Frieze sculpture park 2014

Kaws - Small Lie Kaws - Small Lie

Kaws – Small Lie (2013)

 

Contemporary art has become big business these days. You can tell by the increasing numbers of visitors to the Frieze art fair each year, but how many of them are buyers? Apparently, only 20%. But prestigious art fairs are places to see and be seen, whether you can afford the work is besides the point.

Aside from the costly entrance fee, the thought of seeing art in a supermarket-style setting (even if it is more Waitrose than Aldi) does not appeal to me very much, however, the free sculpture park is very much appreciated.

 

frieze sculpture park Marie Lund - AttitudesNot Vital - Head (Mao)Reza Aramesh - Action 137Reza Aramesh - Action 137Caroline Achaintre - four grwwlJaume Plensa - Storm

Top right: Marie Lund – Attitudes (2013-4); 2nd row: Not Vital – Head (Mao) 2013; 3rd row left & middle: Reza Aramesh – Action 137: 6:45pm, 3 May 2012, Ramla (2014); 3rd row right: Caroline Achaintre – Four Grwwl (2014); Bottom: Jaume Plensa – Storm (2013)

 

This year, there were 20 pieces of art/ sculptural installations, and the most eye-catching and towering was New York-based artist Kaws (Brian Donnelly)’ ‘Small Lie’. There were also some fun and and playful installations like Italian artist’s Gabriele de Santis‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, Austrian artist Franz West’s ‘Sitzwurst’, Matt Johnson’s ‘Baby Dinosaur’ and Michael Craig Martin‘s ‘Scissors (blue)’.

 

Gabriele de Santis - Can't Take My Eyes Off You Yayoi Kusama - Pumpkin(s)Martin Creed - Work No 732Franz West - Sitzwurst Roelof Louw - Holland Park

Top left: Gabriele de Santis – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (2014); Top right: Yayoi Kusama – Pumpkin(s) 2014; 2nd row: Martin Creed – Work No 732 (2007); Bottom left: Franz West – Sitzwurst (1999-2000); Bottom right: Roelof Louw – Holland Park (1967)

 

Other interesting pieces included: Richard Nonas’s ‘Wedge’ installation made up of boulders in pairs where visitors could sit on; a sound installation ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ by Kristin Oppenheim; Martin Creeds cool video intsalltion ‘Work No 732’; and Not Vital’s ‘HEAD (Mao)‘, which provided lots of selfie opportunities for visitors.

I always believe that art should be accessible to everyone, so I think Frieze’s sculpture park is a wonderful idea. It also provides an opportunity for visitors to enjoy autumn in Regent’s park and watch the squirrels interact with the art installations. I think they enjoyed it as much as the public did.

 

Richard Nonas - WedgeMatt Johnson - baby dinosaurMichael Craig Martin - Scissors (blue)Seung-taek Leefrieze sculpture park

Top row: Richard Nonas – Wedge (2014); 2nd row left: Matt Johnson – Baby Dinosaur (2013); 2nd row middle: Michael Craig Martin – Scissors (blue); 2nd row right: Seung-Taek Lee – Ppira (1970s)

 

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