Affair, a fair of galleries that are not in arteba

“Collaborative and self-managed”: this is how the new proposal that was added this year to the Buenos Aires art circuit is defined; Simultaneous to the already consecrated fair, it stands out because the stands are connected to each other and form a great sample

September 2, 2023

“Horizontal, collaborative and self-managed. An art fair model with a freer concept where the identities and profiles of the participating galleries are respected”. This is how Affair is defined, the new art fair that opened on Thursday and ends today, just 600 meters from arteba, at the Saldías Cultural Center. “It does not pretend to be a small version of arteba or part of a negative look. We are exploring new management formats”, says curator Carlos Gutiérrez.

“The traditional way to see art is to visit one booth at a time. Here the idea is that from any point you can see at least three galleries”, explains Gutiérrez. In Affair the limits are blurred. A system of wooden structures that support each other reflects the collaborative spirit and generates an articulated exhibition space. “If you take one out, the rest fall out. They are incomplete cubes, it has to do with the need for another. There is no single way to read it, all the works are interconnected. From the editing it is thought like a snake, an elusive animal. This is also the experience of the spectator in the room”.

The curator tells that the fair was born from the horizontal decision of twelve galleries connected by similar problems and searches. “Some deliberately did not participate in arteba because they did not find it attractive; Others don't have the resources. Despite having been put together in three months, they are very satisfied with the results: “The flow of sales was very good, all the galleries sold at least one work. The idea is to position the brand so that other galleries join in the following years and we have a bigger space”.

The plastic artist Luisa González, one of the spectators, celebrates the proposal: “Several galleries rejected by arteba and others that could not pay what they asked for have come together. The sample is very good. There are galleries with a long history”. Diana García Calvo, from the Sasha D gallery, was also very optimistic: “It is a friendlier climate. This was born as a cooperative where the 12 gave their opinion on which architect to call, which carpenter”.