VOLTA NY 2016 #KeepsIt100FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTBRIAN FEEBRIAN@VOLTASHOW.COM

NEW YORK, MARCH 8, 2016

Nine years on and VOLTA NY is going strong, staking its position as a globally conscious fair fornew art and reaffirming the fundamental point that a solo focus on artists is the standard — notthe exception — for cultivating a critical and collecting base. The resounding praise from today'sdistinguished press, from Observer to Hyperallergic to The New York Times, emphasizes VOLTA's effortson the international scene and its accessible solo-project format, and visitors responded with feeling, witha record-breaking 25,000 visiting through Sunday, including repeat trips from key patrons.

“When you see collectors and institutional representatives returning for the second — if not third — timeover the course of 4 days, then you know you’re on the right track!” quipped Artistic Director AmandaCoulson. “And this year I really have to send a shout-out to our loyal patrons who saw us through thickand thin, and as well now the new supporters. The huge increase in museum presence — from MoMA, tothe Tate, to the Bronx and New Museums — communicates to me that we made the right choice insticking with the Pier as a more mature platform, despite our shaky first year here in 2015. Returning forour sophomore year, we listened to our exhibitors' concerns, reflected on our own, and worked out thekinks — and I feel we really nailed it this year in terms of flow, energy, and discourse. The laid-backcolloquial feeling of community and conversation, even with increased attendance, really underscored thedifference of what we are trying to do with VOLTA NY."

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Derrick Adams (left) leads a discussion within his curated exhibition Something I Can Feel. Works pictured here by IbrahimAhmed (left, presented by Gallery Nosco, London) and Leonardo Benzant (right, presented by Dexter Wimberly Projects,Brooklyn). Some visitors sit on stools custom-made for the curated section, created as a collaboration between Eskayel andDane Co.

Galerie Dukan (Paris/Leipzig) recorded constant attention to Maltese artist Karine Rougier's intimate,surreal panoramas, practically selling out over the course of the week to entirely new American clients,including a dealer at The Armory Show next door. "It's really a great success!" chuckled owner SamDukan joyfully. Another veteran VOLTA dealer Galerie Trois Points (Montréal) received both concertedinterest in and sales for Serbian-Canadian artist Milutin Gubash's large-scale manipulated prints ofCommunist monuments and suspended "body-lamps". Co-owner Émilie Grandmont-Berubé recounted themany clients they had met at prior VOLTA editions who had visited their booth this year, noting "and that'spartially why we keep coming back: to build these relationships and to surprise people" to the breadth oftheir gallery program. The gallery featured last year's booth artist Anne-Renée Hotte in the 2016 VideoWall, screening her work La Lignée. Her partner Jean-Michel Bourgeois agreed, adding "Milutin's work isrepresentative of the entire fair: this diversity of backgrounds" — as VOLTA NY artists hailed from over 40distinct nations. Speaking of: ARTCOURT Gallery (Osaka), one of five Japanese exhibitors, unveiledrecent Kyoto University graduate Tomoko Takagi's successful stateside debut, selling the Yomiuri Prizewinner's ebullient canvases in all sizes to a new collector base. Lucy García Gallery(Santo Domingo)likewise received considerable attention for Domincan artist Jorge Pineda's latest body of work, selling allfour parts of his Superego series on paper to a New York institution and more works to the DominicanRepublic. Nearby at Samsøñ's (Boston) ambitious iteration of Gabriel Martinez's installation BaysideRevisited, following his solo showing at The Print Center (Philadelphia) last year, longtime VOLTA dealerCamilo Alvarez counted sales and significant attention from visitors. He summed up the vibe: "that's what Ilove about VOLTA — it's a focus on the artist, from the signage onward. And people recognize!"

