From Egyptian sarcophagi to Jeff Koons, touring the art world in one day is possible! Where? The Frieze Art Fair!
Every year in October, the art world converges in London for Frieze Week. Multimillionaire collectors, world-renowned gallerists, show-biz stars and art enthusiasts, contribute to the general clamour of curiosity in the British capital. But what makes up the pedigree of one of the largest and most important art trade fairs in the world? Frieze Art Fair, whose first edition was held in London in 2003, was born of a namesake magazine, Frieze Magazine, dedicated to contemporary culture. Today the fair – which for 6 years has also been staged in New York in May – is divided into two main attractions:
Frieze Masters is a luxurious environment that brings together renowned international galleries showcasing precious works across the ages: Byzantine sculptures and 17th century maps, Andy Warhol and Lucio Fontana’s paintings … Then there’s Frieze London, the ubiquitous domain of all things contemporary: exhibiting over 1,000 artists, from burgeoning talents who may one day be likened to Picasso, alongside artists such as Jeff Koons. A bucolic ten minute walk between the fairs takes you through Frieze sculpture, an exhibition of open-air sculptures in the verdant and very British Regent’s Park.
The 2017 edition is of a dizzying scale: boasting 275 galleries, 6,000 years of art history (from a mummy of the VII century BC to the newest creations of 2017); more than 5,000 square meters of surface and nearly 70,000 visitors- A real exploit!
When we received the invitation, Wakapedia didn’t hesitate for a second to dive into this immersive week of art. Cherry on the cake, we stayed at The Curtain, a cool hotel in the heart of Shoreditch, one of London‘s trendiest neighbourhoods. Our 5-star room was befitting of a rock star: walls were adorned with posters of great musical groups from the past – David Bowie, The Cure, Pink Floyd. The ante was upped further by the built-in sauna in the shower (perfect for eliminating toxins after a night at art parties), a love kit (2 condoms, 1 lubricant, 1 vibrator…) and a hangover kit (toothbrush, eye cream, mouthwash…) ready for use on the bedside table. A room designed for us! But even though the temptation to hide in the comfort of the hotel was strong, the desire to cross the threshhold and explore Frieze triumphed!
The experience is exhilarating for an art lover. Not only were we treated to the spectacle of artists we first encountered in books at school, but we were also able to discover new artists whose work we found inspiring. In this environment, you are either transported in contemplation or just plain excited, by eye catching artworks, discovering their stories and maybe secrets… particularly if you have the privilege of a few words of background from their gallerists.
So here is our selection, as it transpired, which is by no means exhaustive, of London Frieze Art Fair 2017!
At Frieze Masters
Tomaso Binga – Galleria Tiziana di Caro, Naples
Tomaso Binga is a pseudonym. The real name of the artist is Bianca Pucciarelli, a female artist who chose to adopt a male name in the 1970s to denounce the domination of the art world by men. She chose to call herself Tomaso as a tribute to Marinetti, the founder of futurism whom she much admired, and Binga, the way she mispronounced Bianca as a child.
One work in particular, from an artist who works with physical gesture as poetry, struck us in particular:
“I write you only on Sundays” is a collection of 53 letters (52 as the Sundays on the calendar that year, the 1977) dedicated to an imaginary friend, or probably an alter-ego of the artist herself, as explained to us. The question is why do women write only on a Sunday? Probably because it is the only ‘feminine’ day of the week, in which women have a time to themselves. So 53 letters symbolise the constricted speech of social minority.”
>> What hit us? We liked the irony and ability to reflect with poetry and lightness on topical issues of importance.
Shusaku Arakawa – Galleria Massimo Minini, Brescia
Born in Japan in 1936, Arakawa began his career as part of a Neo-dada group until he left in 1961 to settle in New York. This legend says he had only $ 14 in his pocket and Marcel Duchamp‘s number. When he arrived in the Big Apple, he contacted Duchamp, who from then on became his mentor and influenced most of his works, particularly throughout the 60s, when he immortalized the movement on canvas. In New York he also found love. His wife Medeline worked as an architect and together they designed original and colourful buildings – almost like fairgrounds- in the suburbs of Tokyo. At the death of Arakawa in 2010, a foundation was created to recover its archives, preserve and study its teachings. Today his creations figure in some of the most important collections of the world entire, private and public: from Gagosian to Yvon Lambert,
>> What hit us? Shusaku is a Japanese artist who dares. What a rush to go without a penny in his pocket, who dares with colour in the suburbs, who dares with movement on a flat canvas. A Japanese, who thanks to his courage and his creativity, has gone far. In short, a guru to imitate!
At Frieze London
Renate Bertlmann – Richard Saltoun, London
This artist is part of the “Sex Work: Feminist Art & Radical Politics” section, a thematic focus exhibition that independent curator Alison Gingeras devised for the 2017 edition of Frieze and explores themes such as sexuality, feminism and gender issues.
For Sex Work , the Richard Saltoun Gallery presents a collection of multimedia creations by Renate Bertlmann, a feminist and transgressive Austrian artist active on the artistic scene since the 1960s. Renate Bertlmann reflects on “male” and “female” social stereotypes through fetishistic and often provocative objects – vibrators, condoms, dolls, dolls … to subvert the expectations of the public.
>> What hit us? The fictional doll revolving around herself like a music box doll and a dildo emerging from a cactus. Works that did not go unnoticed, and indeed, were certainly among the most instagrammed of the fair!
Evgeny Antufiev – Emalin Gallery, London
We liked this recently established gallery, showing at Frieze for the first time, for its freshness and originality. Starting with the entrance, a huge monster mouth disguised like a door draws the visitors in. Those who dare, enter a Wunderkammer, which includes the works of Evgeny Antufiev, a thirty-year-old Russian artist with an ironic and engaging visual language. Antufiev carves wood, bones and uses traditional Russian fabrics in assemblies flirting with kitsch. If his works are inspired by the aesthetics of archaic or shamanic cultures, his masks and statues are also ironic references to popular folk culture, from emoticons to puppets.
>> What hit us? The enthusiasm of the young founders of this gallery, Leopold Thun and Angelina Volk, acing their first go at Frieze; and the choice of an artist just as young and captivating. A winning decision that was repaid with an unexpected “sold out”.
Description & Interview: Sara Waka
Edited by: Federica Forte