Celebrated and emerging artists alike have deployed their artworks for a new trendy exhibition fair of visual arts, Art Barter, in which pieces are not bought and sold in the strict sense of the words, but rather traded for other items or services. This initiative came up a couple of years ago in London encouraged by curators Lauren Jones and Alix Janta, featuring new editions in New York and Berlin in 2010, as well as during the Frieze Fair in London.
It’s been traditionally said that in the pinnacle of depression –either economic or psychological, creative thinking comes along. Art Barter bears this out for it has panned out to be an alternative for the art market, though isolated and poorly appreciated so far. What’s more, it’s a dynamic reflection on the need to map out new strategies before the presence of a new kind of unconventional buyer.
The concept is not new at all. As a matter of fact, the history of art is riddled with previous examples. But in the early going of the 21st century, when artists and artworks are valued in line with investment plans, Art Barter asks the following question: What’s the actual price of a work of art?
The concept also implies a modification in the role of the buyer with a more hands-on approach as he or she tries to goad the artist into accepting his or her trade. In addition, pieces are all unsigned, so spectators should appraise them in an impartial way that assumes the recognition of the value of the artwork in the market or the views of specialized critics.
Art Barter is now underway as part of the schedule of the Dcode Art, Music and Trends Festival. Potential buyers in Madrid have had access to pieces made by Barceló, Ángela de la Cruz, Ouka Leele, Mariscal, Eulàlia Valldosera, Eugenio Merino, Enrique Marty, Rómulo Celdrán, Nano4841, Jorge Peris, San SpY, Cecilia de Val and Juan Zamora, among others, at the Centro de Arte Complutense. Trading bids have been hanged on the locale’s walls for both spectators and artists to see. At the end of the exhibit, authors will have two weeks to study and decide if they want any of the proposed trades.
Following its stay in Madrid, Art Barter will travel to the Istanbul Biennial and on to Art Basel in Miami.
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