Photo LA is planning a virtual show for the end of June and I for one am glad to see it happening. As we wait for the day when we can safely walk the aisles again, keeping the community together and providing a meeting place for artists and collectors is more important than ever.
It should be clear, I love photo shows. I love the crowds, the running into friends, the seeing of new work and old favorites in the space of a hundred yards. I love watching people gather round as an artist signs a book or talks about their work and I love seeing someone discover an artist for the first time. Over the years, photo fairs have been my top favorite stories to cover. But given our new reality the question for the moment is can a virtual event capture the sensation of being there? So I think it’s great that Photo LA is stepping up with a virtual event designed to recreate the live event experience as closely as it can.
The current plan includes virtual galleries for dealers with private links on an included app so that the dealers, collectors and guests can converse. The app is also set up to encourage networking with private rooms and invitations to sit down and have coffee (virtual) and conversation (real).
Then there is programming planned including four panels a day and there are artist talks, both set up so that the audience can be part of the Q&A. The tentative roster includes 40-75 local and international galleries and dealers, along with collectives, non-profits, art schools, and photo book publishers so there will be lot’s to explore. And with no travel or time commitments for those from far away this may be the moment when a worldwide audience can finally experience a taste of what LAs longest running photo fair is like. Wouldn’t that be lovely?
Andy Romanoff
Photo L.A. Collect + Connect
June 27 and 28th
https://www.photola.com/virtual/index.php
Andy Romanoff words https://andyromanoff.zenfolio.com/
Andy Romanoff Pictures https://andyromanoff.zenfolio.com/
