Art Paris 2023: Transnational Renegotiation of Commitment and Exile in Art
Interview with the Fair Director Guillaume Piens
JP: The Fair includes a sector entitled ‘Promises,’ which supports young galleries (less than six years old) and emerging artists, with 43 galleries either shown as first-time exhibitors or past participants returning this edition and 32% new exhibitors compared to 2022 — a unique addition to such a prestigious global art event. Can you tell us about why you felt it was important to include this emerging and new contemporary art scene in the Art Paris 2023 Art Fair and your selection process, particularly for the nine hosted galleries for ‘Promises’ from around the globe?
GP: The idea is to present something fresh every year with new exhibitors representing about 30% of the selection, but above all to make room for the discovery of new art scenes and emerging galleries. The Promises sector focusing on 9 galleries in existence for less than 6 years epitomises the position of the fair.
This year, we have put a great deal of effort into renewing the Promises sector. What is interesting is its wide geographical reach as it features a very varied selection of young galleries from Bucharest (Gaep Gallery), Guatemala City (Galeria Rebelde), Los Angeles (Baert Gallery), Amsterdam (Enari) and Lisbon (This is not a white cube). A certain number of constants amongst emerging artists can be observed, such as a return to figuration and the importance of artisanal and age-old crafts that is expressed in a growing interest in mediums such as textiles and ceramics.
