Sunday, November 4, 2012

Shiny Objects From Afar: SOFA Expo 2012

dsc_0286 for web


It was hard not to think of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy when I went to the SOFA Expo this year.  So many of the galleries showing there are from New York.  I'm not sure how many of them were directly hit by the flood waters or how many dealers and artists lost people they cared about in the storm, but I kept thinking of that as I looked at the booths from New York.  Whenever there are major floods, I can't look at a body of water the same way.  Sure, Lake Michigan looks peaceful now, but its relative calm belies the fact that it has made many widows and orphans since the founding of Chicago.  As as I walked further and further down to the end of Navy Pier, where the SOFA show was held, surrounded by the waters of lake, I felt a new respect for the power of nature.

Concerns about climate change and the environment were the theme of the large scale installation near the entrance, Bags Across the Globe, featuring a huge fused plastic shopping bag that hovers overhead like a cloud, raining down reusable shopping bags made from discarded fabric.

dsc_0306 for web


I found an incredible array of beautiful things.

dsc_0287 for web
Norman Mooney

dsc_0312 for web
Pedestal: Jan Huling; Wall: Joseph Cavalieri

dsc_0265 for web
Lino Tagliapietra


dsc_0324 for web
Julie Elkins

dsc_0321 for web
Nuala O'Donovan

dsc_0351 for web
Hiroshi Yamano

dsc_0289 for web
Pedestal- Adrian Arleo; Walls- Lesley Richmond

dsc_0283 for web
Joan Rasmussen



dsc_0275 for web
Cassandria Blackmore

dsc_0258 for web
Specimen Products by Ian Schneller

Zammy Migdal

Yves Boucard

Steve Linn

Ruth Oliphant

Matt Duffin

Ted Gall

Dena Pengas
Stephen Powell




Seeing the fragile objects perched on pedestals, their unique beauty threatened by a careless bystander, reminded me of the precarious state of so many art world fixtures that we take for granted.  I haven't even had the chance to visit New York since I got serious about being an artist, and there are so many galleries I never got to visit, and now I may never be able to.  I hope that they will be rebuilt, and in the meantime I am glad I had the opportunity to see so much beautiful art from all over the world at Navy Pier.

Today is the last day of the SOFA show.  See it while you can.  It runs from noon until 6 p.m. today.  For more information, visit the SOFA Expo site.

2 comments:

  1. wow very nice Tiffany especially bird and fish thanks for such a beautiful blog.

    click here

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Share This Post