Abby Bangser’s Frieze New York Must-Sees
The recently appointed co-Artistic Director of the Frieze New York art fair reveals the artists not to be missed at her first outing on Randall’s Island, opening this week.
Mai-Thu Perret
David Kordansky Gallery has organized a solo presentation of works, including new carpet paintings, by Mai-Thu Perret, whose work has reflected her interest in feminist and artistic utopias for more than a decade. The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas has a Perret exhibition on view right now, making this presentation at Frieze all the more timely.
Les guérillères III, 2016. Courtesy the artist and David Kordansky. Photo by Kevin Todora.
Liu Shiyuan
Liu Shiyuan, born in 1985 and educated in both China and New York, is one of the most exciting artists working in Beijing today. The Shanghai gallery Leo Xu is presenting a new and fully immersive installation by Liu that includes a patchwork of carpets with reinterpreted national flag patterns and campaign slogans.
OMG, Welcome, 2015. Courtesy Leo Xu Projects/Frieze.
Lisa Yuskavage
Throughout the fair we are noticing a significant presence and focus on works by female artists. One highlight is the great pairing at David Zwirner of Isa Genzken and Lisa Yuskavage. Next time you are at Doris Freedman Plaza at the southeast corner of Central Park, be sure to catch Genzken’s 34-foot tall sculpture, “Two Orchids,” that has been brought to New York by the Public Art Fund and will remain on view through the end of August.
Stoned, 2016. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/London
Isa Genzken.
Untitled, 2004. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/London
Philip Guston
You won’t be able to miss the great American painter Philip Guston’s work in New York during Frieze, both in Hauser & Wirth’s booth at the fair, as well as the masterful exhibition at their 18th Street gallery that has been organized by Paul Schimmel. It is revelatory and sublime.
Black Coast, 1977. Courtesy the Estate and Hauser & Wirth.
David Wojnarowicz
The late David Wojnarowicz figured prominently in the 80’s New York art scene, working across media as a painter, performance artist, and filmmaker. After being diagnosed with AIDS, he focused in a greater way on politics and activism. P.P.O.W. is presenting a significant installation from 1985 that is a must-see, especially in light of his upcoming Whitney exhibition next spring.
Untitled (Burning Boy Installation), 1985. Photo by Peter Hujar. Courtesy of P.P.O.W/Frieze.
David Ireland
David Ireland worked in the Bay Area as a conceptual artist, making installations out of simple, often found materials. I just visited his home in the Mission District, at 500 Capp Street, which is filled from top to bottom with his work and often made for specific places in the house. It has been preserved by a foundation and just recently opened for tours that are a must when in San Francisco.
Capillary Action with Brown Rectangle, 1994. Courtesy the Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco.
Agnieszka Kurant
Tanya Bonakdar’s presentations are always a highlight within the fair. This year, I am particularly looking forward to their presentation of Agnieszka Kurant, a New York-based, Polish-born artist who explores the complexity in today’s political and economic systems by blurring the real and fictional in her work.
Currency Converter, 2016. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.
Betty Woodman
When I saw the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London’s exhibition of works by Betty Woodman that just closed a few weeks ago, I knew that Salon 94’s presentation at Frieze would be a major highlight. Woodman’s ceramics are bold and ambitious, with hints of everyone from Matisse to the Etruscans.
Aeolian Pyramid, 2001. Courtesy the artist and Salon 94.
