In L.A., Felix Art Fair’s Intimate Sixth Edition Is a Standout

To the relief of its VIP guests, the clouds in Los Angeles parted just in time for Felix Art Fair’s 2024 edition. For the second year in a row, the VIP preview kicked off on Wednesday, one day before Frieze L.A., at 11 a.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. As Los Angeles emerges from its wettest February in 26 years, the hotel and its iconic Tropicana Pool shimmered under a clear blue sky, setting a sunlit stage for what has become a premier, electric art fair.

Thanks to meticulous planning from the Felix team in close collaboration with the hotel staff, last year’s long lines and wait times are a distant memory. Organizers had fine-tuned every aspect of the visitor experience, from the elevator queues to the drink stands, as the fair’s co-founder Mills Morán told Artsy by the Roosevelt pool. “We’re really dialed in in terms of flow of traffic and moving people around,” he said. These details weren’t lost on attendees. “Everyone’s in a pretty good mood. It’s hard not to be,” he noted.

Now in its sixth edition, Felix features 66 exhibitors across the poolside cabanas and the 11th and 12th floors of the hotel, running through March 3rd. The idyllic setting fosters a casual, approachable atmosphere where galleries are emboldened to take risks with emerging artists, and attendees can interact with the artwork on a more intimate level—as if it were displayed in their own homes.

Not only did Felix manage to slash the long queues, but the founders (Morán; his brother, Al; and Dean Valentine) also introduced a collaboration with the retailer Dover Street Market at the entrance. The pop-up—a testament to its successful efforts to cut down congestion—features an installation by Oscar Tuazon, a wooden house-like structure that artfully accommodates the market’s selection of limited-edition clothing.

“The added elements of having Dover Street Market and a retail shop on site has not only attracted a different set of crowds that also gets into the fair and looks and appreciates the art, but it’s some of the art patrons that really like to shop there at the same time are also going back and forth,” said Morán. Also new this year is the Mercedes-AMG Race Service VIP Lounge in the penthouse (Room 1200). The hotel roof features a Mercedes-AMG GT3 sportscar, which was crane-lifted onto the hotel roof. “We’re doing our best this year to try to keep things fresh every day for people to come back,” Morán added.

As attendees meandered between intimate cabanas—made cozier by warm wood walls and soft lighting—around the pool area, guests moved seamlessly from the outdoor exhibition spaces into the crowded hallways. Known for their selective curation, the Felix founders brought together an ensemble of buzzworthy galleries and artists to boot. It was quickly clear that collector enthusiasm was high, too.

On the first level, nestled behind the dining area, Miami’s Nina Johnson celebrated its fair debut by selling all but one of the works from its solo booth of works by Dee Clement before 2 p.m. These basket weavings, priced from $7,000–$16,000, caught the attention of collectors, marking a milestone for the artist whose first museum show is scheduled for later this year at the University of Texas San Antonio.

Down the hall, Tribeca gallery Charles Moffett is one of the eight exhibitors in cabanas that faces the exterior of the hotel. “We decided to bring works by a selection of artists that could take full advantage of the indoor-outdoor set-up of the fair’s cabana rooms,” said founder Charles Moffett. The gallery is situating ceramic sculptures by L.A.-based artist Bari Ziperstein on the patio, and also features new paintings by New York–based artist Julia Jo, as well as a pair of new and recent paintings by L.A.-based artist Alec Egan. In the fair’s first hours, works from all three artists sold for prices in the range of $14,000–$18,000, $8,500–$16,000, and $40,000, respectively.

Five-time participant Residency Art Gallery has now become something of a Felix veteran. As the sole gallery occupying a cabana on the second floor, the gallery is displaying a neon sign by Patrick Martinez on its porch, proclaiming “Black-Owned Gallery.” Inside, the gallery presents an exhibition of William Maxen paintings, ranging from $2,000–$24,000. Placed on the deck, Maxen’s most expensive work, (Untitled Fourth of July) (2024), is a must-see.

Though the gallery’s cabana is “off the beaten path,” in founder Rick Garzon’s words, the room still ushered in plenty of interested parties on VIP day. “The first couple hours have been really great, and they’ve done a great job filing people up here,” he said.

Upstairs, the galleries transform the towering hotel rooms into immersive—often impressively experimental—exhibition spaces. First-time exhibitors like Antoine Ertaskiran from Bradley Ertaskiran aim to create a more approachable experience by presenting multiple mediums, ranging from $2,000–$28,000, from its artist roster. “We wanted to show the range of the gallery, but also have different materiality inside, inside the room. It’s not your usual fair, it’s a hotel room, so we wanted to create a homier feeling,” Ertaskiran said.

