In 2013, Marseille was appointed Capitale Européenne de la Culture, a program designed to strengthen the European region through artistic prisms. Since then, the city has increasingly attracted interest from within France (not even) . After Covid, this interest reached a turning point as the idea of people in Paris being drawn close to the ocean after being painfully closed during lockdown. The Southern movement sparked the gentrification of territorial tensions and allegations, and an article published in French newspapers this spring sparked controversy (“Les Parisiens quidé barque à marseille prenent learns leurs clics et une claque”) about whether such a large-scale transfer is the case on the “massive shift” of the “caract” city.
Whether Marseille accepts raffles from other regions or not, the city has been trying to gain a foothold in the arts. Despite its second largest city in France, the art world in Marseille is not in line with its scale. Art-O-Rama is a contemporary art fair that recently closed its 19th edition, where he tried to attend a rally locally, although only three galleries from Marseille brought the work to the edition (independent), with 14 countries. The fair is the product of a loose invitation salon founded in the 1990s by local gallery Roger Pailhas. Today, it is a three-day fair held in late August, with partners with regional players such as Carré D’Art in Nîmes, Villa Carmignac in Porquerolles, Foodation Luma in Arles and Villa Noailles in Hyères. News notes that eight of the nineteen galleries that have previously participated in Art-O-Rama were selected for this year’s Art Basel statement.
Art-O-Rama director Jérôme Pantalacci said the signature of the expo is that the scene science of the stands is very open and many new works have been produced specifically for it. As for Marseille as the background, he noticed the acceleration of the art world in less than a decade. He told the observer: “There is a form of effervescent.” As we all know, the city has a less polished effect than Paris: “Marseille is messy – a little shaky. It’s something people once didn’t like, but now it’s pursued. It’s not a freedom. It’s not neat. The city’s composition is also different, with North Africa having a huge community. Furthermore, there is no Banlieues: “The exaggerated population is in the city, not in the city,” he said of the socio-economic reality. When asked if the city tends to misunderstand, he admitted that “it’s considered a city with a lot of crime and filth.” Contemporary art public and collectors will be easier to go to Monaco. However, the image of Marseille changes due to the quality of life, sunshine and ocean close to Italy. ”
Art-O-Rama hosted at La Friche, a sprawling former tobacco factory that transformed into a cultural center in the Belle de Mai community behind the railway station. Upon arrival, one encounters a basketball court and a skate park. Its sprawling floor contains artist studios, exhibition spaces and a large roof, made of graffiti-style stairwells (“No to War”, “Everyone Lesbians”).
Giovanni’s room is a Los Angeles Gallery presence, has been around for more than three years and is on display for the first time this year. Galleryist Jeremy Maldonado attends the fair in New York, London, Paris and Miami, “all year round, seasonal, because that’s crucial for the American business.” His friends encouraged him to join Art-O-Rama at the Paris Gallery, which also brought work to the fair. Maldonado presents to Los Angeles-born New York artist Jackie Klein (his work ranges from $1,000-$2,500). “It’s a wonderful atmosphere,” Maldonado told observers. “In Europe, having conversations with European art customers, art dealers, artists…the business is second. I feel the business comes from this integrity. I’m not thinking about selling anything; I’m thinking about showing something that works really well, and that’s all, that’s the point.” He dares to say that he will be attending Art-O-Rama again next year.
DS Galerie is Marais’ Paris space, participating in the fourth edition. Gallery representative Ulysse Feuvrier said Marseille is “an increasing ecosystem” but fair scale is manageable. “It doesn’t bring too much format, which means there’s more time to see everything and exchange… It’s another way to start a year with Frieze Seoul.” DS Galerie’s first year took part in the competition, where they showed off the sculpture duo Xolo Cuintle, according to a meeting at the expo, which led to their first solo show in France. This year, Antoine Conde’s drawings are stars, culled from a bunch of erotic, porn and pop culture images, with prices being culled from 900-1,600 euros.
Galeria Sabot is a long-time player who topped the 6th edition, partly anchored by a “friendly organization.” Founder Daria Dumitrescu told Observer that Romanian Gallery had previously participated in Liste, Artissima, Nada Miami and Paris Internationale, but began to “rethink the way we should survive” during the pandemic. The gallery presents the paintings of three artists: the young painter Daniel Moldoveanu, conceptual artist and critical abstractists Pepo Salazar and Alexandra Zuckerman, inspired by fabrics, whose work ranges from 1,300-12,000 euros. Dumitrescu’s experience is that sales did not arrive immediately, but rather the gallery “established a collector in France”. She noted that the gallery “works with very young artists, we grow up together – it’s more difficult. You have to create demand in the market and then something happens. Some people are older and more well-known now, and things get easier.”
The long-term tabletop from Budapest enjoyed its second outing at the expo. Last year, the gallery showed off five artists and “had some really good opportunities for our artists in the organization,” gallery representative Peter Bencze told Observer. “We did some sales, too, but the Art-O-Rama is not Basel or trim – you can enjoy it very much if you know. We love the idea of vitality and the fair. Today, all the art is really driven by the market. Of course, you can sell here, but what you realize is that you can really help your artists.” This year, the gallery installed a themed booth inspired by the exchanges between Marcel Duchamp and Constantin Brâncuși, specifically targeting the latter’s American career. Fourteen artists chose this reference in curation, although the work was not created with purpose. Among them are Hungarian artist Áron Lőrincz, French artist Julie Béna and Hungarian artist Omara Mara Oláh, whose works are the most expensive on the stalls and are priced at €20,000.
Chicago Gallery Mickey returns to Art-O-Rama for the second time. Galleryist Mickey Pomfrey was suggested to participate in the recommendations of American Gallery Good Weather (also at the Expo). “What we love is the atmosphere: they offer a lot of licenses, they give galleries a different way than many other fairs. The crowd seems to be very dedicated. Of course, Marseille is just the cutest place in this time of the year,” Pomfrey said. In Marseille, he said with admiration, “the aesthetics after the Internet never died like the United States, and they were not hit by the same cultural transformation experience.” Last year, Ryan Nault presented a stall to Ryan Nault’s water-branded paintings. This year, Michael Madrigali’s work is the production of wood, fiberglass, foam, plastic and paint, inspired by the Mexican Museum of Artifacts and to show a shoe display similar to a woman. The price of the parts is 2,000 euros.
Marseille Gallery Sissi Club anchored the local presence and participated in the art fair for the fourth time. The gallery was founded in 2019 and its founder initially used Art-O-Rama as a visitor. “Art – Olama is very important because there is an international art world around the art world,” said Anne Vimeux, who led the gallery with Elise Poitevin. In their first year, the booth was dedicated to Inès Difolco jemni, who brought it back to Basel this spring. This year, they have two artists at different locations in their careers: a photo of Marion Ellena (800-1,500 euros) and a batik by Amalia Laurent, who just completed a year at Villa Medicis (10,000 euros). “There are few galleries in the Marseille ecosystem, so when we go elsewhere to represent the site,” Vimeux said of materials from Arco and Paris Internethye in Mexico City, Madrid, in Madrid. “Choose an expo is choosing a scenario, and that’s how we think about it.”
Both founders are from Marseille and are pleased to see the continued growth of curatorial projects and artist practices. “What we hope is that the field will become more structured around the organization. That’s how we will be able to anchor,” Vimeux said. “We’ve been through off-peak moments, but the new generation is bringing new dynamics.”
More at Art Fairs, Two Years and Triennials
