Frieze Art Fair opened on May 3rd to a VIP and press audience on Randall’s Island. The fair showcases contemporary art galleries from all over the world and is a tour de force when it comes to art fairs. Randall’s Island is a destination and not the easiest place to get to, but since we in New York have finally been blessed with warmer temperatures, it is well worth the trip. There is a ferry service that leaves from 35th Street on the East River, while bus service and cars are always an option. Luckily, once on the island, signage directing visitors towards the massive tents are quite visible and easy to follow. This year, the buzz is that the fair was incredibly hot during the preview. Luckily, I arrived later in the afternoon just in time to miss the deluge.  I toured the vast interior looking for art that felt important, was visually appealing and is something that I’d live with. For years, I’ve done Top Picks for Eyes Towards the Dove, and for those of you who have followed this journey, will recognize my taste in these choices as well as my thirst for distillation in the work itself and installation. When overtly stimulated with visual information, I prefer galleries who choose work that is aesthetically pleasing without being overwhelming. Keep an eye out for the works and gallery booths below during your visit. Depending on when attending, they may or may not be on view as it is customary for galleries to rotate out works that sell and replace them with other options, usually from the same artist.

Art fairs in New York (and elsewhere for that matter) are an explosion of energy, where friends meet, outfits are compared and art is acquired. I highly recommend attending Frieze New York, whether with the intention of buying or just admiring the works on view, there is something for the contemporary art expert as well as the novice.

Happy looking!

CASTELLI GALLERY

DIANA KINGSLEY, AFTERLIFE (2011), LAMBDA PRINT, EDITION OF 5

Kingley’s photograph was hanging above a doorway, several feet above eye-level. It caught my attention because it is so simple, formal and painterly. The gallery told me she is one of the youngest in their stable. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

ANDREW KREPS GALLERY

ROE ETHRIDGE, TEDDY WITH I-PHONE (2018) DYE SUBLIMATION PRINT ON DIBOND

I love the way that Roe Ethridge looks at the world. This piece in particular is so dreamy. It feels like it’s a throw-back from Dynasty but made today. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

XAVIER HUFKENS

TRACEY EMIN, THIS IS LIFE WITHOUT YOU –YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE THIS (2018), ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

Tracey Emin is an artist who is raw and vulnerable, inviting the gaze of those who are near. This piece, and the title, is so strong. It is so deeply connected to the canon of abstract painting but is sexy and nostalgic, the title referencing yesterday and today.

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

MARY MARY

JESSE WINE, INSTALLATION VIEW OF CERAMIC & MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURE (ALL 2018)

I wasn’t familiar with this artist or gallery. The series of ceramics is so strange but engaging, the distortion of the body in the piece in foreground is so inviting, the pose giving the shape a sense of gravity and elegant humor. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

DAVID ZWIRNER GALLERY

JOSH SMITH, INSTALLATION VIEW, SERIES OF OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS FEATURING THE GRIM REAPER, 2018

Smith was recently signed by David Zwirner and this series marks his fair début with the gallery. The work is subjectively dark, but through his use of bright colors, obsequiously playful.

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

KARMA

ALEX DA CORTE, LOW MOON RISING (2018), WOOD FRAMES, PLEXIGLASS, SPRAY PAINT, VINYL FILM,DIGITALLY PRINTED POPLIN,  SEQUINS PINS, FOAM, VELVET, HARDWARE

Alex Da Corte is a star with a very specific aesthetic, color palette and graphic quality to his work. This diptych is so odd, appearing at first glance to be from the 1960s, the silhouette of plastic vampire teeth (a favorite reference of mine) functions like a time machine, bringing into 2018. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

CHÂTEAU SHATTO

VAN HANOS, A SERIES OF PAINTINGS MADE FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN QUICK SEQUENCE (2018)

These paintings caught my attention because they are skillfully made and capture a sequencing of movement. Plus, the artist painted a series of doves (three on view, seven in total) and the dove, is obviously one of the most important symbols in Renaissance art, as well as a visual source for Eyes Towards the Dove. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

VAN HANOS (2018)

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

LISSON GALLERY 

RYAN GANDER, I BE…(XX), 2017, ANTIQUE MIRROR, MARBLE, RESIN

Ryan Gander is one of my favorite artists. He is someone who makes work that is timely and self referential while also nodding towards the past. I’ve seen work from this mirrored series before at Lisson Gallery, he uses marble dust and molds to build out the fabric. There is an apparent lightness in the weight, fallacy in the elegance. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

COOPER COLE GALLERY

TAU LEWIS, MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURAL INSTALLATION, 2018

Tau Lewis’ installation is creepy as it is comforting. The fantastical figures are at first glance otherworldly but appear right at home. I had the instinct to sit and hang out with them for a bit, frozen from another time. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

GALLERIA LORCAN O’NEILL ROMA

FRANCESCO CLEMENTE (UNTITLED ON LABEL, 2018)

Initially, I saw this piece and looked away. It wasn’t until my friend Onyedika Chuke introduced me to the gallerist, allowing a second glance and relaying the fact that it is a 2018, Francesco Clemente painting. This sparked my interest as it is so different, both topically and thematically for the artist that I realized it was a painting worth mentioning. Clemente known for his distorted, gangly figures with large, voluminous eyes, here obscures the faces, identity and definition in favor of a looser hand and classically biblical subject. 

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

Photograph by Katy Hamer, Frieze Art Fair, NY, 2018

 

ADDITIONAL PICKS:

Randall’s Island, Opening Hours
Wednesday Preview, May 2: first access 10am – 7pm (invitation only)
Thursday Preview, May 3: 11am – 8pm
Thursday Private View, May 3: 5pm – 8pm
Friday, May 4: 11am – 7pm
Saturday, May 5: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, May 6: 11am – 6pm

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Katy Diamond Hamer is the Founding Editor of Eyes Towards the Dove a platform on contemporary art and culture. She writes for several print and online publications and has done public speaking on numerous occasions. For more of her writing and art life travels, follow her on Instagram @katyhamer