I originally planned on attending Frieze NYC 2020 and having my wedding dress fitting at Kleinfeld’s today. Shout out to COVID-19 for cancelling both.
Frieze, unlike my dress fitting, has moved entirely online. I spent the day checking out the 200+ viewing rooms and collecting artist/gallery data. Although I won’t miss the pomp, the unyielding stares from attendees and the gallery girls with their sophisticated ennui, I will miss appreciating the scale and emotion of seeing an artwork in person. Online viewing rooms *cough* websites, can never replace the raw emotion experienced when connecting with a new artwork or artist – however, it does make it easier to collect data.
The fair is split into several sections: Main, Focus, Frame, Spotlight, etc. Instead of starting the in Main section where are all of the ‘powerhouse’ galleries are showing, I began in Focus. These 35 galleries are less than 15 years old and tend to represent the up-and-coming contemporary artists of today. Below are my 12 favorite artists from the Focus collection
Of the 128 artists and 633 artworks featured in Focus, a surprising 54% are women! There are 12 solo shows split 50/50 with men and women artists. Out of my top 12 favorites, eight of the below arts are also women.
1) Eliza Douglas – Overduin & Co.
Eliza Douglas is an American painter and model who lives and works in Frankfurt, Germany and New York City. I first saw her bold, playful paintings at Frieze LA 2020 and their commanding presence, with huge swaths of negative space, drew me in. Her work dances on the line between abstract, figuration and graphic design, but just exudes a cooler than you, Balenciaga vibe.
2) Jesse Mockrin – Night Gallery
Jesse Mockrin is a Los Angeles based painter whose work is inspired by Renaissance and Rococo figuration – but with a playful twist, bold presentation, and blurred gender lines. She recently painted a Caravaggio inspired portrait of Billie Eilish for Vogue.
3) Ruby Sky Stiler – Nichelle Beauchene Gallery
Ruby Sky Stiler ‘s sculptures and reliefs evoke classical architecture and figuration with a cubist, monochromatic (almost mid-century mod) twist. She utilizes foam core, acrylic resin, plaster, paper, and graphite – often incorporating discarded, found elements in her studio.
4) Nikki S. Lee – One And J. Gallery
Nikki S. Lee is a contemporary Korean artist best known for her self-portrait photographs and videos of American subcultures. Some images are captured by strangers on disposable cameras – this image is from The Ohio Project.
5) Arghavan Khosravi – Rachel Uffner Gallery
Arghavan Khosravi is an Iran-born painter who creates gorgeous, surrealist scenes, typically on found textiles, that blend Persian motifs and contemporary iconography. She states that she is “deeply connected to her own personal experience of the culture and politics of her homeland of Iran that probe both personal and political experiences.”
6) Kapwani Kiwanga – Jérôme Poggi
I had a difficult time picking a favorite from Kiwanga’s still life, photography series. They were produced as a part of a sculpture exhibition but have the ability to stand on their own. The objects, blinds, curtains, and windows are meant to emphasize seeing/obscuring.
7) Jung Lee – One and J. Gallery
Jung Lee is a photographer based in Seoul, Korea best known for her neon phrases in dream like landscapes. She repurposes cliche statements and motifs from Roland Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse.
8) Chen Ching-Yuan – Mor Charpeniter
Chen Ching-Yuan is an artist based in Taipei, Taiwan that captures historical and cultural literature and myths in his paintings. This piece is part of the Card Stunt series, inspired by performances from North Korea at sports and political events. Members of the public follow, in a specific order, the presentation of large colored cardboards to form a singular image (associated with propaganda and authoritarian ideology). His work reminds me of Picasso’s Rose Period.
9) Giulia Cenci – SpazioA
Giulia Cenci‘s surreal, suspended sculptures create a sense of movement in the inanimate. She transforms the materials into muscles, bones, and tendons in a gestural metamorphosis.
10) Claudio Parmiggiani – Meessen de Clercq
Parmiggiani’s is an Italian artist who concentrates his practice on the themes of memory, absence, silence and the spiritual. This piece was created with a technique that the artist calls “Delocazione” (displacement) – where he places elements – books, flasks, butterflies – against a white-painted wooden panel, then lights a fire in front of it. When the fire is extinguished and the objects removed, the elements appear as a print of dust or ashes.
11) Akira Ikezoe – Proyectos Ultravioleta
Akira Ikezoe is a New York based, Japanese-born artist who uses the ‘coconut head’ as his alter ego. His work is half-instruction manual, half-futuristic satire in a flat, mixed media presentation. I love this piece that comments on the destruction of natural environments and lack of sustainable practices surrounding art exhibitions.
12) Xu Zhen – MadeIn
I originally saw Xu Zhen‘s work at Frieze LA 2020 and I was enticed by the delicious, icing-like sculptures. This piece is a perfect example as to why online viewing rooms are challenging – the initial photo did not show the human figure for scale. This piece comes in at a whopping 102″x 98″ and would be much more impactful in person.
Thank you for reading! More to come from the Main Galleries in the next few days.
