My first visit to an art fair was in 2013. I arrived at New York's Armory Show and was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the space and the numbers of booths displaying art, each appearing as a small stage set where all the action was taking place. Amazed by what I was seeing, I began taking photographs, thinking this could be the start of a new series, which in fact, it turned out to be. Originally, my art fair scenes were painted on FedEx mailing boxes that I turned inside out. I enjoyed working on cardboard and both the size and dimensionality of these boxes appealed to me. Later on, I realized painting directly on the front of the FedEx box would contribute relevant commentary to these narratives – the FedEx logo, a reminder of the mobility and the transitory nature of the art world today, at times barely visible and at other times hovering above the scene. Art fairs are short lived, in a few days they would be gone, the artwork packed up and shipped back to galleries, collectors, and other fairs.

LAURA CHASMAN

LAURA CHASMAN