txt: All the fun of the art fair – From The TimesOnLine
There is not much difference between an art fair and a fun fair. Behind the gaily painted façades and the smiles of the stallholders they are both, fundamentally, all about money. [...]
Frieze has become a phenomenon because it understands a basic principle. Art fairs have to be fun. They are not about dry academic assessment of the contemporary. They are about entertainment. They must not encourage prudence. They must promote competitive consumption. In a fairground atmosphere, financial caution is more likely to be cast to the wind.
img: shop windows – oddtag on flickr.com
