The second art fair of last week, and the second, after
@friezeofficial , to host a VIP tour for our
@mcrcontemporary collectors, was possibly my favourite.
I was aware of the US concept of 'hotel fairs', where gallerists take over spaces and literally install or place their works across beds, baths and communal areas, but I think
@minor.attractions is the only one in the UK and this was my first visit. Equally
@themandrakehotel is also an iconic one-off, so the two elements combined delivered a wildly stimulating and rewarding experience.
Again, the high point for me was visiting galleries who have been part of the
@mcrcontemporary journey, including
@joey_ramone_rotterdam and
@Patricia_Fleming_glasgow , as well as galleries joining us for the first time such as
@brookebenington and
@williamhinegallery , and also those will be returning to our fair next month, such as
@Copperfield_london . These threads and connections linking Manchester and the North to the wider artistic geography are so critical for our collector development.
The tour was ably orchestrated by Nat Pitt of
@division_of_labour , also the curator at
@mcrcontemporary , and included a lunch at
@themandrakehotel which we all enjoyed, not least because of the copious champagne. The hospitality was much appreciated, and the hotel was amazing - a labyrinth of dark rooms and surprising spaces, including a lush, Jumanji-ish plant-filled atrium hidden right in the heart of Fitzrovia.
A personal highlight for me was discovering
@glbrierley in
@amodestshow room. Beautifully dense and otherworldly paintings, by yet another artist from my damp Pennine hometown of Glossop. We Glossopians get everywhere...
(All images courtesy of
@minor.attractions as I was too busy being toured to take useful photographs.)
