Arte Fiera, Bologna

As soon as I set foot in one of those ‘exhibition centres’, typically found just outside of a city centre, I feel like passing out. Unfortunately Artefiera Art First Bologna, one of the world’s oldest art fairs, takes place in just such a sprawling space. Nonetheless, enticed in by a gifted entry to the preview, I went to have a see. Hall after hall with stand after stand of contemporary galleries flashed their wares and if it hadn’t been for the company and the glass of prosecco in my hand I most probably would have given up in time for apperitivo in Bologna’s city centre (Margarita note to follow). But one of the nominally British stands wanted an extra pair of hands to help over the weekend and so, after acclimatising to the bright lights, I was moved to revise my first impressions.

I’m pretty sure it was the privilege of time which did it (that and of course hearing about the peculiarities of how the Italians buy art). In the same way that when you go to an exhibition you only expect to see it once and so you make frantic efforts to look at things with as much force as you can muster and feel obliged to see everything put before you, so too with an art fair one feels a compulsion to look at everything on offer. No wonder you might feel jaded by the whole thing. But when you have the chance to see things as few or as many times as you like, up close or from a distance – i.e. when you have the luxury of time on your side – it is oh so much easier to mould your very own experience of it.

Stands you couldn’t bear to look at (for instance because gore in art just isn’t really your thing), you make a point of passing when you next go by for a second, third or fourth time. And those stands with pieces you lusted after but felt pretty intimidated by at the same time you can summon up the courage to revisit. And you enjoy them all the more each time you go. Continua (the gallery that is very cool-ey located in San Gimignano in Tuscany) was one of the latter stands. It had an incredible selection of amazingly cool works including a piece by Moatar Nasr made up of over 12,000 matchsticks with different coloured tips arranged into a floral pattern and yes, there was a Kapoor too.  John Martin Gallery had another piece which really grew on me, Neale Howells’ Mama with a Gun (2011), so much interest in it too (see current exhibitions at John Martin Gallery in London and Edward Cutler Gallery in Milan).

Of course pieces with the loved and hated ‘novelty’ and ‘shock’ factors often associated with contemporary fairs also peppered the halls. I grew very fond of one of these: a pair of clay busts with videos of the moving features of said clay heads projected onto them many times over from the vantage point of two other clay pieces. It was so clever, so fun and all the more enjoyable to watch since there was a steady stream of children laughing without inhibition at them.

The fair itself was one of a constellation of art events held in Bologna the last weekend of January. The atmospheric highlight was certainly la notta Bianca di Arte fiera on the Saturday evening. Bologna’s wide porticoes mediate perfect moseying opportunities all around the city centre and it was really very cool to see them light up as the buzz and movement in and out of galleries big and small spilled into them that night.  But for me at least, one of the very best things about Arte fiera, as with so many other art events, and certainly one of the endlessly curious things was watching or listening to other people’s reactions (often softly spoken and hesitant) to things that they see and for this at least may be it is the first impression which really counts.