Material Matters | The Revival of Materiality in Today’s Art Market
Artwork by Saule Suleimenova at VOLTA Basel 2023
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The VOLTA Journal delves into the evolving art markets and explores emerging trends that shape the creative landscape. Today, we focus on an aesthetic gaining momentum within the art market: materiality.
Materiality is a theme that has noticeably gained traction and caught the eye of the VOLTA team during various art fairs this season including The Armory Show, Art Rio, Enter Art Fair and at VOLTA Basel earlier this year.
Unearthing New Voices
Rubens Takamine with Solar dos Abacaxis at ArtRio
In this type of work, artists use an abundance of materials to create intricate and immersive experiences often linked to the artists personal heritage and identity. Solar dos Abacaxis is gallery based in Paraty, Brazil, that presented Rubens Takamine work, spotted by Steven Agre, VOLTA’s Exhibitions Coordinator, at Art Rio. The work engages multiple senses at the intersection of art, herbal medicine and spirituality. Takamine’s work was laid out, creating concentric circles and patterns made of natural incense of chamomile, fennel, cinnamon, star anise and mirror shards. A riot for the senses, the work spoke to the duality of balance and chaos that preceeds creation, referencing the natural phenomenon of a volcano.
At VOLTA Basel this year we were joined by a new digitally based gallery QAZART from Kazakhstan. The gallery showcased the works of two female artists from the country including Saule Suleimenova, a Kazakhstani artist who crafts figures using plastic waste collected from the city's streets. The work showcases a message that intersects environmental, imperialist and one of identity of the artist as the works depict domestic imagery of groups of familial figures.
“I work with the medium of plastic bags. This medium of plastic relates to a wide spectrum of ideologies, discourse that sometimes conflict with each other. It’s decalonarity, consumerism and a lot of historical dramas. A lot of interesting layers.”
Saule Suleimenova, artist based in Kazahkstan represented by QAZART at VOLTA Basel 2023
The Intersection of Materiality and Decolonization
The surge in materiality has been observed at VOLTA and subsequently at art fairs including, most recently Frieze London where Alvaro Barrington's vibrant piece at Emalin Gallery, reflected his Caribbean heritage.
VOLTAs exhibitior Ethan Cohen Gallery, based in New York curates work that plays with the intersection of western markets and global aesthetic trends. As a western gallerist, Ethan was one of the first to exhibit contemporary Japanese and Chinese artistis in the 1980’s. Earlier this month, the VOLTA team visited Aboudia x Picasso x Paik x Tribal, an exhibition at that explored the profound dialogue between the works of Aboudia, Pablo Picasso, and Nam June Paik, and shed light on the impact of traditional African art on each artist’s respective practice such as the Ashanti Dolls attached to Paik’s paintings or Picasso’s clay works.
The examples spark questions regarding a connection to the ongoing decolonization of the art market and this revival in materiality. Art fairs are platforms where the world of art convenes under one roof. They are places of interconnectedness where global artists can share their narratives, especially those once stifled by imperialist influences.
The VOLTA Vision: Championing New Narratives
As we approach the 2024 editions of VOLTA under the guidance of new Artistic Director, Lee Cavaliere, we remain committed to championing new narratives, fostering dialogue, and providing a platform for global artists to access the art market capitals in an equitable way. We invite collectors to become a part of this emerging story at VOLTA and celebrate the diversity that defines the contemporary art landscape.
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