Frieze Art Fair, London - 2021
The leading platform for modern and contemporary art, Frieze sets up home in London’s iconic Regents Park for the 2021 edition of its inspiring art fair, alongside its Frieze Masters outpost.
Frieze has long been a leading platform for modern and contemporary art, its portfolio expanding across publications, galleries and art fairs in the UK and internationally. Setting up home once again in Regents Park, I had the great privilege of visiting the fair to discover inspirational works from their 159 exhibitors. See highlights, stand-out work and personal favourites below.
The Modern Institue, Glasgow
Founded in Glasgow in 1997, The Modern Institute works with 45 internationally established and emerging artists. The stand immediately caught attention with its colourful and surreal works, including Jesse Wine’s ‘Presently’, 2021, a ceramic, paint and copper powder sculpture presented in an abstract formation of hands and feet reaching out into the air. Behind, Julia Chiang’s ‘Sneaky Squall’, 2021 lured the eye with its vibrant red wave of brushstrokes on a circular canvas.
Matthew Marks Gallery, New York / Los Angeles
Originally founded in New York, Matthew Marks Gallery represents thirty-three artists of different generations working in various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking. Greeting guests at the entrance to the stand was one of Alex da Corte’s neon window artworks. The artist often draws inspiration from everyday life and consumer culture, showcasing familiarity in unique and creative ways. Peter Cain’s ‘Prelude #3’, 1990 also adapts the familiar, in this case, a car, into a distorted, hallucinatory form that reminds one of American automobile adverts, showcasing the glamour of the ride.
Alison Jacques, London
London-based gallery Alison Jacques showcased a diverse range of works in various mediums, from textiles and photography to canvas and sculpture. Having covered the colourful textile pieces by Sheila Hicks in several other shows, I was thrilled to see the presentation of ‘Treasured Moments’ at this year's Frieze. The patterns, colours and tactile qualities of these designs are candy for the eyes. Other works to note include those from Hannah Wilke. As a radical feminist artist working in drawing, sculpture, performance, photography and video, Wilke challenged dialogues around art and gender, questioning prevailing cultural notions about women and female sexuality.
Instituto de Visión, Bogotá
For this year’s edition, Instituto de Visión exhibited the works of Mazenett & Quiroga and Vanessa Da Silva – two very different styles and mediums that beautifully complement one another. Brazilian sculptor and artist Vanessa Da Silva’s ‘Inner Landscapes’ collection filled the centre of the stand with colourful abstract formations. Da Silva’s taking interest in the space between nationalities and the complicated borders where identities and cultures mix and meet, where divergent and conflicting ideas cohabit. Gracing the walls was ‘Hollow Sky’, a series of paintings by Mazenett & Quiroga that originates from their interest and curiosity for cartographic projections – the science and practice of drawing maps and representing the Earth in this medium.
Thomas Dane Gallery, London / Naples
A range of works from artists and creators past and present. The stand also included the striking black, yellow and red ‘Sunrise’, 2007 by Philip King, in memoriam to the British sculptor, who sadly passed away this year. Other works of note include ‘Kentucky (Partridge)’, 2021 by Alexandre da Chnha - a highly tactile piece created from cleaning mops, dyed to produce a beautiful colourway and texture.
Société, Berlin
Berlin-based gallery Société revealed a fun, playful side to the fair, showcasing a range of vibrant, eye-catching works, including a large-scale self-portrait and an iconic Neopet sculpture by Bunny Rogers, NFT works by Timur Si-Qin and mesmerising video works by Petre Cortright, an artist and creator that is taking on digital media by storm.
Sean Kelly, New York
With galleries in New York and Los Angeles, Sean Kelly took tactility to new levels with their beautiful curation of sculptures and artworks. This selection of creations by the gallery for this year’s fair features some of the younger artists they represent with a focus on their commitment to connoisseurship and aesthetic diversity. Works of note include the large glacial erratic rock sculpture at the entrance to the stand ‘Not All Who Wander Art Lost’, 2021 by Julian Charrière and the illusionary modern sculpture ‘Untitled’ 2021 by Jose Dávila, a blue rock appearing to interrupt the cubed form of a manufactured concrete column.
For more information on Frieze, its art fairs and other events and programmes, click on the link to visit their official website: https://www.frieze.com/