This year’s Frieze Los Angeles felt
different in a good way. This year’s fair had a sense of optimism and renewal.
The fires on January 7th in Pacific Palisades and Altadena affected
many artists, curators, collectors and gallerists. Many lost their homes,
studios, and collections in the fires. The immediate aftermath of the fires
resulted in delays and, in some cases, the cancellation of scheduled
exhibitions and shows at galleries and art spaces throughout the Los Angeles
area. There was debate as to whether Frieze should continue as planned. The
fair proceeded at pace, and I am glad. It would have done a great deal more
damage to postpone or cancel the fair since many galleries have exerted time,
and great expense. Local businesses, including hotels, would have suffered a
great loss if it was postponed or canceled, “The show must go on!” and Frieze
opened with a great deal of fanfare and excitement. The optimism, I think, came
from the fact the art community rallied and came together to support one
another. The fair became a symbol of that resilience and strength of the Los
Angeles art community.
The art world did come out to the
Frieze (as well as other area art fairs) and it did not disappoint. Frieze Los
Angeles conveyed strong sales. Galleries reported seven-figure sales, including
David Zwirner's sale of an Elizabeth Peyton painting for $2.8 million, a Noah
Davis work for $2.5 million, an Alice Neel painting for $1.8 million, and a
Lisa Yuskavage painting for $1.6 million. Gladstone Gallery saw quick success
with a Keith Haring painting on glass for $2 million, as well as several Robert
Mapplethorpe photograph editions priced between $200,000 and $300,000 each, and
an Ugo Rondinone painting for $240,000, among other works. Thaddeus Ropac made
significant sales including a painting by Georg Baselitz for €1m and a painting
by Alex Katz for $800,000. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery placed multiple works,
including a Ruth Asawa sculpture in the region of $1m. Johyun reported
opening-day sales totaling seven figures from its dual presentation of Lee Bae
and Kishio Suga. Pace sold multiple works, including a 2021 installation by
James Turrell for $900,000, Robert Indiana’s 1966–1996 sculpture LOVE (Red
Outside Blue Inside) for $600,000 and a new painting by Loie Hollowell for
$325,000. Many galleries reported sold out booths and sales were brisk.
For
those of us not able to buy works at the gallery booths, it was an opportunity
to see works not normally shown here in Los Angeles. Almost every booth
contained strong and impressive works of art. It was difficult to determine
which booth and gallery were the best of the fair. In the end, the best booths
were those that went above the good quality that was prevalent at Frieze Los
Angeles. These were best booths at Frieze Los Angeles.
Dastan Gallery – This gallery has a special place in my heart. Based in Tehran, Iran, Dastan never fails to provide thought provoking and poetic displays. This year’s booth was a memorial to a deceased artist whose work ruminated on a poem about life and pots. The allegorical poem is a reflection of both the existence of life and its fragility. Themed around Earthenware Imagery, specifically the earthenware jar and how it is implemented in the quatrains of Omar Khayyam. The exhibition features artworks by Reza Abedini, Hadi Alijani, Reza Aramesh, Ida Aslanian, Sahand Hesamiyan, Hoda Kashiha, Mirza Hamid, Jacopo Pagine, Roksana Pirouzmand, Iman Raad, and Mamali Shafahi & Domenico Gutknecht. The booth is provocative and runs deep. This was both Dastan and Frieze at its best. Being more than a display, the booth was an experience that caused reflection and contemplation.
Almine Rech – Almine Rech presented a solo show of Tomokazu
"Matsu" Matsuyama’s paintings. Matsuyama’s works are visually
stunning combining both Japanese and Western aesthetic that create an almost immersive
experience. Using Japanese visual language of flatness, décor, and color,
Matsuyama portrays domesticity with a queer subjectivity that encompasses the
pictorial field. The installation’s palate compliments the experience for the
viewer. Almine Rech’s was one of the best at Frieze by far.
James Cohan – Eamon Ore-Giron’s paintings are rich with
color, form and compositional panache. Using Mexican and indigenous pictorial
strategies, Ore-Giron explores a kind of sacred geometry that provides a
connection to the artist’s Peruvian heritage and to the viewer which receives a
beautiful and transformative experience. Ore-Giron’s painting depict gods that
are both from a lost past but also from an emerging future. The work is
compelling both symbolically and visually. James Cohan’s booth was an amazing
experience.
Gagosian – In 2001, Chris Burden participated in the seventh
Istanbul Biennial with “Nomadic Folly,” a large-scale installation and
sculpture made up of oriental textile tents. Viewers were allowed to meet,
gather and socialize inside each tent. This installation was one of the most
popular at Frieze. It gave a sense of community and belonging. After the walking
and looking, “Nomadic Folly” offered visitors a nice resting place and communal
meeting spot. It demonstrates Burden’s unique ability to combine social engagement
and art. It’s a brilliant piece of work and its placement makes it even more
splendid.
Paul Kasmin – Diana Al-Hadid was featured at the Paul Kasmin
booth. What made this booth’s work so impressive was Al-Hadid’s ability to
portray both control and instability. Chaos and control. The paintings are contradictory
in nature and yet seem in harmony with the picture plane. Each work was a
visual challenge to notions stability and the idea of painting itself as a flat
self contained medium. The gesture escapes, weaves, and gives the impression of
coming apart while staying in place. During a recent trip to New York, I saw
Al-Hadid’s installation at the subway station at Madison Square Garden. Her work exudes the same kind of confidence that welcomes travelers and commuters
daily.
David Kordansky – Maia Cruz Palileo solo booth for David
Kordansky’s was a terrific introduction to Los Angeles. Both the booth and her current
solo show, Palileo explores identity, nature, and perception. Based on their
familial experiences in the Philippines, Palilieo is a master of the optical
where figures appear and disappear within the canvas. Deep jungle and green landscapes hide and
reveal a complicated history that is both personal and political. Smartly
composed and stunning in their presentation, I was struck by Palileo’s focus
and urging of the viewer to seek that which is uncomfortable and haunting. I am
definitely looking forward to seeing more of Palileo’s work in the future.
Among the galleries that had group exhibitions, Night Gallery, David Zwirner, Pace, and Xavier Hufkins were definitely notable with works by Elizabeth Peyton, Dahn Vo, Nicole Eisenmann, James Turell, Lisa Yuskavage, Tracy Emin, Jesse Mockrin, Cynthia Daignault and John Currin. The Focus group of booths curated by Essence Harden was excellent with the emphasis on personal memory and public histories with Carlye Packer and Superposition being the best booths within the group. Frieze was at its best with galleries, both solo and group shows giving everyone something to savor and enjoy.
In the end, Frieze Los Angeles was a roaring success. The Los Angeles art community came together, raised money for the fire victims, and demonstrated to the world its endurance. Yet at the end of Frieze on Sunday night, on my way back to my car, I was thinking about Los Angeles as one of the many centers for the art world. There is no doubt that Los Angeles has attracted many world class art galleries, art spaces, and museums. It is now grown up and no longer provincial. I look forward to Frieze Los Angeles returning. With its return, more collectors and more galleries. Frieze’s success is also the success of every art fair in the area.
