Context art fair, the Wynwood District’s three-year-old sister fair to Art Miami, was relatively serene during the initial hours of the December 1 VIP opening as compared to the crowds rushing in next door. But it didn’t take long before flow of visitors from Art Miami started spilling over to the ample space.

The fair features an eclectic mix of 95 international galleries representing emerging and mid-career artists, with the goal of introducing them to a much wider audience by capitalizing on the the huge crowds at Art Miami. The opening night VIP preview benefits the Perez Art Museum in Miami as well as Miami Light Project.

Eduardo Secci of Florence, Italy told artnet News it was his eponymous gallery’s third year participating in the fair. “We’ve seen really good improvements. The exhibitors are getting better, and the crowd is more intellectually ready to adapt to more contemporary medias.” He added that Miami has “a very strong base of South American buyers,” that he thinks is key.

Maurizio Donzelli at Eduardo Secci Contemporary, Florence, Italy .
Image: Courtesy of Eduardo Secci Contemporary.

The show also featured a special section spotlighting art from Berlin including a dedicated lounge as well as art from five different Berlin galleries. Anemone Vostell, managing director of Landesverband Berliner Galerien (the Galleries Association of Berlin) explained that the lounge acts as “an information hub for art.” The featured institution this year is CO Berlin, an internationally-focused exhibition center for photography.

Werner Tammen, director of Galerie Tammen & Partner Gallery, one of the Berlin galleries exhibiting together, sees the platform as something of a testing ground before galleries try to do a fair solo. “It’s a good chance to try to get inside the international market.”

Dietmar Brixy, paintings, Anke Eilergerhard, sculpture, and Thorsten Zwinger, paintings (monochrome).
Image: Courtesy of Gallery Tammen & Partner, Berlin

Moscow gallerist Alexander Sharov told artnet News he was persuaded to make the leap to Context after three years at Scope, because of the appeal of the guaranteed collector base at Art Miami. He was also a participant at the inaugural edition of Art Miami New York that took place this past May. “For me this is better because of the size of Art Miami… I want to introduce the Russian artists I show to a wider audience so the decision to change positions is simple.”

Speaking to artnet News at the simultaneous opening of both fairs, Nick Korniloff, executive vice president and partner of Art Miami, told artnet News: “What you’re seeing at Context is a great amalgam of different international artists…” He continued, “It just adds another strong element for the audience that comes here during Art Week Miami.”