Frieze New York’s intimate art fair pops up in the shed
Temporary ‘pop-up’ editions of shops and restaurants have exploded in recent years. And what is an art fair if not a specialized group version of that idea?
The 11th edition of the fair Frisian New York will pop up at the barn in Hudson Yards this week, Thursday through Sunday, and will feature 68 galleries.
The trick to the fair is that New York is already a hub of the art world with hundreds of art spaces all over the city, and the Shed is just a few blocks from the gallery-packed Chelsea neighborhood.
As Frieze’s director of America Christine Messineo put it, “The mission for New York is, we know we have an educated audience, so how do we show them things they might not see otherwise?”
Ms. Messineo oversees the New York and Los Angeles editions of Frieze, which also has fellowships in London and Seoul.
In fact, some of the galleries on display in Frieze New York have multiple spaces nearby, including Matthew Marks Gallery, Gagosian, and David Zwirner.
“Galleries can start a conversation in their booth and invite people to come to the gallery to continue it,” Ms. Messineo said.
Hauser & Wirth, with spaces in Chelsea and on the Upper East Side (in addition to another in Southampton, NY, and others around the world), will showcase approximately 10 works from the career of American painter and sculptor Jack Whitten at its booth , including the 2014 sculpture ‘The Apollonian Sword’.
Lisa Spellman, the founder of 303 Gallery in Chelsea, said she liked the proximity to the event.
“Any carnival I can bike to is a good carnival,” she said. Before moving to the Shed, Frieze New York took place on Randall’s Island, much further away for most galleries and collectors.
Ms. Spellman highlighted the benefit to local dealers. “We have the home field advantage,” she said, adding that she loved the “boutique size” of Frieze New York. (The London edition has recently had about twice as many galleries.)
303 Gallery participates in many fairs, from Art Basel Miami Beach to the Armory Show in New York, and exhibited at Frieze Los Angeles in February.
“We are die-hard supporters of Frieze,” Ms. Spellman said.
Stand 303 will showcase a mix of artists, including American painter Mary Heilmann and Berlin-based Alicja Kwade, best known for her installations and sculptures. New York-based multimedia creator Rob Pruitt is represented by the sculpture “People Feeder (Life is a Bowl of Cherries: Cherry Vodka)” (2023).
In the weeks leading up to the show, Ms. Spellman struggled with the list of things she wanted to show in the limited space of her booth.
“I don’t know how we’re going to fit all this stuff in, but we will,” she said.
Ms. Spellman is a veteran of the fair, but there are several first-timers, including Neue Alte Brücke of Frankfurt, Germany, and Derosia of New York.
Derosia is one of 11 galleries in the Focus section, for galleries under 12 years old. The group consists of Whistle of Seoul and Cooper Cole from Toronto.
“Last year I visited Frieze New York as a visitor and I appreciated the high quality of the galleries and the manageable size,” says Elyse Derosia, the co-owner of Derosia, located in Little Italy. “It allows you to spend quality time.”
“I’ve had great conversations,” she added. “If I were a collector, I would appreciate that intimacy.”
She presents a solo stand with the work of the New York painter Sam Lipp, shown in the gallery last year. Some of his works, such as “Joe (Flesh)” (2023), are painted on metal. The artist often uses steel wool as a paintbrush to create small dots of paint, in a contemporary twist on pointillism.
“It’s very beautiful, and also dark and mysterious,” she said of Mr. Lipp’s work. “People reacted strongly to it during the solo show we did at the gallery.”
The gallery was formerly called Bodega and changed its name last year. Ms. Derosia commented that she was excited to connect with people under the new name.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the promise of the younger galleries in Focus appeals to younger collectors, including Ben White Levin, 29. Mr. Levin co-owns the Revive store and is based in Detroit.
“I get the most pleasure out of Focus,” says Mr. Levin, who started collecting when he was 16. “I lean towards younger, up-and-coming artists.”
Mr. Levin recalled discovering the work of several artists at the fair over the years and shortly after purchasing the work of those creators, including Adam McEwen of Petzel Gallery and Haroon Mirza of Lisson Gallery. His collection is largely concentrated on paintings.
Mr. Levin added that an actual purchase from Frieze was not necessarily his goal.
“I use it as a way to see old faces and meet new ones,” he said. “That is one of the biggest advantages of these scholarships. You can talk to people and the crowds are invigorating.”
The strong local participation this year still leaves room for galleries from 27 countries, including Emily from London. Making its debut at Frieze New York, Emalin will share a booth with Arcadia Missa, another London gallery making its debut at the fair.
“It’s half the cost, and we both have an active customer network and we share some customers,” explains Leopold Thun, a co-founder of Emalin, explaining the setup.
Mr Thun said he thought Frieze New York’s approachable size allowed for more “quality control”. He noted that when he exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, “Even as an exhibitor, I didn’t see all the booths.”
The Emalin presentation features the work of multidisciplinary maker Jasper Marsalis, concept photographer Megan Plunkett and Vietnam-born, Berlin-based artist Sung Tieu.
Mr. Thun explained that he was highlighting artists who currently have a significant institutional presence. For example, Ms. Tieu, who uses various mediums to explore power structures, has a show at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center, “Sung Tieu: Burger Floor,” on view through July 16 and an exhibition at New York art center Amant, “Sung Tieu: Infra-Spectre,” through September 10.
“She’s having a moment and it makes sense to show her,” Mr. Thun said. His stand includes the sculpture “Courtyard” (2022) by Mrs Tieu, made of steel and earth.
Several galleries based in Brazil or with branches there will be exhibiting in Frieze New York this year, including Mendes Wood DM, Galeria Luisa Strina and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel.
“Our mission is to bring the best of Brazil’s art abroad, but also to bring some of the best international contemporary art to Brazil,” said Márcia Fortes, a partner and director of Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel. The gallery is based in São Paulo and has a branch in Rio de Janeiro.
“We’re regulars at art fairs,” Ms. Fortes said, noting that she has a special fondness for Frieze.
“I always like the Frieze fairs because they bring curators and museums to the fair,” she said, referring to both specially curated sections and the participation of institutional collectors.
Some of the works in the stand are loosely organized around the idea of windows, including Iran do Espírito Santo’s granite sculpture “Janela Reflexiva 5” (2020) and Lucia Laguna’s painting “Estúdio nº 59” (2022).
The booth will also feature “Sunrise Sunset” (2016) by Brazilian artist Jac Leirner, a tall, lean sculpture made from blotting paper and plywood liquid level indicators. Mrs. Leirner has one simultaneous show at the Swiss Institutea non-profit contemporary art space in New York, through August 27.
“She collects materials that she consumes,” Ms. Fortes said of Ms. Leirner. “It’s a collage that is both appropriation art and post-minimal.”
Ms Fortes said the intimate atmosphere at the Shed provided a good backdrop for any of the works she will be showing, as it has fewer distractions than other similar events.
“We all have the attention span of 3-year-olds at trade shows,” she said. “In this format we can touch and reach you.”