Frieze London 2015

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Toothpicker

2nd row left: ‘Cierra’ by John de Andrea at Galerie Perrotin; 2nd middle: ‘Steel Broken Figure’ by Daniel Arsham at Galerie Perrotin; 2nd row right: ‘Mutter’ by Erwin Wurm

I have continued to declare that I am not a fan of art fairs, yet my curiosity has led me back to them somehow. I have never been interested in attending Frieze London until this year. One of the reasons I changed my mind was because I wanted to distinguish the difference between Frieze and Art Basel.

After the eye-opening and atrocious experience at Art Basel Hong Kong earlier this year (you can read about it here), I was hoping that Frieze would change my view on these mega art fairs. Well, not really.

After my visits to the two art fairs within this year, I would say that Art Basel in Hong Kong was a more ostentatious fair (probably catering for the Chinese market), and the venue was filled with prodigious art and sculptural installations. A majority of the visitors were not buyers (or even interested in art for that matter), but they created buzz and hype around the show, which was free publicity that worked wonders for the marketing team.

Top row: ‘Cocktail party’ by Tom Friedman; 2nd row left: ‘Iron roots’ by Ai Wei Wei; 2nd row right: ‘The Stamp’ by Abdulnasser Gharem; 3rd row & 4th left: Do Ho Suh’s fabric installations; 4th row middle: Cords installation by Paul Chan; 4th row right: ‘Felix the Cat’ by Mark Leckey at Galerie Buchholz

Frieze London (not Masters), on the other hand, seemed more subdued and less gimmicky in comparison and displayed a wider range of art forms (like video, film and sound art). One of the biggest differences between the two was the attendees, it appeared that Frieze’s visitors were genuinely interested in art and in purchasing. There were not many selfie addicts, and the vibe was more ‘civilised’. Yet I still did not enjoy my 3-hour experience at the fair. While I felt overwhelmed at Art Basel, I felt slightly underwhelmed at Frieze. Not that there were no substantial works at the fair, but I was not blown away. Despite the disappointment, here are some of the highlights for me from the fair:

Do Ho Suh is one of the most renowned Korean contemporary artists working today. His neon-bright mesh sculptures and installations of domestic space, fixtures and fittings are intricate and fascinating.

Top: Birgit Brenner’s cardboard lorry; 2nd row left: Mark Wallinger’s ‘endgame’; 2nd row right: Cornelia Parker’s ‘Opposites’ with Fine Cell works; 3rd row: Sculptures at Hauser & Wirth; 4th left: Christina Mackie at Supportico Lopez; 4th right: Francis Alÿs’ ‘Camgun’; 5th left & bottom left: Mounir Fatmi’s ‘The Paradox’ at Goodman Gallery; 5th middle: Louise Bourgeois’ sculpture; 5th right: Alicja Kwade at 303 Gallery; Bottom right: Mark Dion’s ‘The Phantasmal Cabinet’ at Georg Kargl Fine Arts

Although I am not a huge fan of contemporary art, I would say that Belgian conceptual artist Francis Alÿs is someone who I respect. His works are often thought-provoking, imaginative and insightful. His ‘Camgun’ is a machine gun sculpture made of scraps (wood, metal, plastic) that works as a camera, which reflects the violence of life in Mexico City where he resides.

As a practitioner of Arabic calligraphy, it is not surprised that I was immensely drawn to Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi‘s ‘The Paradox’, a sculpture that shows an obsolete machine featuring Arabic calligraphy and steel pieces scattered around the machine. Fatmi often questions written text and its visual poetry, highlighting the paradox between its beauty and its violence, its meaning and its shape. This piece is not only visually alluring but the craftsmanship is exquisite.

Top and 2nd row: Camille Henrot at Galerie Kamel Mennour; 3rd left: Hayv Kahraman; 3rd middle: Gary Webb at The Approach; 3rd right: Ryan Gander at Taro Nasu; 4th row: Amalia Pica’s ‘Joy in paperwork’; Bottom row left: live comic drawing by Ken Kagami at Misako & Rosen; Bottom right: Ed Fiorneles at Carlos/Ishikawa

French artists Camille Henrot‘s paintings occupied most of the wall space at Galerie Kamel Mennour‘s booth. Her playful and intriguing pastel figures enact various private activities that reflect our narcissistic culture today.

Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman‘s paintings reflect the controversial issues of gender, honor killings and war in Iraq and the Middle East. Kahraman tells these tales of horror with a demure grace through her stunningly beautiful and compelling paintings.

I also love Amalia Pica’s ‘Joy in paperwork’ comprises of 42 compositions created through traditional stationery rubber stamps. A simple but lovely idea.

Top & 2nd left: Ann Agee’s ‘Lake Michigan Bathroom (II)’ at P.P.O.W. Gallery; 2nd row right: Anri Sala’s ‘Still Life in the Doldrums’ installation at Marian Goodman; 3rd row: Samara Scott’s floor installation at The Sunday Painter; Bottom left: Charlie White; Bottom right: Damian Ortega at Galeria Fortes Vilaca

One of the most eye-catching installations at the fair was American artist Ann Agee‘s ‘Lake Michigan Bathroom (II)’ at the P.P.O.W. Gallery stand. I love azulejo and Agee‘s ceramic tiled wall installations feature a urinal, a toilet, a bidet, a sink and a water fountain. Don’t expect a wall of idyllic scenery ( remember that this is an ART fair after all), her contemporary version include illustrations of the human anatomy and genitals, as well as people in various states of excretion.

Albanian artist Anri Sala’s ‘Still Life in the Doldrums (d’apres Cezanne)’ was another crowd drawer at the fair. The multi-media installation features four hand painted human skulls, a snare drum, carved American Maple drumsticks, loudspeaker parts and soundtrack (mono). Visitors were bewildered by the sounds produced from the self playing drumsticks underneath the skulls. Fun, uncanny and enigmatic, this installation reminds us that art is not just restricted to the visual cue; and it is encouraging to see more artists combining audio with visual to create a multi-sensory experience for visitors.

What I learnt at Art Basel Hong Kong…

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Toothpicker

The alluring appeal of Gilbert & George…

I arrived in Hong Kong in the midst of the Art Basel weekend, and ART was the hottest topic in town. From a city that was once nicknamed ‘cultural desert’, Hong Kong has come a long way to become the new art hub of Asia. But what does art or the fair really mean to Hong Kongers? Has it made any positive impact on the local art scene and artists?

Despite my jet lag and distaste for mega art fairs, I decided to check out Art Basel Hong Kong before it ended. Three years ago, I visited the fair’s predecessor Hong Kong International Art Fair (read my entry here); since then, the fair has grown considerably with more than 233 galleries from 37 countries participating this year. With a new Malaysian fair director on board, the fair was divided into six sections including Insights, a section dedicated to 34 Asian art galleries.

Top row: Myeongbeom Kim’s ‘Deer’; 2nd row left: Xu Longsen’s ‘Beholding the mountain with awe’ 2nd row middle: Antony Gormley’s sculptures; 3rd row right: John Baldessari ‘Beethoven’s Trumpet (With Ear) Opus #133’ 4th row left: Leung Mee Ping’s ‘Memorize the future’; 4th row right: Tobias Rehberger; Bottom row: Grayson Perry’s tapestry: ‘you could lay it out for a national picnic’

After spending hours of my afternoon at the fair, I want to summarise my observations and afterthoughts, and so I have created a list on what I learned there and then:

1. The event reaffirmed my distaste for mega art fairs. The issue is not to do with the quality of the art work, but rather the crammed setting/ commercial ambience/ environment.

2. Even though I knew this is the case, but the event confirmed this fact: Mega art fairs are not about art, they are about sales, marketing and making noise.

3. Big art fairs are the worst places to appreciate/enjoy art, because you are mostly like to feel physically and mentally exhausted after seeing all of them in one go. Being overdosed on art does not make one feel inspired.

2nd row middle: Djordje Ozbolt’s ‘Les objects mystique plastique’; 2nd row right: Tanada Koji; Bottom right: Ahmed Mater’s ‘Pre-illumination’

4. Subtleties do not work well at art fairs; showcase the most outrageous and prodigious pieces, then the galleries are most likely to receive the maximum footfall.

