Free art—for a price
By The Art Newspaper. From In The Frame
Published online: 31 March 2010
Paying millions for overhyped art is so 2008. Following the trend of guerrilla-style art fairs that sell works at dollar-store prices, Tokyo is taking it one step further this weekend with the Art Fair Free where works of art cannot be bought with money. Interested collectors can contact artists by email and offer “something”—an action or object, anything that isn’t cold, hard cash—in exchange for their work, and artists choose what they view as the best offer. But while the artists may have noble intentions, it seems the organisers have a more flexible idea of the word "free", as it turns out the fair isn’t completely gratis and it costs ¥1000 ($10.75) to get in. Even the "free" party on 4 April, when the final sales will be announced, requires a ticket.
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