SOFA Chicago was last week (Nov. 5-7). SOFA stands for Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art. From the preview opening on Thursday night through closing on Saturday, I tortured myself walking (on concrete) through the enormous hall looking at a vast quantity of items.
If you've never experienced SOFA, the premise is that galleries bring their best (or most sellable) work for review by a huge audience including students, artists, collectors, and the general public.
The reality of SOFA is that the major agenda is to sell, sell, sell. This is a art/craft show on "steroids."
In a typical museum or exhibition, the value of the work is how each piece contributes to the concept of the show. At SOFA, the value of the object is strictly in the price. Most items have a price listed with the title. A few objects have no price, as in "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." Oh well, ...it is a real experience.
The best part of SOFA this year was the lectures on Friday. A spectrum of topics that were not to be missed! Too much to handle in one post. So, in the next few posts, I'm going to digest a few of the pressing issues and "hot button topics" in the art/craft world.