London Art Fair 2012

Susan MacMurray

Animus, 2011

agnew's Gallery

LONDON ART FAIR

Preview evening 2012

One could feel the excitement when one walked into the London Art Fair preview on Tuesday night.

But, as soon as the champagne was gone, the drop of enthusiasm lowered quite dramatically and I could hear desperate moans "Where is the booze?" or see people eyeing longingly at the ones who still had a glass with bobbles in it.

But, the London Art Fair shouldn't be about getting a glass of wine or not, a pity then that there was nothing one could buy either. More signs of a dooming recession?

The Business design Center is a great building for the Art Fair, first of all it's London's first Carbon Neutral venue. But, originally it was built in 1861 as The Agricultural Hall with an amazing barrel vaulted roof. There were about 100 galleries exhibiting in this fair, that is on its 24th year.

Some of the highlights are bellow:

Susan MacMurry

After Flock, 2011

agnew's Gallery

Damien Hirst

Death or Glory Hazy Gold/ Europen Gold Glorious Skull 2011

Biggs + Collings

The Toil of our Hands, 2011

Vigo Gallery

Chris Offili

Untitled, Yellow 1997

Crane Kalman Gallery

Jonathan Huxley

Flight, 2010

Crane Kalman Gallery

Me and Jonathan Huxley

Talking to Jonathan about his art work we discovered something funny, earlier this month I got stranded in Frankfurt overnight since the flight back to London got cancelled. Having to stay at the Sheraton I could not overlook the immense painting at their entrance looking very similar to Huxley's work. I therefore asked Jonathan if by any chance he had been commissioned to do a painting at the Sheraton in Frankfurt, and bingo it was him:)

Veronica Bailey

Dementer (Goddess of agriculture, nature and the seasons)

2010

Helen Sear

Sightlines, 2011

Jeffrey Blondes

Real time high definition film 52 hour loops, edition of & 7

Lars Elling

Vigo Gallery

Karen Nicol

Thread Bear

Rebecca Hossack Gallery

Mike Speller

Buy 1 get 10 free, Aug 2011

Woolf Gallery

Ackroyd & Harvey

Shoal, 2011

Sea bream skeleton, alum crystals, perspex case

The exciting part of this piece is how after the fish bone has been placed in a hot chemical solution and it cools down the crystals form and attach themselves to the bone.

Juz Kitson

Sacred Milk or Mother

Comodaa Gallery

"I have an interest in ever so slightly repulsing the viewer at first experience. They are unsettled. This uneasiness then turns into wonder and in a later stage, fascination."

       - Juz Kitson

Siro

Fertility I

Ink, resin and oil on paper

arteredgallery

Tamzin Plummer

Proprioception (series)

Tamzin Plummer is one of the 40 Artists that has been picked for the Caitlin Guide this year.

A guide that profiles the most talented recent graduates from UK art Schools.

Nancy Fouts

The other wall Gallery

This last piece was not shown at the fair, but a Galerist from the Other Wall Gallery introduced me to it and it gave me a kick. What a timely piece, humorous and horrifying at the same time.

With Love 

Kristin

Frieze 2011

Elmgreen & Dragset

The Fruit of Knowledge, 2011

Books, metal stand, bronze, silicon, buffalo hair

Courtesy Victoria Miro Gallery, © The Artist

FRIEZE

London 2011

It is London's ART week of the year and it has been packed with events from Philips de Pury's, The Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4's "The Future can wait". To the rather rock concert looking opening of the largest European commercial art space, The White Cube in Bermondsey. 

Yesterday was the private view opening of the Frieze in Regents Park, followed by the happening Vanity Fair party at Christie's.

The word is out that what is being shown at Frieze this year is carefully selected, the quality is high and quite many unfamiliar names are being shown together with the usual money hit makers.

Barnaby Hosking

Thoughts (Butterflies) 10, 2011

brass butterfly sculpture installation; 12 pieces

various dimensions

Max Wigram Gallery

The simple effects of these brass butterfly wings and their shadows, made me once again stop at a Barnaby Hosking piece (another piece by the same artist is being auctioned by Phillips de Pury this week) . A young artist that is quickly turning into a familiar name.

