(Or even two, or three) Our top tips.
Words by Rose Arnold
New to buying art? ‘Art For You’, an affordable art fair being held at Manzi means everyone can afford to own some original art. Here’s our guide to how to find, and buy, art you love.
- It can be hard to recognise the one you love when there are lots to choose from, it can be overwhelming. Firstly, relax, try to clear your mind, slow down. It’s hectic out there, not conducive to finding true love. Take a couple of deep breaths, and enjoy the fact that you’re there to look at, and possibly to buy, art. Have a non- committal amble around. Spot a piece you like the look of? Try looking at it from different angles and distances, from across the room and close close up. Think about having it in your home. Where would you put it? How does that make you feel? Have a break…a cigarette, a glass of wine. Are you still thinking about it? Then it’s quite possibly The One.
- See something that catches your eye from across the room? You can’t keep your eyes off it, you’re trying to amble in a noncommittal way but you keep being drawn back to it? Congratulations, you’ve found The One.
- In absolutely no way are we advocating safe, bland and pretty – these are not qualities we value – but remember that you do have to live with your choice, it’s a long term relationship rather than one enjoyable evening in a gallery. Perhaps a buffalo skull painted in hot neon pink and shoved through with metal pins moves you in a way that you will continue to appreciate over time. If so, great, and more power to you but remember, longevity is something that needs to be considered.
- It’s hard, but try to ignore price tags when first looking at art you might choose to buy. There’s a curious relationship between price and our perception of a things worth or value. Okay, so maybe you’ll fall in love with something hugely outside of your price range but hey, that’s life. At least you won’t have chosen something for the wrong reason, just because someone other than you valued it highly.
- Once you’re exchanging money for art it does become about more than just the visual. Some of what you’re paying for is very intangible but it definitely includes having something unique, or at least of limited availability. For example, with photographic prints, the printing process and the number of prints made can affect the price you would expect to pay. An artist’s work on canvas will usually cost more than one on paper. Art often comes with certification of authenticity. If all the information you need isn’t available don’t be afraid to ask questions.
- It’s a romantic image, a beautiful work of art in a rundown apartment, its owner someone who values the finer, more important things in life. Who isn’t distracted by the mundanities of day-to-day existence. However, we live in a country with an incredibly high level of humidity and heat. If your walls are dripping with water and covered in mould for months every year it isn’t a good environment for works of art made on paper or canvas. Perhaps you’d be better off considering sculpture or earthenware. And might we suggest a change of address if the mould has really taken hold?
And from the organisers of ‘Art For You’
Claire Driscoll, Work Room Four
Buy for love rather than investment. It should make your world a more interesting place to be.
Art is good for you. You won’t regret it. So many things we spend money on are shallow, consumable and finite. You get a rush when you buy it, then suffer buyers’ remorse. Art is different. The enjoyment is not a fleeting rush, it can bring pleasure, wonder, excitement for generations.
How you spend your money can make a difference in the world. By buying art you are supporting an artist and validating their work enabling them to make more through esteem or simply having the cash to buy more materials
Tram Vu, Manzi
Buy what YOU love. Don’t second guess yourself, trust your heart and be confident in your purchase.
Are there practical considerations? Do you have a specific place in mind to display the work? Do you have a good space to display it? Will the piece of art be the focal point of the room? Sometimes artwork is worth making the space work around it rather than the other way around.
Do you want to buy art as an investment? If so, consider looking into young, emerging artists. Their works are lower cost and may have a greater potential for increasing in value and leading to future gains. Educate yourself about art, open yourself up to new things and figure out what type of art you like. Visit galleries or exhibitions in town, talk to curators and artists.
Set a budget, but be prepared to spend a little more. As the co-founder of an art space perhaps I’m biased but I’ve never regretted buying art. I have regretted not buying things because they were a tiny bit more than I’d decided to spend.
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‘Art For You‘ is held at Manzi for four days only 8 – 11 May 2015. Opening hours are 9.30am – 7.00pm. Artworks available cost $50 – $500.
