Daniel Arsham, Pyrite Column of Footballs (2015).
Photo by Guiaume Ziccarelli. Image: Courtesy of Galerie Perrotin.

The Dallas Art Fair is still relatively young as major fairs go—now in just its eighth edition— but it is fast becoming a must-attend event on the annual circuit. By all accounts, serious business gets done here, as opposed to just buzzed-about ranks of “new” collectors, though there is no shortage of these here, too.

Alongside the event itself, which opens to the public on April 14 and runs through April 17 at the Dallas Arts District’s Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G), the fair has again teamed up with local institutions, galleries, and collectors to offer a vibrant roster of related events, shows, and openings. Mayor Mike Rawlings, who is scheduled to speak at the opening press conference, has dubbed it “Dallas Arts Week.”

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Though the size of the fair has roughly stayed the same this year—97 exhibitors as compared with 95 last year—there are a few first-timers added to the ranks. About a third of the galleries are new, and there is a strong contingent from Los Angeles, including Honor Fraser, François Ghebaly, Steve Turner, and Karma International. Other fresh faces include Paramo from Guadalajara, Carbon 12 from Dubai, and New York’s Leila Heller Gallery.

Neil Beloufa Chutes d’Atelier (2015).
Image: Courtesy of François Ghebaly.

“Texas hosts some of the best private collections in the country, along with ambitious public institutions,” dealer François Ghebaly told artnet News via email.

The gallery is bringing works by Mitchell Syrop, Neil Beloufa (above), Patrick Jackson, Kathleen Ryan, Channa Horwitz, and Sayre Gomez.

Calvin Marcus, me with toungue (2016).
Photo by Marten Elder Image: Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery.

David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles will be showing work by up-and-coming artist Calvin Marcus, who once worked for painter Laura Owens. The artist told Mousse that he always wants to upend expectations, stating, “I don’t want to become a master of anything.”

Josh Reames, The Hills (2015).
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Brand New Gallery.

Brand New Gallery in Milan is showing work by Dallas-raised, Brooklyn-based artist Josh Reames, who mines the Internet for “ubiquitous material,” as he told artnet News last year.

Liam Gillick, Intermodal Elevation, (2015).
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Kerlin Gallery.

Dublin’s Kerlin Gallery is bringing works by a number of gallery artists including Dorothy Cross, Aleana Egan, Liam Gillick, Callum Innes, Merlin James, Samuel Laurence, William McKeown, and Liliane Tomasko.

William McKeown, Untitled (2009-2001).
Image: Courtesy of Kerlin Gallery.

“Dallas is a city we’ve been strengthening our connections with in recent years,” Kerlin Gallery communications director Rosa Abbot told artnet News via email.

Abbot noted that the Dallas Museum of Art recently acquired a major work by late Irish artist William McKeown, entitled The Dayroom.  It is on display at the museum until March 2017.

“We have been interested in becoming more involved in the city of Dallas for quite some time,” said Lauren Pollock, director of Leila Heller Gallery. “It is home to many amazing art institutions, and we have also been working with more and more Texas-based collectors in recent years.”

Rachel Lee Hovnanian Dallas Cowboys: Breakfast of Champions (2016).
Photo by Brian Buckley. Courtesy of the artist and Leila Heller Gallery.

Pollock added that the Dallas fair in particular has been “highly recommended to us by many other gallerists who have participated year after year.” These exhibitors, she says, “applauded the fair’s organization, and saw a great deal of potential in the strong relationships they were able to build with collectors and curators.”

The gallery will feature a a solo booth of multidisciplinary artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian, who is known for pushing boundaries and referencing popular culture and consumerism.

Paula Crown, detail of Bearings Down (2014).
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Goss-Michael Foundation.

The lineup of events pegged to the fair include three solo shows at Dallas Contemporary opening April 16: Dan Colen, Paola Pivi, and Helmut Lang. The Dallas Museum of Art is opening a show of work by Irving Penn, and the Power Station is kicking off the week with a musical performance on April 13 by Karl Holmqvist and multimedia artist Stefan Tcherepnin during the opening reception of Holmqvist’s solo exhibition “Tuff Love.”

Another expected highlight of the week that we’re looking forward to is Paula Crown’s new project Bearings Down (2104) which opened April 7 at the Goss-Michael Foundation, which was founded by pop star George Michael and Kenny Goss in 2007. The work is described as “an extension of the artist’s prolific studio practice and a harmonic blend of sound, performance and mark-making.”

The fair runs from Thursday April 14 through Sunday, April 17.