it's on

Houston's two dueling art fairs finalize 2012 dates; one touting big changes anda dynamic new staff

Noted collector Marshal Lightman, artist Donald Sultan, and HEG president RickFriedman
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
On the floor at Texas Contemporary 2011 with Walter Robinson's Zero Sum Game(courtesy Catharine Clark Gallery).
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Max Fishko and Jeffrey Wainhause of ArtMKT, organizers of Texas Contemporary.

After successful inaugural runs in 2011, both the Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF) and the Texas Contemporary Art Fair will return to Houston in 2012 — but not without some major changes.

Many in the Houston art community hoped to see a resolution between the dueling fairs, resulting in a larger combined event or two annual shows in different seasons. Unfortunately, as the legal battle continues between the production companies, the schedule will be identical to last year, with two fairs occurring only a month apart.

Still, don't expect a repeat performance from either show.

Organizers for each event have stressed efforts to up the ante, particularly the Houston Fine Art Fair. Booth space has yet to be offered for either show, but by the summer a full roster of participants should be available.

Many in the art community hoped to see the dueling fairs merge into a larger combined event or host two annual shows in different seasons. But as the legal battle continues, the schedule will be identical to last year. Still, don't expect a repeat performance from either show.

Houston Fine Art Fair: Sept. 14 to 16, 2012

The biggest change for the HFAF will be its relocation from the George R. Brown, which hosted the show in 2011, to the Reliant Center — a slightly larger exhibition space but further from many of the city's popular restaurants and hotels, not to mention the Museum District.

John Harris of the Houston First Corporation, which organizes events at the George R. Brown, said that while his organization offered several dates for the fair, they were unable to secure the times requested by HFAF organizers.

"We're stepping up the game this year," Rick Friedman, president of HFAF parent company Hamptons Expo Group, tells CultureMap, noting that Reliant offers more wall space in the booths as well as additional room for installation pieces and non-profit areas.

"At the moment, we're in the process of hiring new programming staff," he says. "We're planning something more like Art Basel Miami — a major show that attracts an international crowd."

Fran Kaufman, who served as director for the HEG Group's 2011 fairs, says she will take on a slightly smaller role at the 2012 Houston show as a creative consultant while she focuses more time towards her New York-based art advisory firm.

New to the staff line-up is former ArtForum promotions manager Ruth Fruehauf, who will head the fair's sales team. Also joining the team are show advisors Melissa Grobmyer and Janet Hobby, whose Houston agency MKG Art Management will oversee audience development, programming and special events, as well as the show's overall look and feel.

"At the moment, we're in the process of hiring new programming staff," Friedman explained. "We're planning something more like Art Basel Miami, a major show that attracts an international crowd."

"Our goal is to make this a citywide event," Grobmyer says. "Ultimately, we want to grow the fair into the leading art platform in this part of the county."

Proceeds from sales at the fair's opening night preview gala will benefit the Glassell School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for the second year in a row.

Texas Contemporary Art Fair: Oct. 19 to 21, 2012

Fair director Max Fishko vowed to return to Houston, even as gallery owners packed up their booths at the first Texas Contemporary show, which focused almost entirely on living artists, with an extra nod to those based in Texas.

"Enough people came to the events this October to let us know it went well," he tells CultureMap. "I think we ended up making a very clear statement about who we are as a contemporary art fair."

Fishko says his production company, artMRKT, plans for an even broader range of exhibitors for the 2012 event and will have a better sense of programming once the participating galleries are finalized by the spring. A host committee will be announced shortly.

"Judging from the excitement among gallery owners and attendees, I can't imagine anyone not wanting to return," says Patrick Reynolds, director of the Inman Gallery. "We're definitely planning to come back next year."

Like the HFAF, Texas Contemporary also will stage an opening night benefit preview with proceeds, once again, going to Contemporary Art Museum Houston.

"We love our relationship with Texas Contemporary," says CAMH director Bill Arning. "They treat us very well, and we're looking forward to round two."

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Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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