Surreal Exhibits At Frieze NY | From Zip Tied Ladders To Stabbed Footballs
Art5 Minutes Read

Surreal Exhibits At Frieze NY | From Zip Tied Ladders To Stabbed Footballs

May 21, 2022

Frieze in New York is one of the most significant art events of the year because of the incredibly talented artists and galleries taking part. And some exhibitors’ works this year are turning heads.

There have been some incredible displays from artists who made powerfully, lasting impressions in the previous years. The Frieze NY art event is an accumulation of unconscious art – ideas that spill out into forms of all shapes and sizes. 

Some could be masterpieces, while others could be questionable. Ranging in all shapes and sizes, the gallery spaces transform into physical walk-through installations to simply admiring static wall or floor sculptures.

The beauty of it all is that it is entirely down to interpretation.

Art is a topic where anyone can have their perspective and opinions. And any person can judge it. We all criticise singing, dancing, acting and drawing as we see it personally and subjectively.

Subjectivity in art is the word we use to explain how different people can respond to a work of art differently. 

A painting might touch one and upset or question another, but the material object remains unchanged. This is what I admire about the field of creativity, in particular how it encourages anyone and everyone to stay curious.

Here is a few exhibit works turning heads, creating crowds, and pushing us to be a little more eccentric, a little more ‘out there. 

Carol Bove Displaying at Frieze NY Under David Zwirner

Frieze NY
Solo presentation of new sculptures by Carol Bove at David Zwirner’s booth at Frieze New York, 2022. © Carol Bove. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.

Carol Bove, who David Zwirner Gallery represents, created sculptures that protrude from the wall in twisted, block-like metal forms that have been painted entirely in bright orange, making it hard to believe, at first, that they aren’t made of something more malleable, like clay or fabric. 

The hypnotising twisting effect shows how well Bove brings attention to the uncertainties of human perception through her mastery of the material. 

According to Artnews, these sculptures sold out in three hours. They were priced at $500K – $1 Million at Frieze NY.

Frieze NY
Carol Bove, Mars in Capricorn, 2021, Stainless steel and urethane paint 108 cm x 110.5 cm x 21.6 cm,© Carol Bove. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.

Anna-Sophie Berger at JTT

Frieze NY
Anna-Sophie Berger, Occam’s Razor, 2022, aluminium ladders and zip ties, 55 × 53 × 307 cm. Courtesy: the artist and JTT, New York; photograph: Charles Benton
Frieze NY
Anna-Sophie Berger, Occam’s Razor, 2022, aluminium ladders and zip ties, 55 × 53 × 307 cm. Courtesy: the artist and JTT, New York; photograph: Charles Benton

This exhibit may be outside of Frieze NY by many people who are still flocking to JTT. Paying tribute to her 2019 solo exhibition in London entitled ‘A Failed Play’, Anna-Sophie Berger’s piece is composed of steel ladders connected to form a cage-like structure. Therefore, the traditional use-value of the objects used to reach and mount is prohibited as they are used to create an obstacle or confinement. This show will be exhibited at her represented gallery, JTT

The ladder is placed in her exhibition ‘Sin’. According to Frieze, “it’s holy to see the trend in Catholic aesthetics reaching visual art. The show is crammed together, using just one wall and a few square metres of an otherwise spacious gallery.”

Anna-Sophie Berger. JTT. 13 May – 18 June 2022

Paulo Nazareth Is Displaying at Frieze NY Under Mendes Wood DM

Frieze NY
Works by Paulo Nazareth. Photo : Maximilíano Durón/ARTnews

Represented by Mendes Wood DM in this work, titled Várzea (2020), Paulo Nazareth presents seven concrete soccer balls that have each been stabbed with a knife, a recurring theme throughout his career. 

According to Art News, the artist reflects on the treatment of Afro-Brazilians in their country; the piece is also a sly commentary on how sports have been used to soothe and distract the masses, which has the effect of silencing marginalised communities. 

The work complements three photographic pieces in which Nazareth inserts a rock into his mouth, effectively silencing himself. He has done this print in multiple exhibits displaying slices of bread tied to his face – similar to the Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

Previous artwork by Paulo Nazareth, Pão e Circo, 2012, photo printing on cotton paper, 93 × 70 cm.

The art Frieze NY 2022 event has the intention to provide unique ideas and insights into “feeding the world with artistic inspiration.”  So feast your eyes on the extraordinary and get up close and personal to the remarkable talent on display.

Visit Frieze NY’s website for more information here.

Author: Michelle Laver
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