ArtExpo Las Vegas

ArtExpo is an annual congregation of international artists, rather more commercial than one expects to find in Basel or Miami, but with tremendous appeal to most of us who do not belong to the cognoscenti (smelly cogs, I call 'em). I have attended every year since 1997 when it was still held in Los Angeles, then later in San Francisco, and then in New York after the West Coast Expos were abandoned. This year they have returned to the West Coast to the centre of high surrealism that is the mythical city of Las Vegas: I am just returned from there. It was a smaller show than New York, but large with over 600 exhibitors, and very a satisfying assembly of multiple styles and personalities. The regulars were there: vibrant Hessam, young Ascensio, charming Jia Lu, heavenly Terbush, plus some remarkable work by new talent (new to ArtExpo I should say): Nikolai Blokhin's dramatic paintings and Jack Storms’ dichroic and optical crystal sculptures. No, it's not all to my taste, and sometimes it is simply awful, but I am fascinated by the melding of so much heart and optimism with sometimes cynical commerce and silly self-promotion.