TIAF (Unfinished)

The Toronto International Art Fair celebrated its largest event to date last Monday, although some critics have expressed mixed opinions on its commercial success.

The annual fair, in its ninth year, is the largest of its kind in Canada and among the largest in North America. It takes place at the Metro Convention Centre, and is backed by several large corporate sponsors, including The Royal Bank of Canada, The Globe & Mail, and Pioneer.

Sarah Close, a spokeswoman for TIAF, says the event organizers were pleased with the steady growth of the event, but are still mindful of its grass roots.

“We’re always thinking about growing and expanding, but at the same time we want to maintain a level of intimacy,” Close said. “Our main goal is to be an international player among the art fairs.”

This year, TIAF eclipsed its previous mark of 15,000 visitors and boasts of over $15 million in sales, as well as more than 100 galleries from 14 countries.

Despite the public interest in the fair, some art critics such as Wayne Baerwaldt, director and head curator of The Power Plant, an art gallery in Toronto, have questioned the commercial motivations.

“I don’t see why it has to be lead by a commercial sector,” Baerwaldt said. “There are other art fairs, which in my opinion play a greater role in shaping art history, that are not lead by commercial interests.”

He said he feels that massive art fairs compromise the true value of the work.

“I think it’s a skewing of values and beliefs in contemporary art,” Baerwaldt said.

Even with the criticism, some supporters, like exhibitor Brian Torner, co-director of Lausberg Contemporary art gallery, says the fair will continue to grow regardless.

“It’s become more international, it’s received more media attention and public interest,” Torner said. “We don’t have a very dense landscape of art fairs in Canada…I only see a fair like this growing.”