I won’t bother you with how decadent and disjointed Frieze is. All have been said. It’s just what it is: a trade show for blue-chip galleries, their wealthy clients, a few curious people and many followers.
But it’s not me who needs this reminder. This is Frieze New York itself. This year’s second edition, held at the Shed in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, presents a gesture of justice with exhibits on issues such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, reproductive rights, and more. Placing these items in an exhibition like Frieze would make them lose their meaning and impact. Honestly, Frieze: You’re not here to help the disenfranchised, and you’re not paying $65 to $215. If anything, you are part of the problem, not the solution.
For example, the AIR Gallery showcases the work of a collective of artists How to have an abortion Responding to Supreme Court’s leaked overturn plan Roe v Wade. Artists pin traditional herbal remedies for contraception and abortion on a map of the United States, marking states with “trigger laws,” which are abortion bans designed to go into effect when roe was overthrown. The piece, titled Trigger Planting (2022), is powerful in its own right. It just shows up in the wrong place.
Here’s artist Pedro Reyes’ “Zero Nukes” project:
But there were some really good pieces this year, like Latifa Echakhch’s concrete paintings at the Pace Gallery booth, showing scenes from her life during Switzerland’s COVID-19 lockdown (the Moroccan-born artist is currently representing Switzerland at the Venice Bernal Arts festival.)
Charming quilts of Filipino-Americans at Tina Kim Gallery’s booth Painter Pasita Abad (1946-2004). “I visited Papua New Guinea many years ago and I noticed that some women were crying because they were raped, but they didn’t think it was a crime, more like a tribal war,” Abad once said. wrote about work. “I came back and found all the other women who were abused and beaten. I tried to use the material I found in Goroka.”
James Cohan Gallery presents Aemon Ore – GeelongI’m a fan of:
I also love this piece by New York artist Trisha Baga, which depicts the reflections of her windows and living room through her computer screen.
In Frieze, I found out that Lebanese artist Walid Raad was involved in a project called art world And he’s already created digital creations of spinning birthday cakes for autocratic leaders and other obnoxious politicians. The work is presented by Galerie Sfeir-Semler.
But I prefer this painting by Mounira Al Solh in the same booth:
Now to the gimmicks part, courtesy of Gagosian. In front of a group of paintings by German artist Albert Oehlen, a vending machine sells (with gallery-provided coins) “Kafftee” (or “Cofftea”)), Coffee and tea mixes in branded bottles. This high-caffeine drink was developed by the artist in collaboration with Munich-based soft drink company Aqua Monaco. I got it wrong. It tasted horrible and gave me a terrible headache.
Ellen’s art is not so good either:
Are you waiting for Instagram-ready artwork? here is:
I suspect that the staff at Zwirner Gallery had Instagram in mind when they designed this booth for Carol Bove’s sculpture:
do you understand me?
Here are more photos from the show:
