» Issue 02/2010: Craft and economy
EUNIQUE 2010.
International fairs and Norwegian markets
Text: André Gali
Published: 15 Jul 2010
Norwegiancrafts.no visited COLLECT in London and EUNIQUE in Karlsruhe to map European and International craft. At both fairs a number of Norwegian craftspersons were showcased.
Craft fairs have become increasingly significant venues for showing and marketing crafts. Norwegiancrafts.no visited COLLECT in London and EUNIQUE in Karlsruhe to map European and International craft, and to experience ‘the fair’ per se as a venue for displaying and promoting craft. At both fairs a number of Norwegian craftspersons were showcased.
‘ COLLECT was launched at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2004, following research into the market for contemporary craft fairs in the UK’, explains Catherine Mason, press official of the British Crafts Council.
‘At the time we started working with COLLECT’, says Mason, the Chelsea Craft Fair was ‘catering to the market for individual designer-makers’. But there was a gap from that to a platform for presenting higher-level work, not least installations and large-scale or monumental pieces. The market seemed to be crying out for ‘museum quality works to service the growing population of collectors devoted to this field’. So an art fair was constructed, ‘with galleries and dealers representing a specific selection of artists’, says Mason. She explains that COLLECT’s ambition is to target serious collectors and arts and crafts institutions.
Building the market
COLLECT’s participants are rigorously selected by external specialists; there are firm guidelines regarding the professional presentation of these artists. An important aspect of the fair, Mason explains, is the international nature of the event: approximately 50% of the exhibitors are from outside the UK. This is parallelled by the significant number of collectors from abroad who attend the event. Mason explains: 
‘The international selection of artists has been positively received by museum curators from both the UK and internationally and a significant number of purchases for public collections have been generated by the show.’
COLLECT has thus been a major factor in building the market for craft artists. Its re-launching at the Saatchi Gallery in 2009 has positioned it at one of the most important locations for contemporary art in the world.
At COLLECT 2010 two Norwegian galleries were present and sold several works, both to collectors and to private consumers. Gallery Format, which is owned by the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, showed Heidi Bjørgan, Monica Marcella, Elise Hatlø, Anna Talbot, Hedda Bjerkeli, Helene J. Linkosuonio and Inger Johanne Rasmussen.
Gallery Kunst1 showed Torbjørn Kvasbø, Caroline Slotte, Sidsel Hanum, Tovelise Røkke-Olsen, Tor Alex Erichsen, Liv Blåvarp, Millie Behrens, Ingjerd Hanevold, Nanna Melland and Leif Stangebye Nielsen.
(Read more about the sales Gallery Format and Gallery Kunst1 experienced in Notes)
In addition Sigurd Brogner was represented by Gallery Ra, a Ducth gallery for experimental jewellery.
A continental flagship
In contrast to COLLECT, which is a gallery-based fair, EUNIQUE in Karlsruhe focuses on individual craftspersons. EUNIQUE is also younger than COLLECT, given that this is only its second year.
‘Continental Europe has never had an independent flagship fair for applied arts. That is why we wanted to develop this fair’ explains Angela Hammer, press official for EUNIQUE.
Even at its premier in 2009, EUNIQUE received extremely positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike. It immediately established itself as a high-quality trade fair with a singular focus on applied arts and design. It proved to have an ‘international flair and an uncompromising approach to quality’.
‘As of now EUNIQUE is the only trade fair in continental Europe which strictly approaches the issue of applied arts and design,’ boasts Hammer.
This year there were over 400 participants from 21 countries – top practitioners within the fields of interior design, fashion, jewellery and applied arts. Amongst the exhibitors was the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, which presented works by seven craft artists: Anne Leger, Heidi Bjørgan, Irene Haslum, Margrethe Loe Elde, John Raustein, Anna Talbot and Felieke van der Leest. In addition, Johannes Vemren Rygh was included in the Top of Europe 2010 exhibition.
Hammer says the aim to establish an international platform for applied arts and design in Europe has already been achieved in the second year of the event, and that they have managed to attract professional visitors and craft collectors.
‘A visitor’s survey shows that 53% of the 7,800 visitors purchased objects at the fair, and that 79% will purchase objects from artists they saw at EUNIQUE after the fair’, Hammer says.
Outdoor markets
In Norway there are no high-calibre craft fairs yet, but there are several outdoor craft markets. The most important of these are Villvin Craft Market in Risør, and the Oslo Craft Market. In 2008 the total turnover at each market exceeded 120,000 euros.
The first Oslo Craft Market was arranged in 1970, and will, in August this year, celebrate its 40th anniversary. Approximately 100 craft artists from the whole country participate, both established crafts artists and recent graduates.
Oslo Craft Market’s website claims that visitors can discuss with the makers of the objects. Being able to gain insight into creation processes is important today, since most of the objects we own are mass-produced abroad. This is especially the case, the website argues, if consumers do not question or reflect over how objects are produced.
Villvin Craft Market was established in 1979, in connection with Gallery Villvin, as an annual sales event for craft artisans. Gallery Villvin pioneered in professionalized craft sales in Norway, and inspired the founding of Gallery Format in Oslo – the gallery owned by the Norwegian Association for Arts and Craft.
Villfin’s summer market enjoys high regard amongst craftspersons and the craft audience alike. Exhibitors are mainly Norwegian, with some contributions from Denmark and Sweden. To exhibit at the market, craftspersons must be members of the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts. The estimated number of visitors at Villvin is 25,000 – 30,000.