FOS

Nothing Disappears Only Our Amnesia Arises, 2004

Mixed media: wood, aluminium and birds

Max Wigram Gallery

Perhaps not the best image of the lively birdcage sculpture, but fascinating it is. Anything caged often has a cringing effect, but at the same time being caged these days could actually mean survival. 

Franz West

Gagosian

Late last night when I was on my way home from the Vanity Fair Party, I was reading a post by Artinfo saying that the sale at the Frieze was sparse... That post might have been written too soon. Yes, there was perhaps no buying frenzy but a lot of the good pieces was taken quite quickly. 

What I did see related to recession was perhaps the use of phallic symbols, and that could possibly be seen as a reaction to men's vulnerability when jobs are sparse? Funny enough bananas was a repeat object as well. This large sculpture by Franz West was sold quite early... 

Paul McCarthy (b.1945)

Steven and the Big Leg, 2008

oil clay, fiberglass, polyurethane foam, resin, wood, steel, bucket.

Hauser & Wirth

Martha Friedman

Cucumber, 2003, 2011

Plexiglass, polyurethane, paint, steel

Wallspace (N.Y.)

The rather long... cucumber piece is quite amusing. Here with the Wallspace gallerists and Art consultant Pier Vegner Tosta. 

A piece that was creating quite a buzz at the fair was the sale of a luxury yacht by the artist Christian Jankowski. It is offered for £60m as a yacht and £75m as an art piece authenticated by the artist. Is this a prank? A gut hitting over the top stunt to show the world how some can throw their money where their appetite lays? I am going to believe that, until I see if it will be sold or not.

Henrik Olesen

Gallery Daniel Bucholz (Berlin, Cologne)

Tacita Dean

Blackboard paint, fibre-based print mounted on paper

Frith Street Gallery

The world is watching Tacita Dean these days, especially with her film addition to the Unilever series at the Tate Modern. She won the Hugo Boss prize in 2006 which is one of my favorite prizes. How I miss the exhibits that the Guggenheim was throwing for the nominated years ago in Soho. Now the space has turned into the infamous Prada store and the Hugo Boss prize is only presenting the winner.

Elmgreen & Dragset

Steel, wood, dummy in latex, shoes, blackboard, jewels

Untitled (unique), 2011

I am turning into a great fan of the Elmgreen & Dragset duo (Norwegian and Danish). They continue to amuse and surprise and at the same time bringing serious issues to the forefront.

Ken Okiishi

Alex Zachary (New York)

Alex Zachary's booth was filled with these swinging Zebra umbrellas.

Grayson Perry

Map of Truths and Beliefs, 2011

Wool and cotton tapestry woven by Flanders Tapestries from files prepared at Factum Arte

Courtesy Victoria Miro Gallery, © The Artist

Grayson Perry's tapestry was were my heart went at this fair, I could look at this for hours. It is exquisite and thought provoking. The piece made me look forward to viewing his exhibit "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman" that is currently at the British Museum (it opened the 6th of October and runs until 19th of February (2012).

Frieze

With Love

Kristin

PINTA

Cecilia Paredes (Peru)

Armadillo, 2001

Blanca Berlin Galeria 

(Madrid)

PINTA

The Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art Show

Preview Evening, London 

Yesterday, I jumped at the opportunity of going to the Pinta Preview Evening at the Earls Court Exhibition Center. This is the second fair they are holding in London, but it has been going on in New York for about 5 years. The pulsating Art environment in Latin America these days are smiting itself into our consciousness and I am trying to follow it closely.

Sao Paulo, I think will be a new Art Capital, competing on good terms with Berlin, London and New York. The Brazilian economy is faring pretty well these days and they are spending money on ART!

