The opening of the Nada New York fair was in full swing on Thursday, May 18, when many artists were present on the gallery’s booths to talk about their work. Among them was Philadelphia-based sculptor Kambel Smith, whose large-scale installation of cardboard recreations of urban landmarks – the Statue of Liberty, the Flatiron Building, a bottle of Mountain Dew – on the gallery’s stand Shrine (priced from $12,000 to $25,000) caught the attention of many visitors.
Title Austrian city, the work is the artist’s conception of a “utopia where everyone is equal and free to be themselves”. Smith, who is autistic, has created impressively accurate models without the use of measuring tools or architectural training. When asked what he’s working on next, Smith replied that it will be “something really big,” so expect more big things from him.
Artist Anya Paintsil with her works in Nada New York Photo: Helen Stoilas
At the Hannah Traore Gallery, Welsh-Ghanaian artist Anya Paintsil maintained an optimistic outlook, despite her new series of hair and textile wall hangings being blocked by US customs. Paintsil instead installed several earlier, but still engaging, portrait-style works on the stand, and awaited the new pieces, which range in price from $10,000 to $43,000, and feature distorted characters and evocative titles like Except now I’m drinking £21.00 of Tokaji from Waitrose– to be released before the weekend.
Artists were also due to arrive later in the day – after school leaves – to man the Children’s Museum of the Arts lemonade stand on the roof of the fair, where sculptures and drawings by local children are on offer. (price from $25 to $100) to benefit the establishment. And some of the artists involved with the Center for Creative Works in Philadelphia, which runs a creative arts program for adults with intellectual disabilities, were planning to come to the fair this weekend to showcase their designs (prices from $100 to $450 ).
Hunting Scenes and Decoy Ducks by Matt Belk at Nada New York Photo: Helen Stoilas
For those looking for less social interaction, a more hidden treasure is tucked away at The Hole gallery stand. There, in a cozy back room resembling a log cabin, are a series of airbrushed hunting scenes by Nebraska-born, Oregon-based artist Matt Belk (at a price of $10,000 each), with a charming flock of painted decoy ducks (priced at $3,000 each) gathering in the corners.
