Frieze Art Fair 2011
Regent's Park
13-16.10.2011This is the long over-due part 2 of our frieze art fair review. Although the sculptural park seems to be quite disappointing this year, we found some encouraging development in the tent. Frieze Projects has selected a handful of cool works this year, and arranged them to be scattered around the fair. Laure Prouvost plays jokes about the physical environment and the visitors. Christian Jankowski puts a boat in the venue, and ironically it does not actually look odd among all these contemporary art works - the nature of an art fair as the flea market for the rich is spelt out loud. Bik van der Pol's slogan-generating scoreboard is an attempt between installation and performance. And Pierre Huyghe leaves his work to the hand of mother nature for his aqua creatures to entertain the guests.
Regent's Park
13-16.10.2011This is the long over-due part 2 of our frieze art fair review. Although the sculptural park seems to be quite disappointing this year, we found some encouraging development in the tent. Frieze Projects has selected a handful of cool works this year, and arranged them to be scattered around the fair. Laure Prouvost plays jokes about the physical environment and the visitors. Christian Jankowski puts a boat in the venue, and ironically it does not actually look odd among all these contemporary art works - the nature of an art fair as the flea market for the rich is spelt out loud. Bik van der Pol's slogan-generating scoreboard is an attempt between installation and performance. And Pierre Huyghe leaves his work to the hand of mother nature for his aqua creatures to entertain the guests.
Laure Prouvost - one of the Frieze Projects this year
Laure Prouvost for Frieze Projects - http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/laure-prouvost/
Christian Jankowski - one of the Frieze Projects this year
Christian Jankowski for Frieze Projects - http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/christian-jankowski/
Bik van der Pol in Frieze Art Fair 2011 - one of the Frieze Projects this year
Bik van der Pol for Frieze Projects - http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/bik-van-der-pol/
Pierre Huyghe in Frieze Art Fair 2011 - one of the Frieze Projects this year
Pierre Huyghe for Frieze Projects - http://www.friezefoundation.org/commissions/detail/pierre-huyghe/
We are also very pleased to see many galleries have devoted time and efforts to create a presence in the fair by a unique booth design. This creates an identity to the gallery and a set for the art works featured inside the booth. The followings are our favourites this year -
the IBID Projects booth - video link
Alex Zachary (New York)
Ken Okiishi / Alex Zachary at the Frame section - video link
Galerie Eigen & Art (Leipzig/Berlin)
Carsten Nicolai in Galerie Eigen & Art (Leipzig/Berlin)
Galerie Eigen & Art (Leipzig/Berlin)
Georg Kargl (Vienna)
Sies & Höke (Düsseldorf)
Sies & Höke (Düsseldorf)
There is an official Stand Prize of £10000, and it was given to Gavin Brown's Enterprise this year. The gallery has displayed works by Turner prize winner Martin Creed, Elizabeth Peyton, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Joe Bradley and Alex Katz in the booth. From the office website's announcement, “the judges agreed that the stand articulated a long-term commitment to and understanding of the artists represented.” No further elaboration is provided.
Winner of Frieze Art Fair's Stand Prize - Gavin Brown's Enterprise (New York)
The tent itself also gets a breakthrough form - no more total white prefabricated assembly. We hope the fair has the money to keep this exciting move next year.
If you haven't read part 1 previously, it's here. Have a happy new year in a few hours!
*****
Further Readings -
