13
May/15

FRIEZE ART FAIR WEEK 2015

13
May/15
(photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The art world will descend on Randall’s Island for the Frieze Art Fair this week (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

FRIEZE ART FAIR
Randall’s Island Park
May 14-17, $28-$109
friezenewyork.com

The giant white tents of the Frieze Art Fair will cover Randall’s Island once again for four days in May, promising crowds of eager patrons and onlookers both provocative, astonishing, world-class, expensive art and a group of often delightful, sometimes mystifying, occasionally participatory projects, as well as superlative people-watching and classy eats. Those looking to acquire museum-level works can check out the booths of Marian Goodman, which features the work of Giuseppe Penone, a member of the Italian Arte Povera group; or Paul Kasmin, who has works by Sigmar Polke, Iván Navarro, Jules Olitski, and Laylah Ali on its temporary walls. Matthew Marks will show lots of Nan Goldin and Paul Sietsema; Cheim & Read has Ghada Amer, Louise Bourgeois, and Lynda Benglis; Yoko Ono is at Galerie Lelong; and fans of German painting can choose from Martin Eder, David Schnell, and Melora Kuhn at Eigen + Art. With more than two hundred galleries, Frieze can be overwhelming, but there’s an app to download here and sustenance provided by high-end dining-scene stalwarts Frankie’s Sputino, Milk Bar, Prime Meats, and Roberta’s, among others.

Performance art and an outdoor sculpture garden are part of annual Frieze fair (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Performance projects and an outdoor sculpture garden are part of annual Frieze Art Fair (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

We enjoy the Frieze projects immensely; you can see our video with Marie Lorenz here, as we exited the fair in a rather unique way. This year, there seems to be a theme; two projects boast mazelike layouts and a third is highlighted by a hidden subterranean chamber. Japanese-born Aki Sasamoto makes his maze into a sort of personality test and multiple-choice questionnaire via a series of rooms and doors (shades of Door Number Two and Let’s Make a Deal, perhaps?) while the Flux-Labyrinth reconceives George Maciunas’s 1975 Fluxus work as a participatory set of narrow corridors and mysterious door handles. Korakrit Arunanondchai’s massage chairs and Pia Camil’s free fabric giveaways add to fairgoers’ fun. Los Angeles-based artist Samara Golden’s secret room beneath the fair reveals the working underbelly of pillars, electric cables, and air-conditioning vents — vents that we fervently hope work very well as the enormous crowds descend on this, one of twi-ny’s all-time favorite New York art fairs. Below are some of the special programs at Frieze, as well as information about the other fairs in town this week.

Thursday, May 14
Frieze Talks: ‘Some may like a soft Brazilian singer,’ with Christian Jankowski, featuring the music of Caetano Veloso, 4:00

Friday, May 15
‘Aesthetics’ of ‘Female’ ‘Attractiveness,’ with Casey Jane Ellison, Grace Dunham, Reina Gossett, Karley Sciortino, and Leilah Weinraub, 12 noon

Saturday, May 16
‘Ask Jerry,’ with Jerry Saltz, 12 noon

Sunday, May 17
Paul McCarthy & Leigh Ledare in conversation with Chrissie Iles, 12 midday

COLLECTIVE DESIGN FAIR
Skylight Clarkson Sq.
550 Washington St.
May 13-17, $15-$25
collectivedesignfair.com

Saturday, May 16
“Witness to the Future: Vladimir Kagan and Michael Boodro in Conversation,” 2:30

Sunday, May 17
“Among Friends: The Collaborative Practice and Ongoing Influence of Isamu Noguchi,” 1:00

NADA NEW YORK 2015
Basketball City, 299 South St. at the East River
May 14-17, free
newartdealers.org

Thursday, May 14
“Tachyon Path,” a musical piece composed by Jay Israelson, 6:00

Friday, May 15
Regina Rex presents “Selections from Sports Closet,” a performance by Alina Tenser, 1:00 & 5:00

Sunday, May 17
“On Connectivity,” a discussion with artists from the New Museum’s 2015 Triennial: “Surround Audience,” 3:00

ART MIAMI NEW YORK
Pier 94, 12th Ave. at 55th St.
May 14-17, $15-$25 (multiday pass $55)
www.artmiaminewyork.com

Friday, May 15
Artist Spotlight: “The Diamond,” with Iftah Geva and Gal Goldner, 1:00

Saturday, May 16
“Bad Collector — A Primer on What Not to Do,” with Karen Boyer, Albina De Meio, James Kober, and Samuel Pugatch, 2:00

Book Signing with Acclaimed Photographer & Stylist Marisol, Post-Modern Booth #B19, 3:00 – 6:00

Sunday, May 17
Artist Spotlight: Alexander Zakharov — Exploring New Media Art,” 1:00

SELECT
Center 548, 548 West 22nd St. St.
May 14-17, $10-$20 (multiday pass $25)
www.select-fair.com

Saturday, May 16
“Freedom of Press?” with Lori Cole, Christopher Howard, Aruna D’Souza, and Colleen Asper, moderated by Dushko Petrovich, Select Lounge, third floor, 2:00

Sunday, May 17
“Digital Objects,” with Zoë Salditch, Greg Borenstein, Andrea Wolf, Marco Antonini, and Siebren Versteeg, moderated by Yin Ho, Select Lounge, third floor, 2:00

FRIDGE ART FAIR
Retro Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn
150 Delancey St.
May 14-17, free
www.fridgeartfair.com

1:54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR
Pioneer Works
159 Pioneer St., Red Hook
May 15-17, $5-$10 ($25 with catalog)
1-54.com/new-york

Friday, May 15
Keynote Address: “Black Aesthetics Unbound,” Margo Natalie Crawford, 1:30

Saturday, May 16
“Breaking the Ice,” with Christian Haye and Melvin Edwards, moderated by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, 3:00