Che-Yu Hsu's major work The Microphone Test (presented by Nunu Fine Art, Taipei) screens on the VOLTA NY Video Wall

Standing within a site-specific and discreet booth installation created by leading Scandinavianminimalist Per Kesselmar, following his recent article in Vienna arts journal art and signature,dealer Elisabet Fagerstedt (of her namesake Stockholm gallery) proclaimed "I really love Americans! It'sbeen fantastic." She recorded sales of Kesselmar's reductive white paintings on metal to a new collector,adding, "This is my first international art fair, and I wish we could extend it three days." Nearby at the fairand across the globe geographically, Nunu Fine Art (Taipei) was likewise positive. "So far we've metexcellent curators, museum people, and collectors who focus on this speciality of new media," notedowner Nunu Hung, of Che-Yu Hsu's video animations and prints, presented in both the gallery booth andat the Video Wall. "We're very happy. And the most important goal for us is set up the reputation as a goodbooth and a serious exhibitor." Caryl Ivrisse Crochemar of 14N61W espace d'art contemporain (Fort-de-France) and Ed Cross (of his London gallery) both echoed the strength of VOLTA NY's solo format in theirrespective presentations, young Guadelopean painter Ronald Cyrille ("a completely different energy",said Crochemar) and Mozambican photographer Mário Macilau (a critical success in the press and withcurators, Cross emphasized). Coming off Macilau's major showing at the 2015 Venice Biennale, Crossfollowed significant curatorial and institutional interest from the UK to southern United States. "It's been anextremely productive week," said Michelle Joan Papillion (of PAPILLION ART, Los Angeles) of visitorinteractions with Ghanian-American artist Derek Fordjour. "We are all very happy at the level of guestshere, and lots of opportunities are coming out of this beyond just the sales." She noted the abundance ofnatural light at the Pier as an added plus. Carlos Durán, director of Barcelona's galería senda, said hisfirst VOLTA experience "couldn't be better. I've had much respect for the VOLTA project, but this is our firsttime participating." Recording excellent sales of Anthony Goicolea's 'artist investigation-style' new bodyof work, Durán moved nearly the entire booth of paintings and installation to the United States, Russia,and throughout Western Europe. New exhibitor Kristin Hjellegjerde (London) continued to receive criticaland collector acclaim for Ethiopian artist Dawit Abebe's powerful Background paintings, including majorpress mentions and a booth rehang. Two of Abebe's dozen large-scale paintings awaited homes bySunday, and dealer Hjellegjerde was ecstatic: "What a great turnout and the atmosphere is fantastic! I amhaving the best of times and meeting such wonderful people."

Kristin Hjellegjerde (right, of her namesake London gallery) presents paintings from Dawit Abebe's Background series to aclient, while the artist himself, his photographer, and gallery associate Hedvig Westoel continue work from the desk

"This is the best fair I've ever done!" effused dealer George Lawson of his San Francisco gallery. Herecorded multiple sales of attending rockstar artist Justine Frischmann's mesmerizing mixed-media onaluminum compositions, including three within a half-hour span. "The people running the fair are sensitiveand efficient — an incredible combination," he added. "Time flew! Can't wait to come back." Speaking ofnon-exhibiting rock 'n rollers at the fair, Michael Stipe made two trips through, buying from JeczaGallery (Timisoara, showing Albanian abstract-Constructivist painter Genti Korini) and GalerieKornfeld (Berlin, presenting Sonny Sanjay Vadgama) among others. Inexhaustible dealer IrinaProtopopescu of Slag Gallery (Brooklyn) added another mark to her many VOLTA accomplishments,selling across both her booths — from Adam Brent's curious, surface-tantalizing sculptures to Tim Kent'slatest body of architecture-shattering paintings — to approximately $90,000 in sales by Sunday. GEGalería (Monterrey) were likewise successful in their minimal, museum-style presentation of MarinaVargas' large-scale prints and sculptural art historic critiques, following her solo exhibition at the CACMálaga. Her sculpture Apolo Astrum sold to New York and the second available print edition (of three)went to Los Angeles.

