As the saying goes, everything in Texas is bigger. Ironically, the untitled art version of Houston’s first release is small, at least about twice the size compared to the Miami Beach counterparts at the Fair. Nevertheless, the 88 galleries on display at the Houston Fair, despite their size, made the event huge.
Artists like Mel Chin and Isabelle Brourman have memorable installation spaces. The same location is an unforgettable stall. And, during times like the medical crisis of the Luigi Mangione trial, there are some notable works that deal with pressing political issues positively, and immigration between the United States and Mexico may be risky for artists and dealers.
New immigrants and locals in Houston have emerged from afar and far away, and excitement among attendees here has been rare since the co-pandemic. Talking about the market downturn doesn’t seem to stop tourists from drinking in the warm hospitality of the South and boldly chooses the work in multiple mediums.
Despite the luxury of the incident, I was attracted by some of the quietest works at the fair. These are some that stand out.
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In Laura (Gallery) shuling guo
Image source: Photo Francesca Aton, Artnews
The ethereal glowing oil of the Philadelphia-born artist in linen paintings was inspired by her life at sea and the birth of her daughter in 2022. These transcendent works are reminiscent of mysterious painters such as Hilma Af Klint and Agnes Pelton. Small-scale works only increase their intimacy and otherworldliness.
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Gillian Brett
Image source: Photo Francesca Aton, Artnews
At first glance, plants seem to grow out of the walls of this stall. However, after further inspection, people began to notice that these plants are composed of computer circuits and wires and cables. This work cleverly intertwines concerns about modern agricultural practices and climate change, which shows how human reliance on technology has made the natural world worse. Images of the night sky captured by Hubble also appear on fractured LCD screens that interfere with their beauty.
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Jamal Cyrus from Inman Gallery
Image source: Francesca Aton/Artnews
Jamal Cyrus The limit of breathing to the song buzzing. Others suggest joy and sorrow encapsulated in music, as they seem to have become instruments ready for play – whatever they may be impractical. Diamond or humming (2-5-1)for example, 2025 is a small bronze, wood and brass sculpture that has become an agitator.
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taisiia cherkasova in lazy mike gallery
Image source: Francesca Aton/Artnews
The best plan usually has problems, and Lazy Mike Gallery finds a tough way. The gallery had planned to showcase the collaboration of Taisiia Cherkasova, who has been corresponding with a childhood friend living in a war-torn Ukraine who was elected to the armed forces. The gallery plans to show this exchange in the form of images of frictional images and landscapes, but the works were stuck in customs and did not attend the fair in time. Instead, Cherkasova hub created relevant postcard-sized works for original works that she could not show.
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Verónica Gaona by Keijsers Koning
Image source: Francesca Aton/Artnews
For these sculptures, Verónica Gaona rescued the metal from a large Ford F150 truck, and all the scrap looks like pieces when hung in the stall of Keijsers Koning. (Disclosure: I used to work in a gallery called LMAK.) These cast debris were collected along the Rio Grande River, where personal photos of artists’ family and friends were collaged. Given its location on the U.S.-Mexico border, mapping yourself and your family directly to the surface of abandoned trucks raises questions about migration between the U.S. and Mexico, a particularly memorable topic in Texas.