5. On the day of my visit, a majority of the visitors (mostly Mainland Chinese) were more interested in photo opportunities/ selfies than the art itself. And after being shoved around by them, I decided to photograph the behaviour of these art-lovers. It turned out to be the most entertaining part of the event.

The efforts required to take the perfect photos at Art Basel

6. Speaking to my local friend after the fair, she also expressed her (and her friends’) disappointments of the event. Their verdict was that the newer and smaller Art Central was more enjoyable than Art Basel. Lesson learnt for all of us.

7. Big names and record-breaking sales transactions at the art fair don’t necessary mean that the general public care more art. If the footfall to art museums and galleries is consistent all year round, then it veritably demonstrates the real impact of the fair.

Bottom left: Wim Delvoye’s ‘Twisted Dump Truck’; Bottom right: Yoshitomo Nara’s ‘Puff Marshie‘

8. Without a world class art museum (M+ is due to open in 2018), art is still fairly inaccessible to the general public in Hong Kong. Most of the art galleries in Hong Kong are targeted at art buyers or investors, hence it explains the popularity of the annual art fair.

9. Due to lack of support from the Government, Hong Kong artists perpetually struggle to make ends meet or gain recognition beyond the city or Asia. This is partly to do with the art education system and misconceptions towards art and other creative industries. Art only became ‘important’ in recent years because of the money involved. Without these transactions, art is merely regarded as a frivolous profession in Hong Kong.

10. Hong Konger are more artistic and creative than people realise… but these artistic activities take place on the streets rather than indoor. The artists are the street vendors, small shop owners, scaffolding construction workers, cupboard collectors and wet market stall sellers etc.

What Hong Kongers fail to understand is that art is around them all the time, and best of all, it is free of charge.

The mysterious man in white shirt who was constantly blocking my view, so I used him as my subject at the fair. I was THAT bored.

The other art & Parallax art fairs

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Toothpicker

Top: 50 ft installation of work by David Shillinglaw; Bottom left: Jack Teagle; Bottom right: Ego Leonard

Although I am not a big fan of mega art fairs, I would support smaller art fairs and independent artists who may not be represented by galleries. These fairs also provide an opportunity for visitors to meet and talk to the artists directly rather than through gallery representatives.

The annual joint The Other art fair and Moniker art fair at Old Truman Brewery offers a platform for emerging talents as well as street artists. Once upon a time, street art was seen as subculture, now it is becoming more mainstream and collectors can purchase unconventional artworks produced by urban artists at the Moniker art fair.

Top left: Mark Powell‘s ‘Junkyard games’; Top right: Berlin-based artist Vermibus; 2nd row: Mister E Dawe’s ‘Anvil’; Last row: Fidia Falaschetti’s ‘Cuntdown’ & ‘Freaky Mouse’

At The Other Art Fair, aside from paintings and sculptures, there were also ceramics, illustrations and prints, paper crafts and photography by 130 emerging artists. The event was casual and less glamourous than Frieze but a good place to start for a new art collector.

Top left: Keira Rathbone‘s typewriter art; Top right: Nicolas Moussette‘s ‘Cité imaginaire’ 2nd row: Vas Zavialov‘s London slang map; 3rd row left: Damilola Odusote; 3rd row right: Timothy Information Limited; Bottom: printmaking workshop

Top left: Gerry Buxton‘s Barbican screen print; Top midde: Dan Rawlings; 2nd row left: Chowwai Cheung‘s collagraph ‘Villa Musica’; 2nd row right: Myung Nam An‘s ceramics; 3rd row: Olivier Leger‘s illustration; Bottom left: Roys people; Bottom right: Alexander Korzer-Robinson‘s hand cut art

Parallax art fair at Chelsea Town Hall; Bottom right: Duda Marques dos Santos‘s ‘lights’ series

The week after, I attended the preview of Parallax art fair (free entry) at Chelsea Town Hall for the first time. With over 200 established and emerging artists, there were many interesting artworks to be found too.

I was glad to have met Japanese artist/sculptor Kiyomi Sakaguchi, who has had her solo exhibitions in Japan and Germany and was exhibiting at the show for the first time. Ms Sakaguchi‘s sculptures are installed in many institutions, public spaces in Japan, but at the fair, she showed mainly her ink drawings on Japanese paper.

