top picks in the frieze week 2012

Venue Design by Kevin Carmody & Andrew Groarke for Frieze Art Fair 2011

With the return of Frieze Art Fair to its home town after a trans-atlantic conquer in New York earlier this year, it would be interesting to see how its spin-off fair Frieze Masters would fare among fellow art critics and audience. Continuing its well-praised tradition last year, Carmody & Groarke is reappointed (see photo above) to design the venue of the main fair this year. The Masters show next door would be, interestingly, designed by New York-based Selldorf Architects. It seems the competition between the two global cities are everywhere.

As usual, apart from the Giant Frieze, Moniker Art Fair in Village Underground and Sunday Art Fair in Ambika P3 are catering to a slightly more specific audience and do not cost a penny to get in. For the numerous shows in galleries around the whole city, we have shortlisted the followings for those who have no time to do the window-shopping: (in no particular order)

Kris Ruhs in the Wapping Project - full photo set here

Landing on Earth by Kris Ruhs in the Wapping Project
Kris has created a series of large installations in the power station (see photo above) that have a dialogue with each other as well as the space.

Elmgreen & Dragset's transformed attic space in Victoria Miro

Harvest by Elmgreen & Dragset in Victoria Miro (@victoriamiro) -
The duo who put a bronze boy on a rocking horse on the 4th plinth is making two distinct spaces inside the gallery's two floors in their latest show in town.

snails on junk in one of Bertozzi & Casoni's works in the show

Regeneration by Bertozzi & Casoni in All Visual Arts (@allvisualarts) -
Examine the bizarrely colourful life-like works of the Italian duo which are almost renaissance paintings come alive in 3D.

Left: Untitled 12050; Right: Untitled 12044 (2012) by Lee Knagwook

Invisible by Lee Kangwook in Hada Contemporary -
Korean artist Lee uses colour pencils and charoal to create minimalist works (see photo above) that look vibrant yet intriguing in order as a whole. The sparkle highlights in his works make a glam touch to the works.

Revolver presents works by ten artists made between 1983 and 2012 in discrete spaces in the gallery in a three-part series of short exhibitions. Show 2 features Anna Barham's live installation, Graham Gussin's sepia toned photographs and Tai Shani's sound-tracked installation.


Spazio di Luce by Giuseppe Penone in Whitechapel Gallery (@_thewhitechapel) -
No other artist have made a more poetic piece for Whitechapel Gallery's columned room yet than Penone (see photo above).

Ligurian Sea Saviore (1993) by Hiroshi Sugimoto

Dark Paintings & Seascapes by Rothko and Sugimoto in Pace (@pacegallery) -
If you think David Chipperfield's museum space is a must-see, a joint show of Mark Rothko & Hiroshi Sugimoto inside a space designed by Chipperfield would be one that is seen to be believed. See the above teaser photo. We hope the show can stay forever, it is timeless.

 

 

Blastfurnace by Atelier Van Lieshout in Carpenters Workshop (@cwgparislondon) - 
Carpenters Workshop is renown for their taste of craft designs. It is showing a few pieces of AVL's works that viewers can view the chemistry among them when they are all in the same space. 

On a sidenote, there was outrageous queue everyday in the Barbican Curve gallery since its current show opened last week (see below photo), those who live in London should avoid getting there in frieze week to save your valuable time in this period.

Random International (also represented by Carpenter Workshop)'s interactive Rain installation in the Barbican Curve gallery

A Kassen's work in Sunday Art Fair 2011 represented by New Gallerie Paris

A Kassen's work in Nettie Horn, 17A Riding House Street

17A Riding House Street by A Kassen in Nettie Horn (@nettiehorn) -

Danish Collective A Kassen is known for their reaction with the environment and space in their works. The show would see how they respond to the relocated gallery (from Vyner Street) in its new premise and hence an one-off not to be missed.

art october in london - part 3

Apart from the Frieze & Zoo art fairs, there are numerous other happenings going on in town. Here are some of the ones which are still running, so you could still catch the one you like before it's too late:

*****

The Age of the Marvellous by All Visual Arts

till 22.10.2009
One Marylebone

As manifested in the official website, the show is inspired by the Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities, popular in the late Renaissance through the Baroque period - an era characterized by a revival of learning, the sum of all of man’s knowledge could be represented in rooms filled with natural wonders, artificial exotica and relics or art works concerned with the supernatural.

the age of the marvellous by you.
For Laplace [Fear] (2008) by Paul Fryer

There is a "gothic - evolutionary" sense evoked both from the atmosphere of the venue and the nature of the works. Good timing in the age of swine flu, thinking robots and overdosed celebs. Keith Tyson's Mastering (image via It's Nice That) is my favourite.

Full photo set here

*****
both till 31.10.2009
till 07.11.2009
Haunch of Venison

donald judd at haunch of venison by you.
Donald Judd

Enrico Castellani/ Dan Flavin/ Donald Judd/ Günther Uecker by you.
Monument for V. Tatlin (1967) by Dan Flavin

Haunch of Venison London explores the connections between four major artists: Enrico Castellani, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd and Gunther Uecker in the art fair season. The exhibition showcases works from 1964 to the present day. All four artists were born within six years of each other (1928-1933) and their practices offer an opportunity to compare the strong aesthetic influences, interests and objectives their generation shared, despite developing on either side of the Atlantic. (excerpts from the official page)

the evening redness in the west by you.
Jamie Shovlin

For Jamie Shovlin, 'The Evening Redness in the West' is the final instalment in a trilogy of exhibitions which examined the disparity between reality and idealism through an exploration of the narratives and fictions that a nation projects to the world. (excerpts from the official page)

this is london || 10.10.2009 by you.
Jonas Burgert

This is the 1st UK solo show for German artist Jonas Burgert. The grotesque and the mystical provide the subject-matter for the majority of Burgert's art. Bold, sensuous and opulent, the atmosphere in his paintings is of a world of destruction and decay. (excerpts from the official page)

Full photo set here

*****

till 23.12.2009
ROVE Hoxton Square

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

Furniture and Interior Decor by various designers (including Arik Levy, Zaha Hadid, Carolyn Quartermaine, Mathias Bengtsson, Based Upon, Maria Pergay, Peter Harvey, Max Lamb, Tom Dixon, Richard Woods, and Brendan Cass) are on display in this show. These design-pieces are more down-to-earth to the audience than abstract contemporary art found in most galleries. 

Full photo set here

Further Reading -
Official page of Keith Tyson
ROVE's proposed revamp of 33-35 Hoxton Square designed by Zaha Hadid