Papier15 demonstrated some significant changes from previous editions, but, despite the shifts, the fair maintained its particular intimacy, and didn’t abandon its slightly rough-around-the-edges feel—art collectors being ferried up and down in a freight elevator is one of the most indicative images of the weekend. But it needs to catch up to its own growth. With $900,000 in sales, Papier15 was a commercial success, but to maintain its critical acclaim, Papier needs to define itself in distinction to its (self-created) counterparts, pin down the function and scope of its parallel programming and find a way to make the most of its new location.
Canadian Art’s interim online editor Caoimhe Morgan-Feir and web intern Amy Luo take stock of the recent iteration, detailing what worked, and what could use some revision.
AGAC needs to differentiate between Papier and Feature.
With the establishment of Feature Art Fair in Toronto, AGAC effectively created their own competition. Theoretically, Papier’s medium-based focus should steer the franchise clear of infringement, but several booths at Papier bore a notable resemblance to their counterparts at the first instalment of Feature. Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, for example, presented a reminiscent grouping of Tammi Campbell and Trevor Gould. Collectors were undeterred—by the end of the fair, the booth was practically covered in red dots. But are the markets in Toronto and Montreal distinct enough to sustain such an overlap? Time will tell. It couldn’t hurt, though, for organizers to place a more vested interest in differentiating between their offerings.
The new floor plan allowed for more isolated, considered art viewing.
This year’s floor plan eluded art-fair conventions, and for the better in many ways. Booths were organized around the circumference of each floor looking out toward the expansive windows lining all four walls. Several dealers commented favourably on the natural light flooding the booths during the daytime. With no one booth facing another, and the standardized booth size doubled from last year, there was plenty of physical and breathing space for more isolated viewing. On the spectrum of the art-fair experience, this one did well in approximating an art-viewing experience rather than a shopping experience. The space also lent itself well to schmoozing, without obstructing traffic in the booths. For dealers, collectors and artists alike, art fairs are an occasion to foster new connections and even contracts, so a setup that lends itself well to this makes sense.
The new floor plan had its drawbacks, though.
More space, natural light and equal sizing were all undeniable points in favour of this year’s floor plan, but there was one enormous drawback: isolation. With booths facing the window, there was little interaction between dealers, and the odd, and occasionally wonderful, pairings that art fairs can engender didn’t happen. The most unpredictable, yet pleasurable, outcome of bringing so many galleries and artists together in one room is the cacophonous juxtapositions this mix can create. If Papier could manage to balance the positive attributes of this year’s floor plans with a little bit of the cross-pollination found in past years, it would be a winning outcome.
The new location was a success, but could use a little more highlighting.
Reflecting on last year’s fair, David Balzer wrote that location is key to Papier’s branding, and this year’s location change suggests a new direction for the fair. Papier15’s abode in the Mile End’s Complexe de Gaspé is a far leap from last year’s tent location right smack downtown in the Quartier des spectacles. Unlike the Ste-Catherine sidewalks, foot traffic near the industrial building was scant aside from local residents and Papier-goers. So while admission was still free, and attendance held steady at 17,000 visitors, this edition of Papier drew a slightly different, less general crowd. The ground floor of the building houses a number of artist-run and not-for-profit art centres, so the move is a nice gesture of drawing visitors to a more intimate part of the local art scene, and offering these alternative spaces more exposure. However, the location—a 15-minute walk from the nearest metro station—was certainly more of a nuisance to get to. The shuttles from Laurier Station served to appease this inconvenience, but perhaps deterred people from exploring the neighbourhood. The fair’s lounge space with several local food-and-beverage vendors was conducive to convenient refuelling, but the organizers could certainly put in a greater effort to acquaint visitors with local establishments outside the Complexe.
The new parallel programming needs more considered integration.
In general, Papier offers a robust selection of parallel programming. This year was no exception, but a few elements of the programming stood out for the wrong reasons. The addition of a video-screening room, in particular, was an unmitigated flop. The videos were paper-themed, but the room was underutilized (only a few visitors stayed for a few moments at a time), and poorly equipped. The videos lacked context, and it was difficult to figure out which work you were actually looking at. Similarly, the exhibition of the 2014 winners of the Prix Pierre-Ayot and the Prix Louis-Comtois felt slightly slapdash, relegating the work of two of Quebec’s most-promising artists to an afterthought.
Hometown favourites still reigned supreme.
Traditional art-fair logic would dictate that gallerists from far away should gather the most interest—why get excited about a gallery you could see any day of the week? But this expectation was disproven at Papier15. Throughout the weekend, it was hard to shake the feeling that gallerists from outside of Montreal were interlopers. This is both a curse and a boon—for many of the galleries from farther afield, the chance to take in a distinct, and distinctly defined, cultural milieu was appealing. Deborah Carver of Studio 21 Fine Art in Halifax, for one, spoke highly of the cultural literacy that the general audience had, and suggested that issues of sales took a second seat to interacting with a deeply knowledgeable group of viewers. This was a generous appraisal. Building interest in and an appreciation of art from beyond Quebec stands as one of Papier’s biggest, and most urgent, hurdles.
This post was corrected on April 30, 2015. The original article mentioned Seripop’s inclusion in Galerie Hugues Charbonneau’s booth in a fashion that suggested they were included last year at Feature Art Fair, which may have confused some readers. Galerie Hugues Charbonneau has shown Seripop at Papier in the past, but not at Feature Art Fair.
