Colorful Highlights From Frieze New York 2020 Online
Selections from the 200 virtual presentations that comprise the first-ever Frieze Viewing Room
Jokes abound that “virtual viewing rooms” equate to nothing more than glorified websites and though there’s some truth to that, a recent Jean Jullien exhibit proved that galleries and artists can do great things together online. With that in mind, Frieze New York lifts the veil from its free web platform (and app) today—appropriately titled Frieze Viewing Room—and offers much to be excited about. First, one will find unprecedented advancement in access—as easy as registering, logging in and exploring. Second, inspiration—with a technological boost—exists after every click.
Roughly 200 virtual spaces represent what would have been on the walls of the fair. To support these “rooms,” Frieze employs augmented reality technology that allows users to view the works available at each gallery to-scale on the walls of their own home. Viewers will also be able to watch the video art on offer. Without lines or crowds (though, noticeably without the tactile sensory details of the in-person experience), one can stroll from installation to exhibition. Frieze New York director Loring Randolph even offers a guide. Once again, special programming stands out, along with several captivating, cohesive presentations (and even a first-ever immersive VR experience from Bjarne Melgaard). But, we also recommend that you rummage through it all to find your own highlights.
Collective Design x Frieze New York
A milestone partnership with Collective Design, representing Frieze’s first commitment to the category, Color and Production: From the Atom to the Void features over 70 unexpected, shoppable works that trace the development of color in design. London-based gallerist Libby Sellers curated the selection, which notes the shift from natural colors to those born from technology and industry. It’s an extraordinary study—at times beautiful and often eccentric.
Kelly Akashi, Neïl Beloufa, Marius Bercea, Sharif Farrag, Christine Sun Kim and Kathleen Ryan at François Ghebaly
Uniting the work of Kelly Akashi, Neïl Beloufa, Marius Bercea, Sharif Farrag, Christine Sun Kim and Kathleen Ryan, LA’s François Ghebaly presents diverse pieces from numerous voices and across many mediums. From works of oil on canvas to synthetic leather on wood, each inclusion marks an indelible expression from its artist. Altogether, it’s an exciting indicator of contemporary art produced in 2020. Be sure to find Kathleen Ryan‘s meticulous “Bad Lemon (Waning Moon)” sculpture.
Katharina Grosse at Gagosian
Open to the public on Gagosian’s website starting 6 May at 10AM EDT, as well as in the gallery’s Frieze Viewing Room, are nine new acrylic-on-paper works and four aluminum sculptures from Katharina Grosse. Each, a study on color itself, mesmerizes. Part of the proceeds of sales from two of the pieces (including the one picture above) will go toward Human Rights Watch. At the same time as Frieze New York, Gagosian’s Online Viewing Room, hosted exclusively through their website, features one single, explosive painting, from 2001, by Cecily Brown.
Andy Goldsworthy at Galerie Lelong & Co
Several recent photographs and films created by artist Andy Goldsworthy near his home and studio in Scotland comprise Galerie Lelong & Co‘s virtual exhibition for Frieze. According to the gallery, this “presentation demonstrates Goldsworthy’s active engagement with his ephemeral work practice” and it’s really just a tease surrounding Goldsworthy’s monumental piece for Frieze Sculpture, which will be installed at Rockefeller Center at some point in the future. Galerie Lelong & Co, in collaboration with Marc Selwyn Fine Art of Beverly Hills, also presents a solo show of sculptural book works by Michelle Stuart.
Han Bing, Paul Heyer, Jesse Mockrin, and Brie Ruais at Night Gallery
LA’s Night Gallery unifies their Frieze New York presentation around the concept of historical revisionism. Through new artworks by Han Bing, Paul Heyer, Jesse Mockrin, and Brie Ruais, they aim to dismantle preconceptions and provoke thought. The work approaches these depths differently—sharp colors, clashing forms, sometimes with force and sometimes in more subtle manners.
Merike Estna, Kris Lemsalu and Kaarel Kurismaa at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery
Sculptural and painted works by the artists Merike Estna, Kris Lemsalu and Kaarel Kurismaa come together for Estonian gallery Temnikova & Kasela’s Frieze presentation. Further, the institution presents two videos that aim to introduce the unfamiliar to Estna’s and Kurismaa’s practice. Lemsalu, who spearheaded the Estonian Pavilion at the last Venice Bienniale, does not disappoint.
Florian Meisenberg at Simone Subal Gallery
German visual artist Florian Meisenberg intended to construct a site-specific, artificial ecosystem that “paid homage to New York both as an urban space and an intellectual center” for Frieze—”oriented around a back-lit circular painting that had a sun-like glow.” With its shift online, Simone Subal Gallery now showcases Meisenberg’s complex paintings which address the apt theme of the analog-digital divide.
Frieze Viewing Room is open 8-15 May, with an invitation-only preview 6-7 May.
Hero image of “Untitled” (2017) © Katharina Grosse und VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, photo by Jens Ziehe, courtesy of Gagosian
