This year’s New York incarnation of the NADA art fair suggested that the gathering of young emerging galleries often characterized as the minor leagues of Frieze and other “major league” art fairs has grown up quite a bit. Yet with maturity comes a tendency towards conservatism, and that was reflected in countless booths filled with small, affordable works and unremarkable displays on white walls.

 The location for NADA has shifted from the cramped former Dia:Chelsea space to a seven-court basketball facility named Basketball City, which was transformed with wall-to-wall carpeting, black-and-white infographics, and all the expected accoutrements of a contemporary fair (food, bar, art book sellers, installations dotted throughout), plus the added bonus of an attractive outdoor space on the East River overlooking Brooklyn. Sure, the new site is tucked further away for the casual art lover, but the sense of a destination has done little to hamper interest in Frieze New York, and the organizers of NADA are probably betting on art collectors’ same enthusiasm to travel. Read More