Standouts at This Year's Spring Break Art Fair

The Spring/Break Art Show, an event organized annually by Ambre Kelly and Andrew Gori, showcases the work of over 400 artist and 100 curators.  This year, the event was held in the United Nations building with general audiences receiving paper bracelets printed with rubber ducks, a quirky accessory that is very much in line with the tone of the modern art show, to signify their admission to the event.  This year’s theme “Fact and Fiction” attracted just as many unique artists and intrigued spectators alike as the art fair’s previous seven years had, filling the floor of the UN typically reserved for the Liberian and Finnish consulates.

Perhaps the most anticipated of the respective artists was Shona McAndrew. Located in booth E28 and curated by Lauren Powell, McAndrew’s contribution to the contemporary art show was a replication of her apartment, as well as the people habituating in it.  Creating life-sized versions of her boyfriend and herself out of papier-mâché, McAndrew allows the viewer a perspective int her world, transporting her audience to her personal bedroom, outfitted with a fuschia bra on the floor, an open bottle of peanut butter on the nightstand, a stack of magazines and an assortment of plants.

Another particularly attention drawing artist was Nadine Faraj, who showcased her art in booth S10. Upon arrival at the show, which was curated by Anna Zorina Gallery, viewers were handed flashlights and directed to move into a dark room through a maze of curtains. Once inside, the audience was free to shine a light on the images which were painted directly onto the walls of the dimly lit room. Reminiscent of the time of cave painting, the impressive work and ambiance that Faraj recreated drew to the attention of many.

More impressive works included Serena Perrone, whose multimedia work featured a white porcelain box containing a world of its own.  Peeping through the hole in the side of the stand-alone artwork, viewers were free to observe the paper terrarium that awaited them.  When entering or exiting the booth, people were given a card with a Latin phrase translating to “Everyone says that wool doesn’t burn” and are directed to the artist’s website to decode its meaning.