Bradley Ertaskiran was particularly clever when setting up the space. In the main room, a Preston Pavlis painting hangs from the ceiling, and a blue Stephanie Temma Hier ceramic sculpture is shown on the wall. However, the gallery concealed another work by Pavlis on the interior of the closet door, as well as the gallery’s most expensive sculpture from Hier, Unconventional desires (2023), in the shower.

Indeed, many galleries on the upper floors are ensuring they utilize every inch of their allocated space. Bathrooms, in particular, are transformed into mini-project spaces across the fair.

Minneapolis-based HAIRandNAILS situated a Rachel Youn installation in the shower—an artificial plant attached to an electric massager—which sold within the first few hours of VIP day. “They come in and are immersed in the space,” co-founder Ryan Fontaine told Artsy. For him, the rooms allow for more intentional interactions between the guests and the art. “It feels much easier than when you have a hallway, and you’re standing up at the front of it, and people can assess the whole booth at once. I feel like there is a little more immersion and interaction,” he added.

HAIRandNAILS has curated a special 12-person group exhibition for its first art fair appearance in Los Angeles, featuring work such as Christina Ballantyne’s ceramics, priced at $1,500 each, and Julia Garcia’s paintings, priced from $3,500–$5,000. A mere two hours into the fair, Fontaine reported to Artsy that sales had already been “rigorous.”

Magenta Plains associate director Alia Freier shared the gallery’s positive experiences down the hall on the 12th floor, emphasizing the fair’s vibrant atmosphere and appeal to new and returning clients. “It’s just the first few hours; we had some really great clients come through,” said Freier. “Many recurring clients that we have from back in New York, many new ones. We made a few sales in the first hours, including works that sold in advance.” The gallery is featuring a group exhibition of works priced from $5,000–$20,000.

Returning exhibitors across the board underscored that the enthusiasm at Felix keeps intensifying, giving galleries a confidence to take risks from year to year.

For instance, Athens gallery The Breeder, which returns to Felix for the third time, brings a highly curated exhibition from artists across its roster. “Felix is an amazing fair. It’s building up every year, stronger and stronger,” said co-founder George Vamvakidis. “This year, we brought artists from sub-Saharan Africa, Greece, but also the U.S. and the response has been amazing.” Highlights from the booth include Justin John Greene paintings priced from $15,000–$20,000, and pieces by Maria Joannou priced from $8,000–$10,000.

Another highlight is Ekene Stanley Emecheta’s Funtime in the Bushes (2022), situated on the far wall of the left room. His paintings, priced from $15,000–$20,000, hang around the remarkable corner suite.

Chicago-based gallery Kavi Gupta snagged among the most breathtaking rooms on the 12th floor: Suite 1210. Here, the gallery showcases its enthusiasm for this year’s fair by presenting a substantial exhibition from its 30-strong roster, as well as works from Theaster Gates, Miya Ando, and Kennedy Yanko—the latter a member of The Artsy Vanguard 2021. “We’ve been at the fair since the inception, and Kavi Gupta Gallery really adores Felix L.A.,” said Chaz Shermil Hodges, artist relations liaison at Kavi Gupta.

The gallery, which represents artists from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, is presenting artists at various stages of their careers and price points. In the sunlit, top-floor suite, guests will find vibrant James Little paintings for $250,000 near newer work from rising figurative painter Nikko Washington, including Aunt Nancy (2023), priced at $10,000. Despite the wide-ranging prices, the first two hours of the fair garnered notable interest across the board. “The last two hours of the fair have been lovely—being a Chicago gallery and coming into the Los Angeles art scene, people really get excited about what we bring, especially since Chicago is such a big art city,” Hodges added.

Throughout VIP day, strong interest swept across the 12th floor and downstairs on the 11th floor. In a multi-room corner suite on the 11th floor, Fridman Gallery is hosting a six-artist exhibition including the work of Debra Cartwright, Azuki Furuya, Hana Yilma Godine, Alina Grasmann, Sahana Ramakrishnan, and David Smalling. Works from Godine, Ramakrishnan, Smalling, and Cartright found homes in several collections by the end of the VIP day, according to gallery owner Iliya Fridman.

Across the fair, a diverse array of talent is on display, showcasing both emerging and mid-career artists making significant strides in the art industry. Among the notable names featured are Bony Ramirez, Deborah Segun, and Maia Cruz Palileo. Additionally, these exhibitions also showcase works by established artists, including the sculptor Richard Hunt, whose posthumous solo exhibition opens at White Cube this spring.