Jasper Joffe talks art and economics.

Susie Stubbs discovers why there might be more to Jasper Joffe than just good PR

Cynics might say it’s hard to believe Jasper Joffe is motivated by anything other than publicity. With a career defined by stunts that include selling everything he’s ever owned to the sort of art fodder that Charles Saatchi approves of (his portrait of Heinrich Himmler was bought by Saatchi in 2008), Joffe appears destined to follow the headline-friendly path first trodden by the YBAs.

Except with art sales plummeting, and the economy casting a recessionary pall upon the antics of the Britpop years, it appears that the kind of substance-light, PR-heavy art of the last 15 years is, at last, on its way out. There is talk of a return to a ‘quieter’ form of art, one driven by intellectual rigour as much as a desire to make loadsamoney. So, in the downbeat final months of 2009, has the kind of work that Joffe has built his career around had its day?

Not necessarily. Joffe is at Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery this week to give a talk on ‘art, literature and economics’ – and it’s more than just a masterclass on how to get media attention. To be fair to Joffe, although The Sale of a Lifetime (where he sold all his possessions to the highest bidder) grabbed him plenty of press coverage, there is more to him than simple art stunts. For the past three years, the artist has run the Free Art Fair, the UK’s first and only fine art fair that sees everything on display given away. For absolutely nothing. Free. Gratis.

A counterpoint to the likes of Frieze, and even, to a certain extent, Zoo, the Free Art Fair has featured work by both established artists (such as Bob & Roberta Smith), as well as emerging ones. ‘It’s both extremely idealistic and logical,’ argues Joffe. ‘It gets so that how much something costs is the only way that people think about art, or the only way people find art interesting. Here, you’ve got a level playing field. People can just enjoy the art for what it is.’

Joffe is also driven by a desire to democratise art, hoping that ‘everyone – nurses, students’ can buy themselves a serious piece of artwork. And of The Sale of a Lifetime, Joffe argues that this had a democratic angle, too: it was all about involving the broader public – ‘anyone could engage with that idea, whereas generally in art, people are put off by it being seen as something too intellectual, too clever.’

This is the final year of the Free Art Fair. Joffe himself admits it’s not sustainable – no one involved, himself included, gets paid, and it relies entirely on goodwill. And maybe, in the midst of a recession, a return to idealistic rather than fiscal values is already underway, with both artists and collectors getting back to what matters: the art itself, rather than its price tag. ‘As an artist, I just want to make a connection with people – emotional, aesthetic – and I’m always looking for ways to put on exhibitions to do that,’ says Joffe. ‘PR is just public relations, and my aim is to relate to the public.’

Art, Literature and Economics: Between Dystopia and Utopia takes place at Castlefield Gallery on 11 November (6-8pm). It features both Jasper Joffe and Dr. Kaye Mitchell

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