Manahatta
Licht Feld is a Swiss virtual gallery/gallery, exhibition and nonprofit (partially anyway) that has been around for about ten years. They focus on new artists. Fredy Hadorn is the man behind and creator of Licht Feld.
“The mission of lf started in 2001 in Switzerland. I saw an old factory and this reminded me of an old factory I saw during my art school studies, 20 years before.” says Hadorn.
This took place during an exhibit with a number of well-known artists (including Dieter Roth, and others). Twenty years later, Hadorn stood in a similar factory to where the exhibition was held and he was reminded of the earlier exhibition.
“I was standing in this factory site and there are hundreds of small windows and one of them was not dirty and then the sun came up and let the sun shine into the hall on the other side of the wall, it placed a light field, a licht feld. It was a kind of magic moment and I knew I would do, in there an exhibition.” he says.
He began with five artists he knew from Basel and it became a yearly event. These days there will be 40 to 50 artists involved from all over the USA, from Europe and even from China.
“And we produce a catalog for the documentation. Since 2007 came out from nonprofit project to a high commercial situation. Licht Feld is now joining art festivals,” he says. “We are walking in an art world that is nonprofit in one part and I can choose one or three or five artists from my own shows in Switzerland take them out to art fairs and see what happens.”
“The mission of lf started in 2001 in Switzerland. I saw an old factory and this reminded me of an old factory I saw during my art school studies, 20 years before.” says Hadorn.
This took place during an exhibit with a number of well-known artists (including Dieter Roth, and others). Twenty years later, Hadorn stood in a similar factory to where the exhibition was held and he was reminded of the earlier exhibition.
“I was standing in this factory site and there are hundreds of small windows and one of them was not dirty and then the sun came up and let the sun shine into the hall on the other side of the wall, it placed a light field, a licht feld. It was a kind of magic moment and I knew I would do, in there an exhibition.” he says.
He began with five artists he knew from Basel and it became a yearly event. These days there will be 40 to 50 artists involved from all over the USA, from Europe and even from China.
“And we produce a catalog for the documentation. Since 2007 came out from nonprofit project to a high commercial situation. Licht Feld is now joining art festivals,” he says. “We are walking in an art world that is nonprofit in one part and I can choose one or three or five artists from my own shows in Switzerland take them out to art fairs and see what happens.”
Fredy Hadorn Talks About His Own Work, Manahatta.
Video art by Marck
The first foray into art fairs was at Scope in Miami. He was invited to go but then asked “What does this mean?” Of course it means you have to come up with a portion (at least) of the money. Hadorn says he scraped together the cash and the rest is history.
The artists were (and are) not well known. This was especially true the first time at Scope. Collectors and curators came by to look—not to see the names on the art but to see the art itself.
“This is a compliment to me.” says Hadorn.
The art that was shown at Art Chicago/Next was eclectic. You cannot, necessarily, look at it and say “this collection is of such and such sort of art.” There is sculpture. There is multimedia. There is video. And, to be sure, there are paintings. How does Hadorn choose what is shown at Fairs?
“I have to take care of program for sure, I don't show abstract, it has to be very very good .What does that mean? It has to be good for me! I don’t see a lot of good abstract; I think that is maybe why. I choose in a way from my heart and my understanding of art and what it means—I don’t know the word in English, the ‘intellectual relation”…the power, you need to be attracted,” he says. “It has to say something. I like people who produce art that can talks about life. I am interested in humans, why do they act like that and this. I like people to talk about their lives, their pains, their fear. That brings me to this artist, when I get the feeling they are honest and they are staying on the artist, that you can trust them. When I feel this and the artwork attracts me then it comes round.”
The artists were (and are) not well known. This was especially true the first time at Scope. Collectors and curators came by to look—not to see the names on the art but to see the art itself.
“This is a compliment to me.” says Hadorn.
The art that was shown at Art Chicago/Next was eclectic. You cannot, necessarily, look at it and say “this collection is of such and such sort of art.” There is sculpture. There is multimedia. There is video. And, to be sure, there are paintings. How does Hadorn choose what is shown at Fairs?
“I have to take care of program for sure, I don't show abstract, it has to be very very good .What does that mean? It has to be good for me! I don’t see a lot of good abstract; I think that is maybe why. I choose in a way from my heart and my understanding of art and what it means—I don’t know the word in English, the ‘intellectual relation”…the power, you need to be attracted,” he says. “It has to say something. I like people who produce art that can talks about life. I am interested in humans, why do they act like that and this. I like people to talk about their lives, their pains, their fear. That brings me to this artist, when I get the feeling they are honest and they are staying on the artist, that you can trust them. When I feel this and the artwork attracts me then it comes round.”
The extremely gracious Fredy Hadorn had to keep some school kids from touching, and snatching money from the hands of, one of his gallery's sculptures. His two pronged approach, part nonprofit part for profit is a good way to develop artists and fund the development of those same artists.
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