Lavinia Calza (left, director of ARTLabAfrica, Nairobi) presents works by Paul Onditi to a collector while Something I CanFeel exhibiting artist Brandon Coley Cox (presented by Rush Art Gallery, New York) looks on

Another inventive booth installation at Gallery MOMO (Tokyo), featuring Tomoyasu Murata's stop-animation video work Forest this flower bloom and Okinamai plus related handmade puppets anddiorama, received great response from collectors. Director Momo Sugita counted three puppets and avideo edition to a global arts collection, proclaiming "I'm so glad! This is great news." Returning New Yorkexhibitor ARTLabAfrica (Nairobi) sold out of Paul Onditi's medium-sized digital polyester inkjet printcompositions of figures in transient landscapes, plus several large-scale works to all new collectors fromNew York and Texas. Martin Asbæk Gallery (Copenhagen) debuted young ceramicist superstar MariaRubinke's Garden of earthly delights at the fair and sold several major pieces to two significant New Yorkcollectors. Danielle Arnaud (London) found the week flowing briskly and noted the "perfection" of openingin previews on Wednesday. Her artist Oona Grimes' thoughtful near-figurative reliefs and 2Dcompositions will head to the Freud Museum (London) for the first iteration of the touring exhibition TallTales, opening April 13. Returning exhibitor SEASON (Seattle) courted considerable attention tointerdisciplinary artist Mike Simi's Instagram-friendly media narrative TENDERNESS AND ROT, withconstant sales to match. Dealer Robert Yoder moved the booth's neon centerpiece -100 within the firstminutes of opening day, plus sales for glass sculptures and nearly 20 of Simi's small- and large-frameddrawings, with curatorial and commission interest "to boot" — Simi's equally impressive Nike Mid DunkBeer Boot, cast in glass from the artist's own shoes up to ankles, found its home with a lingering collectorcome closing time. "I can't thank you and everyone enough," glowed Yoder, "Mike is as excited as I."

Irina Protopopescu and Christine Wu of Slag Gallery (Brooklyn) pause from the action in their split booth of Tim Kent and AdamBrent

VOLTA NY's new wave of project booths, featuring local and international not-for-profits and artist-runspaces, added further context to the fair's dedication to global art-making, from First Floor Gallery's(Harare) flood of press and visitor attention to Zimbabwean artist Wycliffe Mundopa to DundeeContemporary Art's (Dundee) stellar Scottish presence with Lucy Skaer's print series. Greenpoint-basedartist Kristen Schiele (showing with Kayrock Screenprinting, Brooklyn) was nigh-ecstatic upon news ofboth her artist books OOOT MMMMM and AUTOPRIZE and a print to the Whitney Museum's permanentcollection. American Medium (Brooklyn) co-directors Travis Fitzgerald and Daniel Wallace were pleasedto present Brenna Murphy's digital media labyrinths to a broader audience, as Wallace emphasized "it'sour first fair participation during a major fair week." Meanwhile Cuevas Tilleard (New York) enacted a fullbooth changeover for Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican artist Sebastian Vallejo's eye-catching psychedeliaon fabric compositions. Co-owner Caroline Tilleard recorded multiple sales to local collections, adding"this has been our first proper art fair, really, and that's been great for our collectors to see."

Karl LaRocca (right, owner of Kayrock Screenprinting, Brooklyn) presents works by Kristen Schiele to Karen Boyer (near left,Principal, Elements in Play) and others

"Yesterday was Super Saturday for British artist Gavin Nolan," proclaimed CHARLIE SMITHLONDON director and curator Zavier Ellis, a familiar VOLTA presence. "We were delighted with selling allhis paintings, including a statement piece to collectors from New York, Washington, Virginia, Connecticutand the UK." Reflecting upon his split booth of counterculture purveyors, Ellis continued: "Today wasSuper Sunday for German artist Florian Heinke, who sold a number of works to serious collectors, fromtraditional art-world heavies to cutting-edge tastemaster like Leyton Astor on Mott Street." Four-timeVOLTA exhibitor MARC STRAUS (New York) sold the largest of Dresden-based Estonia artist PaulPretzer's melancholy renderings of cartoon animals in expansive color-field vistas to a new client fromupstate New York, as well as multiple smaller canvases with booth rehangings to match. Veteran VOLTAdealer Patrick Mikhail (of his Montréal/Ottawa galleries) reflected on the week and his artist AmySchissel's ambitious mixed-media installation DOUBLE STANDARD with his characteristic introspection:"The reason we did this booth, was: we knew it was a long-term project. We are showing Amy at herbest." He emphasized his aim at curators, and the resulting interest from New York and Washington D.C.institutions, plus an additional $12,500 in sales on Sunday. "Never ever in all the art fairs we've done havewe had a reaction such as this," Mikhail added. Meanwhile at Galerie Thomas Fuchs (Stuttgart), dealersFuchs and Andreas Pucher were practically a blur of nonstop energy for VOLTA NY's duration, selling 12of Jochen Hein's tantalizingly photorealistic seascapes and forest scenes (priced at $12–$22,000 each),including a new installation on Sunday and five works sold within the last hours at the fair. "We didn'texpect this at our first VOLTA fair," glowed Fuchs, as Pucher fielded a phone call with a client. "They [thecollectors] trust our quality."

