OVERHEARD AT FRIEZE ART FAIR NEW YORK – {ART FAIR/EVENTS}

Last week, New York was bombarded with another round of art fairs.  Eight art fairs spread across New York City featured works from hundreds of galleries across the globe.  The largest fair, Frieze Art Fair, proved to be the largest and most packed fair of the bunch.  Over 190 of the world’s leading art contemporary art galleries gathered at Randall’s Island Park to showcase some of the best artists around… and some of the worst.  Walking through, every fair-goer had an opinion and every opinion was heard throughout the fairgrounds.  Walking by artists and even a brief encounter with Dutch Royalty, the fair was booming with fame and excitement for all to see.  Here are some of the best thoughts overheard throughout the fair:

Looking at Milena Muzquiz’s work at Travesia Cuatro: “I feel like art needs to make me feel something.  Like, those ceramics, what the fuck were those?  They’re not aesthetically pleasing at all and it looks like a pre-schooler made them.”

Showcasing a grotesque sculpture by Francis Upritchard at the Kate MacGarry Gallery: “I have lots of feelings about this.  It’s uncomfortable.  I’m not sure what [the sculpture’s] expression is.  He looks constipated.  Or sad.  Or confused.  Or despair.  It’s curious.”

“Yes, yes, YES!” Casa Triangulo proved to be a successful booth featuring work by artist Eduardo Berliner.

“I like them all.  I like the style.  I like the details.  They’ve all got a weird thing happening and I’m into it.”

“Oh, that’s a vagina.” Yes, it really was a vagina.  Multiple monoprints, in fact, by Barbara Smith at The Box Gallery (get it? The Box…vagina…).

“Oh wait, that’s a person.  Like, someone definitely sat on that.” Yes, they definitely sat on that.

Might I also mention that there was a lot of laughter coming from one of the Special Projects.  The Tribute to the Flux Labyrinth (1976-2015) was a great success with a fantastic maze to weave your way through as you encounter various obstacles such as a bean pit, a marble floor, a hall full of large and hairy half naked men (yes, you read that correctly).

“They’re still trying to get to know their art scene in Berlin.”

“So many textures going on.  They used those pastry things to make those different colored ribbons.  I love this artist.”  This was in response to Xu Zhen’s incredible work at Long March Space.

“Snazzy display” was apparently what a fair-goer thought as they walked out of Frith Street Gallery‘s booth.

Gagosian resorted to exhibiting their prized artist Richard Prince.  “He’s mimicking or making fun of Instagram.” Eh, sort of but not quite.

“Are they models?  Why is his shirt open?  Are his abs real or that supposed to be art?” Yes, there were two beautiful people, a man and a woman, strutting down the aisles handing out gold envelopes to every gallery.  The woman had long blonde hair and wore nude pumps and a tight nude colored dress (and her hind side was popping).  The gentleman with her wore shorts, Tims and had an open buttoned down shirt, exposing some beautiful abs. And while I would like to believe that the gold envelopes they were handing out were special invites to a night rave or an inclusive party, they were really just notifying gallery’s of the shipping and storage company they work for… lame.  But hey, great way to grab a gallery’s attention.

“Is it real?”

Frank Benson’s Human Statue at Andrew Krepps Gallery was one of the most interesting works at the fair, merely for its sheer illusionary craftsmanship.  A sculpture of a naked man looked so real that every single person to come in view of it stood there contemplating it’s authenticity, wondering if it was truly a human or a statue.  Also, this picture is definitely a must see if you want a piece of human statue and New York Magazine Senior Art Critic Jerry Saltz.

“I wanna take a picture of that.  That’s the best piece of art,”  referencing Dan Rees’s Artex Painting at MOT International London. Best piece of art is a bit of a stretch for a canvas that looked like an unfinished mess of paint.

“Is that the name of your driver?”

U-Ram Choe’s electronic works at Hyundai Gallery forced a lot of viewers to remember the mechanic installation.

“Check out this video.” “So good.”

Here are some other works found throughout the show.