Frère Independent

BACKGROUND: ABOUT THE ORGINIZATION Frère Independent is a non-profit arts organization that provides an alternative venue for the exhibition of emerging contemporary art, and a forum for international cultural exchange. Frère’s mission is to promote brotherhood in the art by providing visibility to independent artists who do not currently have commercial gallery representation in New York. Frère accomplishes this through PooL, an underground art fair featuring the work of independent artists presented by curators, galleries, young art dealers and some artist groups themselves. Frere Independent’s second major initiative, the DiVA Fair, is akin to PooL’s objective to engage and provide art access to the public, and concurrently encourage the support of artists. These two ambitious projects are structured methodically, and are conceptually cutting edge and politically attentive. To promote art education as well as for international cultural exchange, Frère Independent publishes catalogues and organizes art panels. The last group of panelists included Berta Sichel of the Reina Sofía, Barbara London of the MoMA, and Christiane Paul of the Whitney Museum.

EVENT: POOL ART FAIR In May of 2004, Frère launched PooL, an annual Independent Art Fair in New York. This weekend-long forum showcases about 40 exhibitors within various hotel rooms to provide a meeting ground and market place for young artists, curators, galleries, dealers and collectors. Exhibitors include young contemporary art dealers, artist agents, emerging galleries, artists’ collectives, and non-profit organizations. Frère differentiates itself from other organizations by offering most of its exhibition space to a group of promising and innovative artists carefully selected by a panel of curators. www.poolartfair.com

EVENT: DiVA Fair DiVA Fair is an international destination for collectors, art dealers, museums, curators and artists involved in video and new media art. In an effort which continues to strive and carve out a larger part of the global art market out for digital and video art, DiVA has hosted editions in New York, Miami, Brussels, Paris and Cologne. The forum may alter site-specifically to the venue, including hotel and outdoor, container fairs, yet the separate art showcases remain reserved for galleries that show a clear interest in promoting and distributing digital and video art. DiVA is multifaceted, scheduling has included: relevant educational panels; a catalog in tribute to a significant video artist in art history; outstanding and well respected galleries hosting the most exceptional international artists.

• The first edition of DiVA was named Moving Images and took place at the Windsor Hotel in New York in November 2003. www.divafair.com

UPCOMING EVENTS in 2006: Digital & Video Art Streets, Miami Beach2006 Digital & Video Art Fair, Paris 2006 Benefit Party for Frere Independent, August 2006

Events organized: 2006 Digital & Video Art Fair 2006 New York – A Tribute to Andy Warhol

2005 PooL Video Art Fair 2005 Miami Beach Digital & Video Art Fair 2005 Cologne – A Tribute to Nam June Paik Digital & Video Art Fair 2005 Paris – A Tribute to Jonas Mekas PooL Art Fair 2005 Jump in the Art Digital & Video Art Fair 2005 Brussels Digital & Video Art Fair 2005 New York – A Tribute to Bruce Nauman

2004 PooL Art Fair 2004 Art Addict

2000 New York Independent Art Fair

The following organizations have contributed to Frere Independent: AC Collaborative - The Anthology Film Archives - Art in America - Art News - Art Taipei 2006 - Avail Art - Biche De Berre - The Bronx Museum - The Brooklyn Brewery - Casa Lapostolle - Chelsea Art Museum - Duggal Digital Imaging - ELA Asia - Emerging Artists International (EAI) - EN Japanese Brasserie - Fiac 05 – Fizz – The Frick Collection - GalleryArtist.com - The Jizake - The Kube Hotel - The Lab Gallery - Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) - Lower Manhattan Development Corporations (LMDC) - M The New York Art World - The Museum of Modern Art - The New Museum of Contemporary Art - NY Arts - Red Bull - Roger Smith Hotel - The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - Video Data Bank Chicago - VOS Selections - Wall Street Rising - The Whitney Museum of American Art - www.eventmail.com

Media Sponsors: It’s liquid, ArtFacts.net, Art.es international contemporary art, Art notes