"There he was!"

I shouted at my friend, when I found Madeoff's portrait on the white wall at David Zwiner's booth at Armory's opening. It was a black and white watercolor image of THAT face, just straight. I walked towards the piece with feeling of victory, as I predicted that somebody, a silly artist, would definitely make a work incorporated with Mr. Ponzi schemer. (Obama’s face already seemed lame/ not-hot in the art world.) The fair was packed with people as always and with variety of hair colors —black, blonde, gray, red, brown— it was impossible to see any works in a full shot. However, around this particular work, there was nobody as if the work emitted such bad odor. My friend and I seemed the only ones who were nearby reacting this artwork.
No complex in the piece. It is the Madeoff with a gloat veiled in sort of uncanny aura. I bet there would be “ladies and gentlemen” who wanted to slash, cut, tear it down or set afire. Not us surely. We, in fact, could not stop laughing at the fact that there was his face at the fair for real, that this piece was made by a Chinese artist and that the gallery had balls to put up this work.
Well, my accurate prediction fed my ego, but I can't stand this "all-too-easy-way" in production of art. “Ok, now Obama, then Madeoff, let’s make something with something HOT.” What’s the difference between fine art and journalism then? It is insulting to genuine artists and viewers. I felt like watching a soap opera or some predictable films. Sorry, but just lame, easy, boring and cheesy.
While Madeoff warded people off, there was one work that glued peoples’ heads in an inch close and the owner of the gallery, Mizuma, was busy telling people to back off. It was the work, "Foretoken," by Manabu Ikeda. His pen and acrylic paper on board work (75” x 134”) took over one entire black wall of the gallery's booth. The work was intricate depiction of Tokyo like city swept by Tsunami waves. It recalled "Great Wave off of Kanagawa" by Hokusai. Though the work was huge, every single thing—people, houses, buildings, animals, graffiti images in the work was so tiny, meticulous and fine that a magnifier was needed to see the details. Having both dynamism and intricacy, it was indeed a beautiful and mind blowing work. According to Mizuma, it took one year for the artist to complete. Wow.

Exposing myself to thousands of art works during the fair, by now I only remember these two pieces, the work without a deeper meaning and the work with superb craftsmanship.
Perhaps, it could be because of my current bad allergic-like reaction against art and the art world or my low level of "intellect" in art, and the rests are gone with the NY wind right away.