10 Must-See Booths at Frieze New York
Sporting a sleek revamp courtesy of Universal Design Studio, Frieze New York is officially open to the public. With over 190 participating galleries from 30 countries, the fair’s 2018 edition presents a striking and expansive breadth of international artworks by household names and burgeoning talents alike. Below are only a selection of the many highlights awaiting visitors to Randall’s Island.
Jhaveri Contemporary
Spotlight gallery Jhaveri Contemporary presents a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Mohan Samant. The Bombay-born modern artist drew inspiration from ancient art forms and 20th-century figures including Pablo Picasso and Jean Dubuffet, his intricate work a unique amalgamation of styles old and new. The Mumbai-based gallery’s decision to feature this important though little-known Indian artist landed it the coveted Frieze Stand Prize.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiRfAXTlGWb/?hl=en&taken-by=jhavericontemporary
Pace
With prime real estate just beyond the tent’s north entrance, Pace’s 2018 showcase is exclusively dedicated to the exhibition of iPhone and iPad drawings by David Hockney. Technicolor self-portraits and still-lifes inhabit the North America-, Asia-, and Europe-based gallery’s spacious booth; and when you’ve exhausted the fair (but not Hockney’s work), you can head over to Pace’s 25th street location in Chelsea, where David Hockney: Something New in Painting (and Photography) [and even Printing], is on view until May 12.
Mary Mary
Glaswegian gallery Mary Mary returns with a showcase of sculpted works by the British artist Jesse Wine. With a nod to modern masters including Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti, Wine casts abstract figures and distorted vessels in glazed ceramic so that they appear imperfect and worn. Based in London and gaining traction worldwide, Wine’s practice merges homage to the greats with his own brand of creativity and humor.
303 Gallery
Doug Aitken’s Jungle Plane and his blinking neon Eclipse (countdown) attract passersby to the 303 Gallery booth, where an eclectic showcase of visual delights are on display. Mary Heilmann’s warm and abstract painted diptych Pink Crush juxtaposes with Alicja Kwade’s minimalist metal sculpture titled Reality Zones; while Sue Williams’s Hover—loud and vibrant like a Kandinsky—offsets Marina Pinsky’s monochromatic gelatin silver print, Creeper.
Kaikai Kiki
Japanese art superstar Takashi Murakami’s Tokyo- and Long Island City-based art space owns booth A11 with an arresting and polychromatic mix of graffiti, anime, and Superflat aesthetics that will stop you in your tracks. Canvases by the street artist Diego lend the booth’s interior a graffitied quality among artworks by the Japanese artists MADSAKI, Tenga, and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiSonqoAwO6/?hl=en&taken-by=kaikaikikigallery
Stephen Friedman Gallery
London’s Stephen Friedman Gallery features a colorful showcase of artworks at booth A25, with a winged, globe-headed, Batik-adorning sculpture by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE (arguably) stealing this show. Shonibare’s cupid-like figure shares the space with works by American portraitist Kehinde Wiley and English draughtsman and painter David Shrigley, among several others.
Daniel Blau
German gallery Daniel Blau has chosen to focus their booth entirely on Andy Warhol’s pre-Factory drawings. Sketched during the mega-artist’s days as a commercial illustrator, Warhol’s mid-century artworks precede his Pop art silkscreens and remain relatively unknown—namely because they were practically forgotten after the Andy Warhol Foundation took inventory nearly 30 years ago. Daniel Blau’s showcase offers a rare glimpse into Warhol’s talents as a draughtsman before his so-called 15 minutes of fame.
Xavier Hufkens
Belgian gallery Xavier Hufkens presents a selection of arresting paintings by the controversial British artist Tracey Emin. Incorporating stylistic elements from Cy Twombly and Louise Bourgeois, Emin’s paintings are visceral confessions. The blood-red massacre on canvas titled I Never Asked to Fall In Love — You made me Feel like This is a certain booth highlight.
P.P.O.W.
For P.P.O.W.’s booth, ceramicist Ann Agee has forged the shoe collection of a lifetime. These small, sculpted shoes, playfully titled Hand Warmers en masse, are displayed on a wide plinth—loafers, platforms, and mules alike. Some of Agee’s Hand Warmers are exquisitely detailed, while others are left in their primal state as chunky, half sculpted blocks.
Gagosian
Takashi Murakami’s welcoming trio greets visitors to the Gagosian booth, where a solo exhibition of the Japanese artist’s work is on view. Three life-sized anime-like women stand at the foreground of a bright pink triptych titled Rose Milk, serving as ideal fodder for your Instagram. Gagosian’s stall at FYI6 is part of Frieze’s new themed section “For Your Infotainment,” which spotlights artists who rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s.
Frieze New York will run until May 6, 2018 on Randall’s Island, New York, NY.