After a partnership with Art Cologne made last year’s edition of art berlin an eleventh-hour success, the fair acheived something unexpected: It entered into a multi-year contract with the Rhineland fair’s parent company, Koelnmesse. The new deal not only represents an unprecedented development for the fair and its veteran director Maike Cruse; it may offer a glimpse into the future.
In addition to bolstering art berlin’s viability, Cruse says the new partnership brought “a totally different perspective” to planning and organization. For its 2018 edition, the German capital’s preeminent fair is seizing the opportunity to bolster its programming with collaborations and specially curated booths and sections.
For instance, Cruse has tapped the talents of Swiss-born writer and curator Tenzing Barshee to organize a concept booth called Salon, which will present works by around 40 galleries. The special section, and the others like it, serve to offer a meaningful platform to galleries that may not have been able to attend the fair in full capacity. Read more