Galleries
Top 10 Booths at Frieze London
From blue chip Gagosian to the cool kids of Carlos/Ishikawa.
JJ Charlesworth
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The 12th edition of Frieze London opened its doors yesterday, housing 162 galleries from 25 countries under a newly redesigned tent by Universal Design Studio. The fair opened a day earlier than usual (as well as earlier in the morning), and, with sales whispered shortly after the arrival of the first VIP guests, the mood was already electric in the early hours.
Some changes are noticeable, for example the disappearance of the section Frame, which was dedicated to solo artists presentations from young galleries. On the other hand, Focus, dedicated to galleries up to 10 years old, has grown into a more significant section, featuring a whopping 36 galleries (whereas last year there were only 22). The new Live section, which gathers six galleries showcasing performative works, signposts the growing presence of dance and performance pieces throughout the fair, from the sections all the way to Frieze Projects.
Frieze has a new dazzling layout, which makes navigating the fair a much more pleasant experience (or so the rumors went), but it is also bigger than last year. Although many visitors have commented that the fair seems smaller and friendlier, the truth is that this year the roster of galleries has increased by an additional 10 exhibitors.
This is why browsing around Frieze London can be daunting experience, although it’s always exciting. So, to avoid getting lost in the maze, artnet News contributor JJ Charlesworth has trained his famous razor-sharp gaze on the scene and selected this year’s highlights.
Here is Frieze London 2014, in a nutshell:
1. Kate MacGarry, London, Stand A4
Goshka Macuga weaves a tall tale of artists, art collectors, and art history in the video of her theatrical comedy Preparatory Notes for a Chicago Comedy, along with photocollages and a large-scale tapestry, extending the artist’s history-delving, hall-of-mirrors practice.
2. Lisson Gallery, London, Stand B5
Info-culture overload, with Cory Arcangel digitally channelling Miley Cyrus into pools of cupcakes, and Ryan Gander putting his oddball classifications of images onto USB sticks you can’t access. Meanwhile, Joyce Pensato gets messy with Mickey Mouse.
3. Gió Marconi, Milan, and Meyer Riegger, Berlin/Karlsruhe, Stand B2
Clattering film projectors, ball bearings teetering on the rim of stacked film cans—Rosa Barba’s cinematerialism strips images back to bare matter.
4. Workplace Gallery, Gateshead/London, Stand H10
Long unsung Brit sculptor Eric Bainbridge combines lo-fi aesthetics and a tragic-comic, suburban love for the promise of modernism—and funny fur—at Gateshead-based mavericks Workplace.
5. Carlos/Ishikawa, London, Focus/Stand G26
Upcoming and already-come art boys Ed Fornieles, Oscar Murillo, and Korakrit Arunanondchai get messy together, with Fornieles offering a working nail bar for the unmanicured. Get in the queue.
6. Hauser & Wirth, Zurich/London/New York, Stand D6
Calling up pretty much the entire menagerie of the gallery’s artists, artist-cum-curator Mark Wallinger turns Hauser & Wirth’s stand into a Freudian boudoir for an obsessive collector.
7. Thomas Dane Gallery, London, Stand E6
Offering a poised and beautifully balanced contrast of artists old and new, Thomas Dane Gallery has a sculpture by Phillip King dance around works by Michael Landy and Alexandre da Cunha, while a “touching” Steve McQueen photo looks on.
8. Kukje Gallery, Seoul, and Tina Kim Gallery, New York, Stand B6
New York’s Tina Kim Gallery and Seoul’s Kukje Gallery share a booth, East-meets-West style, with immaculate works by, among others, Haegue Yang and Damián Ortega.
9. Gagosian Gallery, Stand C3
Trippy and a bit random—there’s a giant magic mushroom and an oversize dice into which children keep disappearing—Carsten Höller’s sculptural playground turns Gagosian’s stand into a behavioral laboratory for the ADHD art fair visitor.
10. Galeria Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo, Stand D5
São Paulo blue chip gallery Fortes Vilaça delights with a carefully curated selection of Brazilian artists, including Iran do Espírito Santo, José Damasceno, and Rodrigo Matheus, whose works play with geometry, lines, and minimal gestures.
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