This art fair is probably not as well known as the other art fairs in London, but I think it is worth checking out and being free does not mean the standard is lower than other fairs.

The next show will take place at Chelsea Town Hall from 28th Feb until 1st March.

Top left: Sally Dunne‘s illustrations; Top right: Karina Savage‘s ‘Red Parabola’ Lino cut with chine collé; 2nd row: Kiyomi Sakaguchi; 3rd row left: Hae Byn Yoon‘s ‘Perspective studies’; 3rd row right: Luigi Visconti; Bottom row: Three eyes man design‘s hand-drawn wood work

Frieze sculpture park 2014

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Toothpicker

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.

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)’.

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 Creed‘s 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.

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)

A week of art in London

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Toothpicker

What does the word “art” mean today? What I learned about art when I was a student seemed like a world apart from what I am seeing now in the art world. Yes, art is constantly evolving, but the function and meaning of art has also changed significantly especially in the past two decades. I am not going to define art here, but as we have seen in recent years that art has become almost like a money-spinning tool, there are more artists than ever ( qualified or not) as well as collectors or investors. When I did A-level art at school, my art mates and I were called “dossers” by those who studied more academic subjects. No one took us seriously, and I remember adults used to say that becoming artists would mean staying poor all our lives! How things have changed in such a short time ( though I am aware that not all artists are as rich as Damien Hirst), but I am sure these adults did not expect even graffiti ( or street) artists like Banksy can become millionaires!

Top left: Love by Gimhongsok; Top right: Geometric mirrors by Jeppe Hein; Main: The landscape is moving by Marilá Dardot; Bottom left: Three indeterminate lines by Bernar Venet; Bottom right: Listening bench #4 by Amar Kanwar

I have never been a huge fan of contemporary art ( esp. from 1990 onwards), and I am often more inspired by design, craft, architecture, photography, film or even street art. Personally, I find art fairs too commercial and I don’t enjoy viewing art in that environment or in that manner, and I certainly don’t want to pay such high price for it either! When I looked at the long list of art fairs taking place all over London within the same week, it made me wonder how many artists there are working today, there must be a lot! I decided to skip the talk of the town art fair Frieze and opted for the alternative ones out of curiosity…

Top left: Rearrangeable rainbow blocks by Judy Chicago; top right: Grass painted green by Richard Woods; Bottom left: Piss flowers by Helen Chadwick; Bottom middle: Chloe by Jaume Plensa; Bottom right: A tree that looks like a sculpture ( is this art?)

On one afternoon, a friend and I went to the Frieze sculpture park ( curated by Clare Lilley, who is also the head curator of Yorkshire sculpture park) in Regents park and we both liked the mirrors placed in the middle of the park including “Geometric mirrors” by Jeppe Hein and “The landscape is moving” by Marilá Dardot, and the fascinating “Listening bench #4“ by Amar Kanwar. It is a shame that the sculpture park only exists for a few days each year, I am beginning to think that London needs to have a permanent sculpture park!

Main: Sunday art fair; Bottom left: “Dancers Around an Effigy to Modernism” by Avery Singer; Tangram by Alek O.

At the nearby “conceptual” and free Sunday art fair, we were less inspired by the work we saw. There were some interesting pieces, but overall, the standard varied and we felt rather disappointed by the show. Hence, this prepared me mentally for The Other art fair & Monika art fair ( joint at Truman Brewery) that I was going to attend with an artist friend two days later!

Yet unexpectedly, both my friend and I were quite pleasantly surprised by the overall standard and variety of work on display. The show felt less commercial than other art fairs, and it was certainly more interesting to talk to the artists themselves than gallery representatives.

Top left: Clearing gallery; Top middle: George Henry Longly; Top right: Souled Out Studio setting at Monika art fair; Bottom left: Ego Leonard

Here are some of my favourites from the show:

Gina Soden‘s photography really stood out. The photographer travels to undisclosed sites throughout Europe and explores beauty, decay, nostalgia and neglect through her architectural images. The detailed and muted coloured photos look almost like paintings, and it was especially intriguing to learn more about her photographic techniques and adventures at these sites.