Thomas Fuchs (near right) and Andreas Pucher (right, both of Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart) present photorealisticseascape paintings by Jochen Hein to a pair of collectors

Among the various zhuzhes to VOLTA NY's second year at PIER 90, including a tightened up floor-planand a coterie of critical programming including project booths and the Video Wall screenings, itwas Something I Can Feel — the inaugural Curated Section, led here by Derrick Adams — thatcontributed a significant constellation of critical discourse to the fair's very fundamental position as anartist-focused experience. "The VOLTA opening and my experience with Something I Can Feel is what Ihad hoped," recounted Adams. "It was exciting and it was great to see these artists — whose work pulledat me — up and presented. Walking the fair, the work is very strong and the solo presentations allow formore understanding. Compounding that throughout the pier leaves you with a stronger sense of clarity. Iabsolutely enjoyed the entire run and working with the VOLTA team. All that and I had such positiveconversations; it was a very fulfilling experience overall. I'm really thankful for having been given thisopportunity." The array of Flat-Round Stools custom-made for the exhibition as a collaboration betweenlocal emerging designers Eskayel and Dane Co. further encouraged lingering contemplation for the workson view, from ephemeral mixed-media reliefs by Brandon Coley Cox's (presented by Rush Art Gallery,New York, Adams' former directorship base in the '90s) to Balint Zsako's (presented by The Proposition,New York) modular, multi-gender, and multipanel folkloric scenes. Independent curator DexterWimberly balanced his attention between two positions in SICF, Leonardo Benzant's Afrofuturist powercompositions and Kate Clark's disarming, figurative taxidermy with aplomb. "VOLTA has been a veryrewarding experience for me this week! There's been such a great response to artists Leonardo and Kateat my two booths here. Never one to rest, I also curated the work of artist TschabalalaSelf for MoCADA's VOLTA booth. The interest in her work has been really outstanding!" True to his word,Wimberly was flying to North Carolina for The Ease of Fiction, a three-artist show he curated at CAMRaleigh. Friday at the fair featured several SICF-related events, including Adams' group walkthrough ofthe exhibition, and the latest iteration of BRIC (Brooklyn) and Mighty Tanaka-presented exhibitingartist Shaun Leonardo's participatory performance I Can't Breathe. Following performances at not-for-profits and schools, Leonardo honed the kinetic energy of a self-defense workshop — and its immediacyof institutional violence upon Black Americans — to a concentrated and deeply emotional event. Aformidable presence within the space, Leonardo paced around 12 participants, his voice resonating witheach command, leading them through a cycle of self-defense moves culminating with a response to achokehold. "What Derrick was able to accomplish with Something I Can Feel within the larger fair shouldreally be commended," commented Leonardo after the performance. "The synergy between artists'practices and concerns along with the physical design of the exhibition truly allowed for an in-depth

experience with the work. The energy and conversation never ceased. And that we collectively — artist,audience and participants — were able to capture that level of intensity and concentration during the ICan't Breathe performance, is simply put, special."

