- Venue
- Frieze Art Fair 2010
- Location
We like what we are; whether we admit it or not. Many artists at the Frieze Art Fair appeared to be playing on that fact this year with their use of reflective surfaces namely, mirrors. It seemed every other stand the viewer was faced with himself; be it Lee Bul’s work which appears to be an unravelled disco ball (Untitled – 2010, Lehmann Maupin), Patrick Hill’s ‘Hollywood Forever – 2008’ (The Approach) 2 sheets of reflective acrylic, set in a concrete slab or Jeppe Hein’s ‘Mirror Wall’ (Galleri Nicolai Wallner) which greeted the visitor upon entrance to the fair; mentioning just three. Not only do many of these mirrored works make the audience observe itself, they make it interact with the work and, in this sense, it’s almost as if a new work is created with the gestures the viewer makes in front of the artworks; a performance piece. Many visitors could be observed spending a prolonged amount of time regarding their own reflection. Maybe these artists are simply making us take a closer look at ourselves and/or society in general? Maybe it’s a selling tactic, prospective buyers falling for themselves?
Ubiquitous reflective surfaces aside; the fair was conspicuous by the sheer variety of other works available to view and purchase; from the installations of ‘Frozen’ by Simon Fujiwara at various ‘dig’ sites throughout the fair and the reading room created by Shannon Ebner & Dexter Sinister, to the solo exhibition of David Shrigley’s work shown by Stephen Friedman Gallery which drew in the crowds with its humorous text and line drawings caged within 3 metre high steel bars and accessed through a tiny door. There was so much to see and there will have been something to suit everyone’s taste somewhere, they just had to find it. Arguably most comfortable of all the stands was Sadie Coles, which won Frieze At Fair Stand Prize. The space felt welcoming and homely with Ugo Rondinone’s fireplace cast in bronze and John Currin’s floral still-lifes alongside several Sarah Lucas sculptures, one of which shared its plinth with a dying fly, prompting the comment from one viewer; “it makes it more interesting!”
Interestingly, one of the standout pieces had to be ‘A Relaxed Affair’ by Edwin Burdis of Max Wigram Gallery, London. A swiftly painted sheet of newspaper, dated 12 October 2010, held up by a similarly speedily painted 2 by 2 length of timber; it was instantly disappointing at how quickly it had obviously been put together but after a minute or so the immediacy of the work became a joy to behold, it had presence, felt current and truly made sense.
Another highlight was Annika Strom’s ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’; though they looked more confused than embarrassed it was still amusing to watch ten identically dressed men looking rather unsure of themselves and utterly out of place. Fun appeared to be a key element of the fair this year, fun and involvement. Though the commercial galleries were naturally taking their role seriously, it seemed many of the artists weren’t so much this year. Frieze 2010 felt bigger, better and brighter than the previous year whilst being entertaining and informative. The art was largely accessible to all and there were many visual delights; an excellent achievement in such testing financial times.
