinism and sympathy don’t betray me, I believe that Colombian and Cuban presences were two of the most solid elements in the event. I was glad to find fine artworks created by Miler Lagos, Adonis Flores or Alexandre Arrechea, as well as the saga of Detras del muro project, curated by Juanito Delgado. Likewise, the latest issues of magazines Art Nexus and Arte al dia could be acquired, among others.

Since it’s a one-of-a-kind show in New York City and represents one of the few opportunities to witness how emerging and acclaimed artists coexist, I didn’t want to walk away without interviewing Alejandro Zaia, who kindly agreed to answer this bunch of questions:

ERC: What’s the origin of PINTA NY, its conception, the key design of its statement?

AZ: PINTA was born in 2007 as a project to spread visibility and education on Latin American art in Nueva York city, and three years later it reached out London. The design responds to an annual event with elements of a specialized and small trade show, which can be used as a platform for many other matters linked to out art and our artists throughout the event.

So, over these years we have seen how many players of this system use the communication and “move” generated around PINTA to launch books, promote other events, inaugurate exhibitions (although they are not part of the fair), etc. And that’s quite positive for everybody.

ERC: Making PINTA NY coincide with other events related to Latin American art (displays, auctions …) entails system thinking. How do you describe it, as a cultural gesture, marketing strategy, either elements or many other things related with each other?

AZ: Honestly, at the beginning of the project we took advantage of auction dates to define our dates, since we thought that we could have synergy with them. With the passing of time, we have stayed close, but we don’t exactly coincide. Over the past years, we’ve been holding PINTA a week before, meeting contemporary art auctions instead of those related to Latin American art. Perhaps this is linked to the fact that PINTA is presently more contemporary than what it was at the beginning, without any prejudice when it comes to holding extraordinary presentations of galleries showcasing modern art exhibitions. In London, where there were no auctions, the true “anchor” for exhibitions, etc., is PINTA and makes us very proud.

ERC: What’s the prevailing criterion when it comes to handpicking or not the projects sent by galleries to be showcased at the fair?

AZ: We have an internal committee made up of three directors that analyze the proposals and accept them or not depending on the quality, projection, etc. Most of the times we see eye to eye, sometimes we don’t. We have also “advised” younger galleries or those that have just joined PINTA, but have great potential in terms of the artists or works they present.

ERC: What do you think the similarities and differences between Pinta and Arteamericas are?

AZ: There are just a few of them with PINTA New York, identified by a small portion of galleries that participate in both shows (although in those cases, with different proposals). There is none with PINTA London.

ERC: After this edition, how could you assess the fair?

AZ: The outcome is good, we continue consolidating our position and gaining momentum within such a hard and demanding market as New York.

PINTA is presently more contemporary thanwaht it was at the beginning, without any prejudice when it comes to holding extraordinary presentations of galleries showcasing modern art

* Macy’s is one of the most popular mega stores in US and its head office is located two blocks away from the building where PINTA NY takes place. CUNY is the City University of New York.

¹Common sense follows one way and the unprecedented logics of art market take another one. Note: within a declared economic crisis, auctions carried out by Christi’es and Sotheby’s broke sales records in terms of contemporary art. Even though in the case of PINTA’s venue, since it’s so centric, it’s hell to find a parking lot.

²I personally missed Ida Pisani’s proposals with her Prometeo gallery.