Contact:
Dirk Mangold
Phone: +49 221 821 2907
E-Mail: d.mangold@koelnmesse.de
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Köln (pts029/31.07.2006/15:27) - ART COLOGNE is celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2006 (the Fair runs from 1 to 5 November) - but the anniversary event will be the last edition of the Fair to be held in the autumn. Its format will be slimmer, with the number of exhibitors in the traditional sections reduced to 190, and to 25 in the 'New Contemporaries' section. Forty-five per cent of the exhibitors are from countries outside Germany and 28 countries are represented. 'From the figures alone it might seem that we've fallen short of our objective which is to attract more international exhibitors,' said ART COLOGNE Director Gérard A. Goodrow, speaking at a press conference in Cologne. 'But a closer look shows how many German dealers operate internationally and have branches abroad. However, our primary criterion in evaluating a gallery and its programme is quality, not geographical location.' From 2007, the Fair will be held in the spring (18 to 22 April 2007). On the basis of recent discussions with gallerists, Goodrow is confident that because of the new spring scheduling, the number of exhibitors from Paris, London and New York is set to be significantly higher than the current level of seven from Paris and four each from London and New York.
ART COLOGNE 2006 sees a number of returnees. They include: Johnen & Schöttle, Hengesbach, Campaña (Cologne); Mueller-Roth (Stuttgart); Cokkie Snoei (Rotterdam); Sala Maior (Porto); Sollertis (Toulouse); Svestka (Prague). Newcomers from home and abroad include: Allsopp Contemporary (London); Art Seasons (Singapore); Baer (Dresden); Brüning, Chughtai (Berlin); Bucher, Huber (Vienna); Erhardt (Madrid); Koch (Hanover); Kugler (Innsbruck); Program (Warsaw); Richard, RX, Schleicher + Lange (Paris); Ruziska/Weiss, Pfab (Düsseldorf); Sho Contemporary Art (Tokyo); Sixtyseven (New York).
Over 400 applications were submitted for this year's ART COLOGNE. The successful applicants were chosen by a committee of nine - eight international dealers and a representative of Koelnmesse - in two sittings. 'In addition to quality, the deciding factors in the selection were continuity and activity on an international level,' said Goodrow. 'A fair is only as good as its exhibitors. We see ourselves as fair organizers offering a platform for international dealers who look to Cologne as a very attractive art market venue for placing the work of their artists in leading private and institutional collections.' Members of the ART COLOGNE Selection Committee were: André Buchmann (Berlin); Bärbel Grässlin (Frankfurt am Main); Michael Haas (Zürich); Leo König (New York); Josep Pinya (Palma); Thomas von Salis (Salzburg); Aurel Scheibler (Berlin); Rosemarie Schwarzwälder (Vienna); Heinz Schnock (Koelnmesse).
The decision to reduce exhibitor numbers and apply more stringent selection criteria has led to a reduction in the number of exhibitors in the contemporary section. The organizers, Koelnmesse, are aware that this may have legal repercussions. However, Frankfurt-based lawyer Dr. Carsten Gromotke of international law firm Jones Day, who has acted for many years as legal advisor to ART COLOGNE in matters relating to selection procedures and committee decisions, sees little chance of success for objections to the procedures and decisions. 'In recent years selection procedures have been increasingly professionalized. We have worked hard to improve the conditions of participation and meet the requirements of the courts. This makes criticism that our participation criteria are applied arbitrarily a thing of the past.'
Curator Caroline Nathusius and gallerist Sven Ahrens have selected twenty-five promising young galleries for the 'New Contemporaries' programme (with ART COLOGNE Director Gérard A. Goodrow acting in an advisory capacity). The 'New Contemporaries' stands are sponsored by the SK Stiftung Kultur der Sparkasse KölnBonn. Most of the galleries invited to exhibit are from abroad - from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
'Open Space', the innovative open-plan exhibition area launched in 2006, has been enlarged by thirty per cent to cover an area of around 2,500 square metres. 'Open Space' is a curated project that nonetheless retains the character of a selling exhibition. Forty exhibits - the same number as at the launch - will be selected by an independent panel of international experts. The list of exhibitors will be published in mid-August.
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