May 4, 2018 | Lifestyle
Spring has sprung and has thawed us out just in time for Frieze. This iconic New York iteration of the London based art fair takes place every year on Randall's Island. Housed under a magnificent white tent, the fair welcomes over 1,000 leading artists from around the globe and many notable New York restaurants. A great way to spend the day perusing the works of various artists, the fair will not disappoint. Below, we discuss 7 of our favorite pieces from this year.
Brazilian artist Artur Lescher showcases suspended sculptures at his booth, majestically exploring material properties and how they interact in the space. Each suspended piece is an individual work but also, each sculpture relates to the other in light and space. Using wood, brass, and stone, the artist manipulates materials so much that they become unrecognizable from their original state.
Robert Therrien is known for manipulating everyday objects and their scale. Here, Therrien has created a giant folding table and chairs allowing viewers to have a real Honey I Shrunk the Kids moment. Once you are immersed in his work, the identity of the folding table and chairs is lost and the experience becomes more powerful.
Liu Shiyuan grew up during the recent cultural and technological modernization of China. Her work reflects the change and the identity confusion it caused. Her work combines various materials that weave together to create the narrative of an identity. Throughout her multimedia collages she features her own life, pop culture, and technology.
Lara Schnither works with textiles to promote women’s social issues. Designed to be taken-in with a literal hands-in approach, she invites viewers to touch and feel her craftsmanship, and even leave their own mark in the sequin tapestry. Schnither wants to create an interaction between her work and the viewer.
Dario Villalba, a Spanish artist in his 70s, spent his early life in Philadelphia during the time his father served as Spanish Consulate. His work takes difficult images and recreates them using paint, newspapers, and other mediums. He wants viewers to be challenged by images that explore the complexity of social issues like death and murder. Villalba's work at Frieze marks the first time he has been shown in America in nearly 20 years.
Anime meets pop art in the works of Takashi Murakami. Murakami has been at the for front of Japanese art for the last decade, mixing color and characters. An iconic contemporary artist, you are sure to be uplifted by Murakami, and his instantiation by Gigosian does just that.
As always, Alex Da Corte's work radiates cool. The greatest art export Philadelphia has right now, Corte captivates viewers at Frieze with pieces like this, which cleverly depicts John Lennon and Yoko Ono kissing. As with most of his work, he uses vibrant colors that remind us of the 70's. Even with the vibrancy of the work, a dark energy that comes from the subject matter of the work, but is enchanting to the viewer none the less.
