The Ultimate Guide to Frieze Week 2014

I saw a lot of sad faces at last year’s fair, the first Cutlog in New York. But the unpretentious, DIY, French atmosphere in a remodelled school also attracted big, cool galleries like the Hole. The Hole’s gone this year, but replaced by RISD, Fuchs Projects, and Lesley Heller Workspace.

Don’t underestimate Cutlog.

If trekking out to Randall’s Island—and it is a long voyage via the ferry—to view booth after booth of work by 190 galleries isn’t your thing, this year we might have a nice, cozier alternative with the Downtown Fair. Launched by the folks behind Art Miami, we’ll see just 50 galleries including the likes of Yossi Milo and well, plenty of others we’re not terribly familiar with. It’s new, so we’ll be excited to find out what happens, even if Art Miami hasn’t been one of the go-to Florida fairs for some time. Daily tours will be led by the curatorial staff from No Longer Empty at 12:30 PM.

One of the world’s leading contemporary fairs, Frieze proves that it’s possible to manufacture trendy to a massive scale. But this year, by union members!

Highlights: There are 190 galleries at this fair, and these tend to be the richest. The quality isn’t bad either, but with everything under a lovely lit tent, who can tell; even old chewing gum looks glorious in this venue. Some galleries we like: CANADA, Miguel Abreu, Derek Eller Gallery, David Kordansky, and White Columns.

Also: Al’s Grand Hotel. This restaging of Ruppersberg’s 1971 project that took place on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles should be good. The hotel is a collaboration between Allen Ruppersberg and Public Fiction. Two rooms are available for overnight stays May 8–12, with rates from $350. Book ahead.

Talks and performances:

Pussy Riot talks: Friday May 9th, 4:00 pm

Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina chat with New Yorker Editor-in-Chief David Remnick about their feminist art collective Pussy Riot and the recently launched Zona Prava, an non-governmental agency advocating for prison reform.

Cost: $19 ferry, $43 regular admission, $27 student

This was the emerging fair for the more conservative collector, but with Helen Toomer now at the helm, this fair may have a little more life to it.

Highlights: Transfer Gallery brings Pulse into the digital age. Look for recent GIF of the Day featuree Daniel Temkin! The Aperture Foundation is always a good bet for the photo buffs, as is Keeler & Co., a new consulting firm founded by AFC friend and business guy extraordinaire Jeffrey Teuton.

Talks: AFC’s Paddy Johnson and fellow Placeholder members Shawn Gallagher and William Powhida will discuss their plans to create a replicable land trust model for artists Sunday at 3 pm. Don’t miss it.

Cost: $20 general, $15 student

Now that Massimiliano Gioni has curated a Venice Bienniale that is friendly to outsider artists will the market continue to respond to this trend? Those at the Outsider Art Fair are about to find out.

Highlights: Andrew Edlin Gallery (Edlin is also the fair owner) and ZieherSmith + Ampersand + Winter Works on Paper.

Cost: $20

We’ve had some reservations about how SEVEN’s Miami fair model translates to NYC—in the smaller space of The Boiler Room the fair frequently ends up looking like an uncurated group show that exists because of the market. This year seems different though, thanks to their reliably strong focus on video, and tribute to fellow dealer, Hudson (RIP). We’re looking forward to it.

Highlights: This year, Seven uses its small format, to showcase video– which we appreciate because seven videos is a manageable and realistic number. It will also include a tribute to Feature Inc’s Hudson, who passed away earlier this year. That’s reason enough to go.

Cost: FREE

If Frieze is the piledriver of trendiness, then NADA is the mine. This can get a little depressing when too much of it is all in one place (formulas become clearer, American Apparel/Urban Outfitters pay attention), but the heart is at NADA. It’s the most artist-centric of all the major fairs.

Highlights: Devon Dikeou’s NADA Miami project “Pay what you wish, but you must pay something”– a series of museum donation boxes placed throughout the fair– commented on the fuzzy non-profit/for-profit language of arts institutions. This time she takes on the issue of inadequate seating; look for the 17th century Italian monk chairs throughout Basketball City.

Events:

Contemporary Poetry: Painter and curator Sam Gordon has selected 30 emerging and recognized poets for a marathon reading. Gordon’s paintings reward long, close looking, so we have high hopes for this. Saturday 12-6 pm