Affordable Art Fair 2021
Stockholm first out with ‘crypto art’
The world stopped last year, and it seemed difficult to start again. But finally, we are there again. MOOD The Art of Today had the opportunity to visit the Affordable Art Fair in Stockholm, 14–17 October 2021 and feel the pulse of the art world after Corona.
During the pandemic, many artists and galleries tried to open new avenues to sell their art, especially online, but everyone realizes that the customer wants to see the art with their own eyes, see the colours, the size, compare with other works of art and even talk to the artist or the gallery owner.
Affordable Art Fair aims to make art more accessible and is now held in ten cities in nine countries. In total, Affordable Art Fair gathered 45 galleries and artist collectives at Nacka Strandsmässan, just outside Stockholm. When you went through the stands and felt the pulse, it was noticeable that everyone was excited about the feeling of being together again, to see how thousands of visitors passed by, talk to them, and secure many purchases.
New for this year is that the fair invests in NFT and digital footprints that are used to secure the art of the future and help eliminate counterfeits in the long run. This benefits art collectors, artists and even gallery owners who can easily verify the authenticity of a work, explains Affordable Art Fair's fair director Carl Wilhelm Hirsch.
The digital solution offered by the Swedish company Nfinitymark gives the works of art a unique identity code that can be used to identify, verify and manage them via NFT. In this way, you can register a work of art's ownership and the most important information so that collectors have easy access to all their collections in a digital wallet.
We asked Fair Director Carl Wilhelm Hirsch some questions:
How did it feel to put on this first art fair after Covid? ‘From the first day's pressure we expected an onslaught, however, now I feel safer and more secure. I take the time to talk to all the gallery owners and ask how they are. I try to focus on the others, and try to look outwards instead of inwards.’
How do you manage to get so many visitors? ‘We have an internal marketing team that works both internationally and locally in Stockholm that studies several ways to best reach the right target group, i.e., strong buyers, and younger, preferably first-time, buyers. This year we have tried to be more visible in the print market, and we have been lured into a TV presence.’
Is there anything you think could be improved? ‘We want to develop, and do not want the customer to have the same experience two years in a row. Since I am the new Fair Director, maybe I can try to arrange things so that the exhibitors do not get the same place even if they might wish they were “right there”. My experience is that sales depend more on what kind of art you show and not so much on the place you show it.’
Do you feel that the exhibitors are satisfied? ‘Very happy. We have received valuable feedback both on the type of visitors who have come, and the atmosphere, from the music to the general ambience. It is noticeable that people are hungry to come out and see things.’
How many visitors do you count on?
' I was expecting about 10,000 and it was just the figure we got, and I'm very happy that we got it.'
We also interviewed Lovisa Vasseur, Stockholm Fair Manager:
What responsibilities do you have in the organization? My main responsibility is to ensure that the fair runs as smoothly as possible (operations) and that our galleries are happy with the event (sales, coordination, marketing). Carl and I work very closely in the lead up to the fair and have a quite dynamic way of working, where we share our tasks and responsibilities. This means that our responsibilities might vary from week to week, in terms of PR and marketing to fair coordination or sponsorship agreements. That is what makes our job fun – we could work within so many different fields and develop a wide skill set, to ensure we improve the fair from year to year.
What is your overall experience in this Art Fair? We are happy with how our 9th edition of the fair went, and we have fantastic feedback from both galleries, visitors, and sponsors.
When is the next fair planned? Our next fair will take place the 21-24th April 2022 in Nacka Strandsmässan, Stockholm, Sweden.
Why did you choose this date and place?
We love our venue, and it is exciting to see what the area has developed into the past years and how it has become a hub for offices, creatives, tech companies and newdevelopments (housing etc). We are super excited to open the doors to an Affordable Art Fair Stockholm in the spring and hope to see a mix of our long-standing galleries together with a new rooster of exhibitors onsite!
www.affordableartfair.com
Instagram: affordableartfairsthlm
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