Ego Leonard is is a Dutch guerrilla artist, who is known for his use of Lego figures in his work. The subject matter in his paintings is dark and thought-provoking, a huge contrast to the vibrant, playful and ‘happy’ style of the paintings. The artist is also known for placing giant Lego man with the slogan “No real than you are” across its torso on beaches around the world. Very clever and cool.

Alberto Fusco‘s detailed paper craft artwork is quite stunning and certainly very time-consuming. I like the geometric shaped arrangements and saw a link between his work and the thread work by Julio Campos nearby. The artist’s Concave & Convex series explores the concepts of time, movement and space through his delicate and beautifully handmade thread work. And I find the work quite mesmerising.

After spending almost three hours at the show, I felt that my brain could probably no longer absorb anymore, but I was glad that I went to the fairs for a change and would even consider paying another visit next year.

London art fair 2013

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Toothpicker

Main photo: Samara Scott’s painted carpet at The Sunday painter gallery

I can’t say I am a fan of art fairs, unless you know exactly what you are looking for or where to go, it can be an overkill going through aisles of art work, especially when the standards are so varied. After last year’s London art fair, I wasn’t planning to go to this year’s until I saw a curated tour with the London guided walk group, Fox & Squarrel.

The group regularly conducts guided walks on art, fashion, food, vintage, street photography. I have been to their art walk before and I enjoyed it because we were able to meet the curators at all the galleries we visited, which gave us a deeper perspective of the art work exhibited.

Due to the snow, not that many people showed up for the tour, and even at the fair, there seemed to be less people than last year, so much the better! The tour lasted about two hours and was led by Gareth who was also showing at the fair. He led us to several booths in the Art projects section, which was probably the most exciting part of the fair.

Above: Francesco De Molfetta’s Snack Barbie.

Most of the galleries in this section were emerging or off the beaten track, so there were a lot of new and younger artists being represented here. We visited Limoncello, The Sunday painter, Hannah Barry and Edel Assanti, and heard from their representatives, which was a more interesting and in-depth way of understanding the galleries and the art work. After the tour, I had some time to wander around and I particularly enjoyed Photo50, the photography section on the top floor.

With so many art fairs happening throughout the year in London, it’s almost impossible to run out of choices, so maybe doing a bit of research beforehand would be useful. As a visitor ( rather than buyer), I find the London art fair too commercial and conservative, so I would be interested to visit the more offbeat ones like Sunday Art Fair, The Other Art Fair or the new Art13 London, which aims to challenge Frieze Art Fair, the most ‘glamourous’ of all ( and the price reflects it too).

If you are like me who dislike large crowds and maze-like venues, then perhaps visiting your local art markets would be a better choice.

Hong Kong International Art fair 2012

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Toothpicker

Nishino Kozo’s ‘Memory of the Sky’

Originally, I wasn’t planning to go to the Hong Kong International Art Fair, but thanks to my brother who got free access to the show and other related events, I took the opportunity to see what the fuss was all about.

Art HK started in 2007, which was a relatively small regional art fair, but has since become more important in the international art circuit for contemporary Asian art, especially after Art Basel acquired it in 2011. Apparently, this year, the show has attracted many new galleries as well as foreign visitors, which also meant that it was almost impossible to book onto most gallery events related to the show!

After attended the rather cramped and commercial London Art fair earlier in the year, I wasn’t expecting much from this. But surprisingly, there were wider varieties and more experimental works from both Asia and Western galleries. However, I wasn’t not so sure about the ‘collectable value’ of these art pieces, many of which seemed like ‘promotional’ pieces that aimed to draw attention, but then again, that is how I feel towards most contemporary art works anyway.

One of the most ‘talked about’ pieces was Ai Weiwei‘s ‘Cong‘ – externally displaying 123 letters from regional governments whose schools collapsed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, while internally listing the 5,196 students who were tragically killed in the event due to negligence by construction companies and local government officials ( see below).

Meanwhile, there were also many works by contemporary Korean artists, including some rather eye-catching inflatable lotuses by Choi Jeong Hwa ( see his ‘golden lotus’ below).

My problem with large trade and art fairs is that I tend to get overwhelmed very quickly, and would lose interest after a while. My friend and I managed to do one floor in just over 2 hours and decided to head to the bar while completely missed the other floor!

Oh well, I guess there is always next year…

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