Following the Moving Image fair, Zatista strolled over to the Independent on Chelsea’s gallery-lined 22nd Street. The second year running, the Independent art fair likes to think of itself as “the fair that’s not a fair.” Tucked away into the former space of the Dia Art Foundation‘s X Initiative, this four floor showcase of cutting edge art has generated a big buzz, and hosts striking younger galleries, predominantly with an international/Euro-centric flavor.

The crowd was fashionable and the scene felt a bit more like a Berlin opening than a New York fair. In comparison to the more staid, organized setup of The Armory Show, the Independent has a certain haphazard yet charming atmosphere to it. Here’s a peek at the crowd and two pieces by Virginia Overton, from Freymond-Guth Ltd. Fine Arts, Zurich:

The energetic bustle was reinforced by the technicolor stairwells (light radiating from Dan Flavin‘s “Untitled”) that simultaneously kept the crowd moving and packed them in like sardines.

GOING UP…

This fair also prides itself as being an “art fair without walls” which exudes a certain avant-garde authenticity and perhaps a lack of organization as well. Here, a gallery attendant from the Brussels Galerie Jan Mot sits next to an important video work by Manon de Boer. “Laurien, March 1996 – Laurien, September 2001 – Laurien,  October 2007” portrays a woman reading the daily newspaper at different times over the span of many years:

A splash of color and sexiness is provoked by this bell jar holding the bottom portion of a mannequin leg. Modeling purple stockings, “American Leg” is both an ambiguous and fashionable sculpture by the glossy yet critical German born artist Josephine Meckseper of Elizabeth Dee Gallery, NYC:

More smartly shaped and lavishly minimalist works from Chelsea gallerist Elizabeth Dee, who was instrumental in establishing this Independent “non-fair” along with the London gallerist Darren Flook:

Going Down…..

These colorful, loose-knit paintings by British born, Berlin-based artist Dan Rees at the New Galerie in Paris seemed to exemplify the spirit of the Independent with their carefully crafted semblance of untidiness and pizzazz:

Everyone ended up at the closing soirée, which included music and an epicurean café by Bidoun Magazine. Due to the cold New York weather, the party which was ON the roof was under one as well. Of all the week’s fairs, the Independent was my favorite for its fresh and experimental programming and its inventive presentation. Its simple yet refreshing ambience was a breath of fresh air from the sometimes overwhelming abundance of the art fair week.