Abraham Palatnik

Nara Rosler Galeria

(Sao Paulo)

Laura Vinci

Nara Roesler Galeria

(Sao Paulo)

Liliana Porter (Argentinian)

Green Bird, 2007

Galeria espacio Minimo

(Madrid)

Pedro Tyler (Uruguayan living in Chile)

Aninat Isabel Galeria 

(Santiago)

Pedro Tyler

"My Country is the Whole World"

Colectivo Aninat & Swinburn

Colectivo Aninat & Swinburn

Galeria Isabel Aninat

(Santiago)

Rivane Neuenschwander

Prosopopeia, 2010

Galeria Fortes Vilaca

(Sao Paulo)

Rivane Neuenschwander

"Prosopopeia 2010 is an installation consisting of four tables on which the artist has designed and set out a series of word games made from organic and edible materials... Dehydrated and peeled oranges become giant alphabet letters and can be arranged into aluminum bowls; coconut soap bars have letters carved out, filled with pepper and beet root powder and arranged like a scrabble set; screen printed letters on wood can be dug into channels of pepper powder and hollow eggs reveal secret letters that are exposed only by offering them up to a naked light bulb."

           Galeria Fortes Vilaca

Eduardo Basualdo

Ruth Benzacar Galeria de Arte

(Buenos Aires)

Look closely and you will see the sword swiping through... this is part of a larger installation.

Alejandro Pintado (Mexico)

Post Box Gallery 

(London)

Santiago Montoya (Colombia)

Tri Amigos

Artworks. b146

(Zurich)

Santiago Montaya

"Ever since I was a child I wanted to become an artist, a painter I thought.

When I got there i was warned I shouldn´t paint.

But I am a stubborn fool: I had to do it.

17 years later here I am.

Santiago Montaya

Manuela Viera-Gallo (Chilean born in Rome)

Y Gallery 

(Queens)

These birds and owls are quite fascinating when you see them up close. As Yoab Vera from the Gallery excitedly explains the artist feels she is constantly compelled to move, more forced than by her own will. She "Keeps flying".

Tania Candiani (Mexico)

Seguridad Portatil (Portable security)

Y Gallery

(Queens)

Lisa Iglesias (Norwegian/Dominican, born NY)

"A story we tell ourselves about ourselves" 2011

Y Gallery 

(Queens)

An immaculate drawing.

Cristina Ataide 

Galeria Magda Bellotti

(Madrid)

Cristina Ataide´s sculpture of a vulcanic Island Mountain made me nearly trip, here it is in its tiny grandeur.

Gaston Ugalde

Siguaraya Gallery

(La Paz)

Claudia Jaguaribe

Biblioteca

Claudia Jaguaribe

Favela

Baro Galeria

(Sao Paulo)

These were actually my favorites. Fitting what I am always looking for here at ArtEco, great Contemporary Art with an Environmental tone. The gallerist Adriano Casanova had a busy job trying to talk to all the interested. I thought he nearly needed a body guard... especially since he was trying to hold onto another piece of art situated in front of this last very popular picture, afraid that it would be pulled down in the middle of the frenzy. The photos are hot, hot, hot and selling out by the minute.

Juan Pablo Echeverri (Colombia)

Edel Assanti Gallery

(London)

Strong photos about the real superhero's out there by Juan Pablo Echeverri. He has taken a whole series about the hard working immigrants in America, where he is showing what they work as and then telling the story about how much they send home to their families. This super hero here is Noe Reyes from the State of Puebla. He works as a delivery boy in Brooklyn, New York. He sends 500 dollars a week.

How unselfish, what a hero!!

Sonir Falcone

I ended it in the Champagne room... a hypnotizing disco with changing video effects. There was not much information about this work, but a kind young man was willing to help me out. It turned out he was the artist assistant... Her name is Sonir Falcone and googling her I am showing that she is married to Mr. Pierre Falcone an Angolean Unesco Ambassador. The whole thing seemed quite mysterious. Is this her gallery as well? Or what gallery represents her? I asked, he could not answer. But he smiled and laughed and said it is called "Window of the Soul" and that it is about the cycle of life.

With Love

Kristin