Aotearoa Art Fair: Beautiful Chaos and Why We Lost Our Clients in Under 10 Minutes
Early May was an exciting time in the Auckland art world. The Aotearoa Art Fair is a serious event with over 200 artists, 60 galleries, and enough extraordinary work to make even the most seasoned collector’s head spin. In the best possible way. Mostly.
The team at The Art Precinct kicked off opening night in style, gathering a group of collectors at the Captain’s Bar beforehand. Genius idea, we thought. Lubricated, enthused, and culturally primed – what could possibly go wrong?
Ten minutes after walking through the doors, we had lost every single one of them.
Not to worry. The art was spectacular, the atmosphere electric, and we eventually tracked most of them down by the end of the evening. Here’s a glimpse of some of the standouts that caught our eye on the night.
Top Row, left to right: Paul Nache Gallery, Gow Langsford Gallery, James Blackie Gallery, Gow Langsford Gallery, Milford Galleries; Bottom Row, left to right: Curatorial & Co, Nanda Hobbs Gallery, Martin Browne Gallery, McLeavey Gallery, Astor Bristed Gallery
Left to right: Gregor Kregar – Cumulus Structure, Gow Langsford Gallery; Sione Faletau – Connected to the Essence; Reuben Paterson – Koro, Gow Langsford Gallery
Artist Talks: Brett Graham at the Gow Lansford Gallery; Elizabeth Tomson at James Blackie Gallery; Lizzy & Rudi at Te Manawa; Reuben Paterson at the Let’s Talk Art
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The Overwhelm Is Real – And It’s Not Just You
When we debriefed with our runaway guests afterwards, a pattern emerged. Despite being surrounded by hundreds of works spanning every discipline, style, and genre – from the deeply conceptual to the strikingly realistic, from the obviously brilliant to the questionable but intriguing – not one of them bought anything.
Not because nothing moved them. Because everything did, all at once, all at the same volume.
The self-doubt. The second-guessing. The internal monologue of will it work in my lounge? Will it work with the other pieces I have? Will it hold its value or even appreciate? Will I still love it in six months? Is it really me?
We get it. We really do.
And here’s the thing – that evening turned 12 overwhelmed, art-curious people into new clients of The Art Precinct. Which, if we’re honest, was the plan all along!
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This Is What 30 Years Looks Like
After three decades in the business, we’ve come to think of navigating the art world on your behalf as our genuine superpower. Just this week, we wrapped up phase one with a client in a breathtaking new home in the far north – weaving existing pieces together with carefully selected new works, reframing some so they sang in their new environment, and crafting a collection that tells their story while honouring the beauty of the property itself.
That’s what we do. No jargon. No intimidation. Just a very good eye, a lot of experience, and what we like to call white-glove service – which means we do the heavy lifting so you get to do the enjoying.
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Where Do You Start?
Wherever you are on your art journey, we have a way in:
* Totally new to art? Take our 2-minute Art Discovery Test – it’s quick, eye-opening, and genuinely empowering.
* Somewhat new? Use our Augmented Reality tool to see how works from our collections look on your actual walls. Before you commit to a single thing.
* Spotted something you love? Reach out. We’ll render it into your space, curate options around it, and yes – your hallway really could be the thing that makes you smile every single time you come home.
The art world doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It just needs the right guide.
Get in touch with the team at TAP today.
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