The central bar at the Moniker Art Fair is designed bv Egle Zvirblyte (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)

If art fairs are most often associated with money-making Manhattan and the culture of prestige and shopping that the island of commerce has perfected, the borough of Brooklyn has been the creative hub of the city for most of this century, particularly as a place where artists actually live, rather than simply work or visit.

Over the years, many art fairs have ventured to Brooklyn but this Frieze Week there are three different Brooklyn fairs going on at the same time, a pretty unique occurance. I’m not sure if this is a sign of things to come (I doubt it), but they definitely point to a type of independently minded fair that seems to be a natural fit for quickly gentrifying Brooklyn.

I traveled to 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in Red Hook and the Moniker fair and Other Art Fair both in Greenpoint to explore these small fairs and capture the colors and sights.

Ryan Callanan’s Hip Hop Shrine at TAG Fine Arts at Moniker

The entrance to the Moniker fair

The halls of Moniker

A booth by artist Egle Zvirblyte at Moniker

A Skewville booth at Moniker

Sculptures by Dan Lam and Brooklyn prints by Ben Eine (background) at the Spoke Art booth at Moniker

Sculptures by Tim Conlon at Roman Fine Art at Moniker

Inside the “Temporary Infinity” installation “gif” by INSA at Moniker

The Sketchbook Project’s “Mobile Library” at the Other Art Fair

Harley Swedler’s booth at the Other Art Fair

Work by Neil Powell at the Other Art Fair

Ceramic objects by Jean Louis Frank at the Other Art Fair

An installation by Arthur Lugauskas at the Other Art Fair

A view of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn

Detail of a photographic work by Joana Choumali at 50 Golborne at the 1-54 fair

Installation by Gallery 1957 featuring artist Gideon Appah

Works by Lawrence Lemaoana at the Afronova booth at 1-54

Works by Sethembile Msezane and Kudzanai-Violet Hwami at the Tyburn Gallery at 1-54

Works by Kassaou Seydou at Galerie Cecile Fakhoury gallery at 1-54

A work by A. Kannemeyer at Hubert Breyne gallery at 1-54

Moniker Art Fair (Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse, 73 West Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn), The Other Art Fair (Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn), and the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn) all continue until Sunday, May 6, 2018.

Hrag Vartanian is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic.

One reply on “Brooklyn’s Art Fairs Do Their Own Thing During Frieze Week”

Comments are closed.