FT Weekend and Frieze Webcast

On the fifth of May, 2020, in honor of Frieze New York, FT Weekend hosted a live panel webcast for a global audience of over 360 guests.

The FT’s Arts Editor, Jan Dalley, introduced a Life & Arts section correspondent, Melanie Gerlis, to interview the Director of Frieze New York, Loring Randolph, and NYC gallery founder, Garth Greenan. The discussion around the timely shift to online art fairs from the standard event model, as it pertains to Frieze – revealed some new outlooks:

• The online viewing room is not the same type of interaction, but tries to mimic the way people are used to moving through the live event.
• Reach a broader audience when there is no need to travel – the ease of accessible information creates democratized access; plus no shame in looking at art digitally.
• Visitors have great search capabilities. New collectors can view art under a certain price point, and the overall experience of viewing artwork is minimal and clean; allowing you to zoom-in for the finer details.
• Online allows for market transparency as galleries are encouraged to include pricing; differing from a live event where they can have a conversation.
• It is easy for galleries to upload artwork which can be turned into digital content to promote the work. There’s more work on view than at a fair.

In Greenan’s words, “Fairs are about being together. Ultimately, it is something people like to do. We will get back to a semblance of normal.” Watch the full video conversation below.