Shaun Leonardo (in white T-shirt, showing in Something I Can Feel with support by BRIC and Mighty Tanaka, Brooklyn) leadsguests in his self-defense workshop and participatory performance I Can't Breathe

Up at the Mezzanine Lounge, within the cozy environs created in collaboration betweendesigners VOLK, Rosie Li Studio, and Fort Makers — and curated by affiliate fair The ArchitecturalDigest Design Show — guests arrived in abundance to experience and engage with the second iterationof The VOLTA Salon with artnet. Capping off the week with Friday evening's riveting conversation"Confronting the Political", moderated by artnet News' Brian Boucher and featuring interdisciplinaryartists Molly Crabapple, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Dread Scott, and Hank Willis Thomas; andconcluding with Sunday's "Voices of the Museum", moderated by artnet News Editor-in-Chief RozaliaJovanovic and featuring local institutional inspirers Holly Block (Bronx Museum), JiaJia Fei (The JewishMuseum), and Karen Wong (New Museum).

Numerous patrons, press, and museum representatives attended VOLTA NY 2016, including return visitsfor certain keen collectors including Susan and Michael Hort (New York) and the musician MichaelStipe. Other fine guests seen over the course of the week included: Joel and Sherry Mallin (NewYork); Schwanda Rountree (Washington D.C.); Alice Ranahan (San Francisco); Darwin F. Brown (NewYork); Nicole Gallo (Curator of Agnus Gund Collection, New York); Laura Lee Brown (Director, 21cMuseum, Louisville KY); Olga Viso (Director, The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis); DorothyKosinski (Director, Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.); Don Bacigalupi (Founder, The Lucas Museumof Narrative Art, Chicago); Brooke Anderson (Executive Director, Prospect New Orleans); trustees ofMASS MoCA (North Adams MA); a curator and program coordinator in African-American worksfrom MoMA (New York); as well as curators and representatives from the Josef and Anni AlbersFoundation's Dakar base (Senegal); the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York); Museum ofPhotography(Berlin); Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City); The TateModern (London); The Art Institute of Chicago; the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center (OklahomaCity); New Museum (New York); NYU Programming and Collection (New York); Albright-Knox ArtMuseum (Buffalo) and others; plus Knight Landesman (Publisher, Artforum International); Isaac deBankolé (actor); Drew Barrymore (actress); David Byrne (musician/songwriter, Talking Heads); IsaacMizrahi (fashion designer); Joe Montana ("the Comeback Kid", four-time Super Bowl-winning former San

Francisco 49ers Quarterback); and many other lovers of the arts.

The VOLTA Salon with artnet panel discussion CONFRONTING THE POLITICAL, moderated by Brian Boucher of artnet Newsand featuring, from left, artists Hank Willis Thomas, Dread Scott (speaking), Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and Molly Crabapple.The Mezzanine Lounge design is a collaboration between local emerging designers Fort Makers, Rosie Li Studio, and VOLK

“I can actually relate to some of our celebrity visitors — a 'Comeback Player of the Year' and a child star,who hobbled off her pedestal and had to regain her critical credibility," Amanda Coulson reflected onVOLTA's nine years in New York, the week since passed, and the road ahead. "Betweenthe economic crash and having to repeatedly move venues, VOLTA — which, in both Basel and NY,premiered to the highest of acclaim — had a few tentative years. It makes the success of this year evenmore sweet, to know that if you stay true to your vision you can always reclaim lost territory. To befunctioning on a platform that is equitable with our neighbours on 92 and 94 and to be doingit successfully, without sacrificing our brand but actually building it, is the greatest satisfaction."

And speaking of lovers of the arts, extra special thanks and props to the superhuman Amani Olu and hisall-star team at Olu and Company, for their energizing PR support leading up to and during VOLTA NY2016. This man embodies serious heart for art, look him up: amani@olucompany.com.

VOLTA12 returns to Markthalle in Basel from June 13 through 18, 2016 during Art Basel Week.

Two VOLTA visitors bask in the neon glow of Mike Simi's eye-catching (and sold-out) sculpture -100 at SEASON (Seattle)

#VOLTANY2016

VOLTA NY | March 2 – 6, 2016 | PIER 90, New Yorkwww.voltashow.com