Urban Art
Exploring Urban Art at Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt
Responding to the development of Street Art in the last two decades, the Discovery Art Fair proudly introduces a special component to its program. Specially curated to represent the art of the street, this segment will show pieces transferred directly from the city environment, preserving their original idea and intent, without compromise. The most appealing feature of this form of artistic expression is its authentic and democratic nature that embraces everyone interested in street art. The sector will host acclaimed galleries, aspiring talents, open-minded art lovers, aesthetes, experts, and amateurs, gathering them in a special interactive playground.
Reclaim the city…
… is the rallying call of urban artists all over the world. What started in the 1970s with graffiti in New York City and the need to be seen, became one of the most dynamic genres of the international art scene. Now the stars of the community are in huge demand by museums and galleries, their styles influence everything from advertising to political communication and some of them even make the evening news. Where it was once a fleeting, elusive form of artistic expression it is now gaining permanence through the work of collectors and curators. Urban and its wild cousin street art both share a willingness to go beyond the purely decorative. Contemporary artists have always had their fingers on the pulse of society, feeling upcoming changes more acutely than others. And nowhere, this connection to the pressing issues of our time is more immediate, than in the field of urban art. It is in part fuelled by the need of some of their protagonists to navigate the thin line between risking persecution and being too commercial for their own community. It creates a wide field of works in a multitude of materials and settings that almost universally “have something to say”, and strive for a deeper meaning than pure beauty.
It’s these opposing requirements – transient vs. permanent; street vs museum – that makes urban art such an exciting and vibrant field to explore.
By introducing the media originally found in the street, the Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt extends its support to progressive artistic expressions and established styles from the world of Street Art. At the same time, the sector will underline the vital socially conscious tone of Urban Art. Visitors will be invited to learn more and reflect upon the ultimately contemporary expressions that appear and grow in front of them. They will be able to expand their knowledge on the techniques of graffiti, stencils, collage and paste-up, while learning about global Street Art movements such as adbusting or culture jamming. Images from decayed walls, street corners or particular architectural settings transferred to gallery environment will prove to still possess the inherent spirit of rebellion. Thus, collectors will be able to acquire original pieces that correspond to concrete parts of the city and of the street.