It seemed Frieze was playing it safe this year. There were no big installations or sculptures filling up the big spaces. I mentioned to Sophia that they can't play it safe and have brilliance at the same time. So, out went the brilliance and in came the regurgitation of every artist known to sell, or emerging artists that didn't go as far as shocking but still tried to find out how to become a visionary. They even stooped as low to play on the public's heartstrings, showing several paintings of Michael Jackson- including the famous Jeff Koontz one with Bubbles... but Michael was all painted out black. That was a painfully obvious thing to do.
It was crowded; so hopefully that is a sign the market is on a rebound. Sophia (literally) ran into Gwenith Paltrow and we saw Valentino too.
It typical art we have seen at all the fairs: Anish Kapoor, Barry Flanagan, Marc Quinn, Ed Ruscha, Tracy Emin, Damien Hirst, Alex Katz, Julian Opie, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall, .... to name a few. A newspaper I picked up said the top 5 selling artists (or artists that the market has the most confidence in) were Gerhard Richter, John Baldessari, Bill Viola, Anish Kapoor, and Cindy Sherman.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Definitely the VIP lounge and the canapes and (virgin) cocktails were a highlight!
- Got a name for you of some great collage work: Raphael Danke, 33 yr. old working out of Berlin. Shows at Sorcha Dallas Gallery in Glasglow. Sophia really liked one, but it was sold....
- We saw one Wangechi Mutu collage that was big and dark.
- There was a cool Marilyn Minter photo-painting of a model's feet soaked in silver paint.
- There was a wonderful piece (didn't get the name of the artist) where a cast of a homeless person's torso (covered in a blanket) was the footing for a coffee table. the table was obviously to be used for the many glasses of champagne at the fair.
- White Cube was one of the best booths, though a bit standard.
Some photos of things I liked:
Life-size bunny-man covered in pearls covered with a sheet. First image
There seemed to be a bit green-themed work. Another safe bet... but good to see the art world using their voice for the important things. This one was particularly powerful (and large). Second image.
by Paige Bradley
