{"id":239430,"date":"2025-09-19T17:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/239430\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T17:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:25:10","slug":"what-to-see-and-where-to-shop-at-houstons-new-contemporary-art-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/239430\/","title":{"rendered":"What to see and where to shop at Houston’s new contemporary art fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hotly-anticipated debut of the Miami-based Untitled Art<\/a> fair is in full swing. The loss of Houston\u2019s annual Texas Contemporary Arts Fair left artists, collectors, and dilettantes alike wondering whether a city well documented for its museums, galleries, and artistic installations could long be without an annual contemporary arts show \u2014 alas, we\u2019ve been saved. <\/p>\n

Held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21, the 150,000-square-foot show features 88 exhibitors from Texas and beyond displaying works for sale to experienced collectors and novices alike. Untitled Art stands out from other mammoth-sized, multi-day events of its caliber by its commitment to accessibility for young artists, galleries, nonprofits, and beginner collectors. The \u201cNest\u201d program offers subsidized booth space and entry for those who would find participation in traditional art shows wildly cost-prohibitive. What does that mean for Houstonians who are deciding whether or not to attend the show? At Untitled Art, there are pieces that folks can actually afford.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom diverse styles to a wide range of prices, Untitled Art truly feels like a gift to Houston \u2014 an immersive experience that inspires from the moment you step in,\u201d Untitled Art host committee member and BeDesign CEO Adrian Due\u00f1as <\/a>tells CultureMap. \u201cWith commissions available and pieces for all tastes, the fair proves that art is both subjective and approachable, a remarkable celebration where everyone can find their place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The notion that an art show has the potential to be shopable for more than the 1-percent opens the door to Houstonians viewing works of art to potentially purchase for their actual homes, and boy, is that exciting. The sprawling nature of the show can be intimidating for some, especially if a particular style is preferable \u2014 where to start? Whether one subscribes to traditional genres, or is, perhaps, looking to dabble in the \u201cwrong art theory<\/a>,\u201d here are suggestions for the artists to shop for specific genres for the home, as well as some insider information.<\/p>\n

How to view and shop the show<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike the sterile, \u201cice cube tray\u201d layout of traditional art shows, where artwork can only be viewed from a few feet away, Untitled Art enlisted architect Jay Colombo of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture<\/a> to design an interior that allows artists the visual space to have pieces viewed from numerous angles and distances. <\/p>\n

Tuesday evening, Colombo participated in a panel discussion titled \u201cThe Intersection of Art & Architecture\u201d at Summit<\/a>, the 28th-floor event space in Skanska\u2019s shiny, new, and eco-friendly Norton Rose Fulbright Tower<\/a>. This Untitled Art satellite event allowed Colombo to share his vision for the overall design of the show, as well as what visitors can expect of their experience:<\/p>\n

At some point [in a traditionally designed show] you lose the sense of space, and you lose where you are \u2014 you lose a sense of place that establishes you. Let\u2019s try something different. I liked the idea of a piazza. Instead of linear lines, it\u2019s a series of piazzas. There is a center moment, and then there is a ring of galleries. So, you should be able to stand in a piazza and turn 360 degrees and take in a dozen different gallery spaces. <\/p>\n

It basically creates a moment and there is a sight line that guides you to the next piazza, and then the next piazza, and you keep moving through the space. But there is a gesture and motion that pulls you around from start to finish, and there should be a memory moment that locks you in and says: \u2018Oh, yeah! This is the place! This is where I saw that artist and wanted to go back to it [the booth]!\u2019<\/p>\n

Categories and price points<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most Affordable<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The Nest program that enabled small businesses, galleries, and nonprofits to participate in the show is the driving force behind \u201cArtist Market.\u201d The brainchild of F Gallery owner Adam Marnie, \u201cArtist Market\u201d is where show goers can pick up affordable art, ceramics, books, stationary, and more while supporting local businesses. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think of it as a craft or art book fair inside of this fair,\u201d says Marnie. \u201cThe vendors are paying a lower price to participate, so it gives guests a lower price to be able to participate in purchasing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local favorite Reeves Gallery has works from $295 to $3,000, with the bulk of their offerings in the $500 range\u2014this is also the place to pick up framed vintage pieces as well. They\u2019ve listed their entire Artist Market collection here<\/a>. Montrose staple Basket Books & Art has a fine selection of books, plus works by local artists for $200, half of which goes to The Women\u2019s Storybook Project of Texas. Other participants include Film Lab, Jardin, Rising Tide Project, Picnic Surfshapes, St. Agnes Academy\u2019s New Media Arts Program, plus excellent free library Reading Room HTX.<\/p>\n

The following is a selection of exhibiting galleries from different genres and price points to be able get a glimpse of what to expect from the show. Pricing is as follows: \u201caffordable\u201d galleries ($1,200+) are marked \u201c$,\u201d \u201caverage\u201d priced galleries ($5,000+) are marked \u201c$$,\u201d and \u201cexpensive\u201d ($35,000+) galleries are marked \u201c$$$.\u201d Galleries offering works from Texas artists will be marked with an asterisk (*). Find a map showing all of the galleries here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contemporary Abstract<\/strong>: Jessica Silverman Gallery ($$$), Mindy Solomon Gallery* ($$$), Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino ($$$), Arden + White Gallery ($$).<\/p>\n

Organic<\/strong>: Moody Gallery* ($$), Yossi Milo ($$$), The Mission Projects ($$), Carvalho ($$), SGR Galeria ($), La Loma ($$).<\/p>\n

Portraiture<\/strong>: Marc Bibiloni ($$$), Half Gallery* ($$), El Apartamento* ($$).<\/p>\n

Fun and Fantastical<\/strong>: YOD Gallery ($), Keijsers Koning* ($$), ABC – Arte ($$), Philip Martin Gallery* ($$$), Patel Brown ($$).<\/p>\n

Black Artists<\/strong>: PDNB Gallery* ($), Colector* ($$), Bond Contemporary ($$$).<\/p>\n

Author\u2019s Favorites<\/strong>: Half Gallery ($$), YOD Gallery ($), The Mission Projects ($$), Arden + White Gallery ($$), Carvalho ($$), Patel Brown ($$), SGR Galeria ($).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The hotly-anticipated debut of the Miami-based Untitled Art fair is in full swing. The loss of Houston\u2019s annual…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":239431,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4179,4345,2107,358,3187,16314],"class_list":{"0":"post-239430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-home-design","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-shopping","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-tx","13":"tag-visual-art"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115232134086183072","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}