ART FAIRS:Frieze New York 2016
In 2016, Frieze celebrates the 25th anniversary year since it was founded by the English publisher and entrepreneur Matthew Slotover, he is co-publisher of Frieze and co-director of Frieze Art Fair with his business partner Amanda Sharp in 1991. In a bespoke structure at Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan, designed for the experience of art, 200 international galleries bring together the world’s most exciting emerging and established contemporary artists.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Frieze New York 2016 Archive
Building on its reputation for ambitious, museum-quality presentations, Main Section continues its strong global reach, 130 galleries from 26 countries , with a particularly strong presence of female artists and collaborative practices, as well as a prominent focus on artists with recent and upcoming institutional shows. Following its celebrated debut in 2015, which anticipated major institutional shows and saw a number of museum acquisitions, the Spotlight Section is dedicated to solo artist presentations of work made in the 20th Century, continues to explore global positions beyond the Western tradition, rarely seen work from significant figures and surveys of under-recognized artists from across the world. Frame Section: a section featuring 18 of the world’s most exciting galleries under eight years old, presenting solo shows of today’s most relevant artists. The Focus Section returns with a careful selection of 32 galleries founded in or after 2004. Bringing together specially curated projects, Focus makes possible ambitious presentations by some of the most innovative galleries working today. For the first time this year, all three sections will be located in discrete areas of the fair, rather than interwoven throughout, enabling visitors to have focused experiences of these dynamic presentations. Frieze Projects and Frieze Sounds comprise an annual program of new site-specific artworks, plus a creative tribute to a groundbreaking alternative space or artist project. From a giant balloon to a reverse pickpocket to a futuristic inhabitable car, the artist commissions add dynamism and magic to the visitor experience and complement the gallery presentations at the Fair, appearing unexpectedly in common areas, hidden in booths, in listening stations, moving through and even floating above the Fair. Part of Frieze’s non-profit program, this year’s Projects and Sounds explore the magical possibilities of artistic intervention. Featuring today’s most influential artists, thinkers and cultural figures, Frieze Talks provides an opportunity to hear intimate and in-depth discussions of the most critical and current issues in contemporary art and culture. For 2016, the Reading Room features a curated selection of the world’s best arts publications, which will host a series of events and informal encounters with editors and contributors.
Info: Frieze New York 2016, Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan, Duration: 5-8/5/16, Days & Hours: Thu (5/5/16) & Sat (7/5/16) 11:00-19:00, Fri (6/5/16) 11:00-20:00, sun (8/5/16) 11:00-18:00, http://frieze.com
