Kaos, the annual tribal art event, held in Paris’s sixth arrondissement, is going from strength to strength, underlining the weakening of the Brussels, BRUNEA event. This year the number of participating dealers in Paris had doubled, to 40, due partly to the demise of the Tribal art fair held in previous years in the Dassault building on the Champs Elysées. This meant, according to one dealer, that sales were down for him because the butter was spread thinner, but the succès d’estime of the gathering was beyond doubt. Among the major Brussels dealers who participated were Grusenmeyer, Kevin Conru, Dartevelle and Wayne Heathcote, while local specialists included de Montbrison, Meyer and Jacques Barrère. On show was a wide range of art, with the majority being African or Oceanic. Among the many standouts was a display of Mali wooden locks at Noir d’Ivoire, (Dogon turtle lock, right) an Igbo mask at Pace Primitive, a Solomon Islands figurehead at Meyer and a Baouli mask at Dalton Somaré.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Bigger and better: Kaos'