In the shadow of the mega Frieze New York, an art fair with a fresh, new approach was ready for its debut during Frieze Week between May 7 to 9, 2020 at Chelsea’s Canoe Studios. Unfortunately, Future Fair had to cancel their physical incarnation for the inaugural year, but the effort merits endorsement because of its original concept: embracing  a more egalitarian collaboration with galleries.

 

The major difference between Future Fair and traditional models is how they bring in a limited number of galleries (36 to be precise), as partners to create a more intimate, indoor art district. By encouraging galleries to curate unique, mini-shows, the organizers hope to provide an emblematic gallery setting, a more personal experience than market shopping. Additionally, Future Fair takes a significantly different route in terms of economic strategy and profit-sharing. By offering its founding galleries a stake in the fair’s growth, or 35-percent of the show’s profits, they motivate exhibitors to work towards joint achievement rather than focus on singular success.

Ana Benaroya Put Me In A Movie Youll Be The Star 2020 Courtesy of Ross Kramer

That approach resulted in a vibrant, coherent lineup of galleries, attracting a wide range of exciting, young artists who are shaping the future of the art world. With presentations available online between May 6th and June 6th through Artsy, Future Fair quickly found an alternative approach for their concept. At the same time, they are still working hard to maintain their robust community by providing a platform for art world professionals to voice opinions, engage in conversations with gallerists and artists, as well as introduce Insider’s Picks from the fair selected by advisors, curators, artists, and other cultural mavens.

Jenny Morgan Surface 2019 Courtesy of Mother Gallery

With many familiar galleries and artists we've featured in the past taking part in this presentation, we enjoyed creating our own list of favorites, and (why not?) adding a number of new names to the mix. —Sasha Bogojev