CAVE is an alternative art fair conceived by artists Kevin Hunt and Flis Mitchell in response to Liverpool’s art market and, specifically, the many unrepresented artists living in the city. By removing commission and exhibition fees and placing artists at the heart of the event, CAVE bypasses commercial gallerists – potentially establishing an entirely new model for art fairs.
“The artists receive the full sale price of each item,” explains Mitchell. “Each artist decides the market value of their own work without having to inflate it to cover the costs of a gallery.”
Visitors to the fair will be able to engage directly with the artists, rather than their representatives, to discuss the ideas and processes behind the works. It’s an approach Mitchell believes is particularly important for a city such as Liverpool, where football and music are so dominant: “The cultural output here is immense. Creating environments for people to have a good time, meet artists and see art will help to facilitate a sense of ownership and pride in contemporary art.”
It’s no coincidence that CAVE is happening during Liverpool Biennial’s opening weekend, and Mitchell hopes that this will help pull in visitors to the fair: “We wanted to take advantage of this rare time when Liverpool is full of art, arts professionals and critics. To hold an art fair without the national spotlight would still be beneficial for artists and economies, but not as effective as when the city is at a cultural peak.”
The timing has also helped convince artists to get involved, and there are 45 exhibitors this year including Ally Wallace, Pil & Galia Kollectiv, Yelena Popova, Mimei Thompson, Damien Meade and Low Profile.
But without income from commission and exhibition fees, can CAVE offer a sustainable model in the long term? “Absolutely,” says Mitchell. “We are more reliant on sponsorship than an event that charges the usual fees, but we can’t name a single art event from the Turner Prize to Frieze Art Fair that can exist without commercial help, and to suggest that this limits our sustainability is naïve.”
Having attracted enthusiastic supporters for this first edition, Hunt and Mitchell are confident they will be able to lever yet more sponsorship next time round. They also believe in the vital importance of investing in events such as CAVE, both for artists and the local economy.
“Not every city could support a Frieze, but every city could have a CAVE. It’s a dynamic and adaptable model that we’d encourage everyone to use.”
CAVE runs from 13-16 September at Baltic Creative Campus, Liverpool.
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From the a-n archive:
Emily Speed on CAVE, a-n Magazine April 2012. Read on
