Dates: March 5-8; 11am–7pm
VIP/Press Preview: Thursday March 5, from 11am to 7pm
Reception for the artists: Friday, March 6; 7pm–midnight
Cost: Suggested donation of $5 at the door for all weekend access
New York (January 28, 2009) – Fountain New York, the alternative art exhibition known for presenting cutting-edge and independent art galleries, sets up shop at Pier 66 for its latest installment during the Armory this March 5 – 8. Fountain is a guerrilla-style art event, dubbed by many as the “Anti Art Fair” for its brash, off-the-wall offerings of non-traditional art exhibitions in the art fair environment.
Recruiting avant-garde galleries who showcase progressive primary-market works, Fountain returns for its 3rd year in New York, giving gallery-goers and art enthusiasts the opportunity to see new works without traditional booths or selection juries. While most fairs have fallen into the hands of corporate management, Fountain remains independent, and as such presents work in a forward-thinking manner.
Unencumbered by the strict presentation guidelines and parameters found at other fairs, Fountain preserves the visions of galleries and dealers to provide an environment reflective of the artists and their works.
Fountain’s venue, Pier 66 a 12,000 square-foot complex with both interior and exterior exhibition areas, is adjacent to all the major New York exhibitions. Participating galleries receive approximately 500 square feet of exhibition space, so visitors can expect massive installations of contemporary painting, sculpture, performance and new media art.
Artnet – the most widely read art site on the web – describes Fountain: “Likeability and chutzpah used to be what art was about. That, and a little guerrilla mentality, which you had at Fountain in spades. This is the place where you reminisce about the good old days, when you did it yourself, when inspiration and magic struck like a bolt from the blue. Here at Fountain, the artists and dealers are hungry and they welcome all visitors warmly. They are having fun and that’s the vibe. I felt like sitting down, having a beer, and hanging.”
Plum – “Extreme, grassroots, and black sheep are names that perhaps best describe Fountain. While other art exhibits are puppets to corporate culture, this show keeps it as real as they come.”
Fountain New York 2009 participating galleries include:
Ad Hoc Art – Brooklyn
Front Room – Brooklyn
Definition Gallery – Baltimore
Glowlab – New York
Leo Kesting – New York
McCaig-Welles – Brooklyn
Stuart Shepherd Gallery – New Zealand
Vagabond-Schmarotzer Gallery – New York
Fountain was launched in March 2006 in New York in an effort to leverage support for independent galleries overlooked by the larger, corporate-sponsored art fairs. The name “Fountain” is a nod to Marcel Duchamp’s controversial sculpture which shook up the art world when it was rejected by the Society of Artists’ exhibition in 1917. Similarly, in defiant contrast with The Armory Show, Art Basel Miami Beach, Pulse, Scope and the numerous other international art fairs, Fountain has received wide public support and critical acclaim for its experimental slant. In form and spirit, the artwork exhibited at Fountain reflects the avant-garde attitude of the Dada art movement, while attracting the attention of the international clientele and top collectors who attend the more traditional fairs.
