‘Frieze’ the Highlights

Art and design have cradled the city of London over the past month. Kicking off with London Fashion Week, we saw skirts for swishing, and adapted t-shirts, with sheer materials everywhere! Design is up in the air still, followed by London Design Week with materials and emotions, heritage, and sustainability being the key themes. Closing in on the months of creative and design we were presented with Frieze Art Festival in the past week. The International art fair in London returns for another year. Coming together with art across all mediums of sculpture, paintings, cinema, and architecture forms a community. For Frieze Art Fair 2022, a community of emotions ran through the fair. Find out more in “Frieze” the Highlights here. 

Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Frieze London takes place every October in London’s Regent’s Park. The art fair was founded in 2003 by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover. Eva Langret is the Director of Frieze London. The fair is one of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs, focusing only on contemporary art and living artists.

Bringing art into any environment plays a significant role in encouraging lasting economic growth, creating and sustaining cultural identity, and creating a sense of belonging across all talents. Setting a community within the artistic sphere attracts people to all types of unique art to push a release of feeling inspired, and connected, and to evoke emotion. Whether the emotional value of art is joy, intensity, anger, or the feeling of being overwhelmed helps creates a bounding community. 

Frieze Fair 2022 steeped into multiple communities of art, let’s take a dive into what was rising at Frieze exhibitions 2022. 

The development of technology has continued to walk hand-in-hand with artistic concepts. Art has changed in regard to how it is created and shared. To enable groundbreaking artists and their innovative expressions to gain access to a whole new audience group beyond the conventional boundaries of the art world. 

Moving forward with the world known to be overwhelmed with technology. Japanese American artist KATSU began as a graffiti writer on the streets of New York in the early 2000s and has been developing his artistic output ever since. Through the use of drone technology, video, sculpture, and public intervention, KATSU explores drone technology to create paintings. 

The artist programmes his drone to create portraits, landscapes, and abstract dot paintings. The outcome is produced through custom-built painting drones and specialised software. Whilst the final product is not exclusively made by the artist but instead is a collaborative connection between humans and machines. A sense of traditional human interaction with art is counteracted whereby there isn’t a direct performance that is made by the artist. But knowledge and information are used to create the art instead. 

KATSU, exhibition OMNI, Mecha

From new technology to historical archives, artist Joy Labinjo is known for her colourful large-scale paintings rooted in her British-Nigerian heritage and experiences and emotions as a black woman living in the UK. Vivid colours and lively patterns portrayed by old photograph albums found images and historical archives collaging compositions together on a computer. The technique creates a lively narrative.

Tschabalala Self, Lady in Yellow on Spiral Seat- image courtesy of the artist and Avant Arte

The terms Pyotr Pavlensky’s works are driven by power and politics. Pavlensky exercises the move of political power events. Babestation, a well-known TV, and Adult channel are proud to sponsor the launch of Pavlensky’s new works at a/political’s new exhibition space in the UK first. Within this exhibition, Pavlensky introduces his theory of ‘Subject-Object Art’, utilising three milestone events as case studies: Threat (2015), Lighting (2018), and Pornopolitics (2020). 

Subject-Object Art is based on the existence of the phenomenon of power. Power is control and governance, whereby if the power stops controlling and governing; it will stop. There are two components necessary for power to exist: those who govern, and those who are governed. It is necessary for subjects of power to continue to exercise. Which is what drives the work of Pavlensky. 

The artist Pavlensky is currently awaiting trial in France after his most recent artwork ‘Pornopolitics’ derailed French Mayoral elections and sent shockwaves through Macron’s La République En Marche, party. This unprecedented partnership linking pornography and fine art examines the artist’s right to artistic freedom as he exhibits the works for the first time. The artist says 

“The whole history of art is the history of the collision between artists and power.”

Every event that Pavlensky releases produces crucial social effects on the public. The reaction is manifested by the consequence of his destruction affected by the scale of the matter circumstance. 

Patching the idea of emotional feeling towards art in sense of emotional communities, Adrian Ghenie surveys and subverts historical and artistic narratives through his paintings, which aim to unearth feelings of vulnerability, frustration, or desire, and often draw on human experience and ideas of the collective unconscious. With eerie paintings forming mise-en-scènes, depicting starkly lit, quotidian spaces that evoke the artist’s own subconscious. It’s a place for the viewer to further an almost traumatic feeling of a dark space. 

Home is where the heart is, art in the environment of the home, or any home for that matter, is what artist Tschabalala Self works with. The artist explores paintings, drawings, sculptures, and, functional art objects in the style of a make-shift home. Imagined characters within domestic scenes are another way of saying an introvert who prefers to stay within the confines of home. The environments created can be appreciated as a connection of the viewer’s home comfort without the comfort of being in their own home. A narrative was created for people to relate to this idea of homebody comfort. 

The exhibition “Home Body” explores designed environments that see Self as using unnamed women and men interacting through functional art objects. Through scenes of distinctive, brightly colours geometry and pattern through two- dimensional and three-dimensional works.

In our ongoing support of the African heritage, the art community of the Frieze Art Festival is evident with over 20 articles about raising awareness, educating, and sharing experiences with present and historical archives to present their feelings. Including artists such as Dinga McCannon, Wahab Saheed, and Tyler Mitchell.

Social interactions can be perceived in many orders, such as with British artist Sahara Longe. The work of the artist involves bright colour abstract figures, bringing a sculptural narrative to her works. Longe’s characters mingle, they have discussions, and the interior lives and quiet dramas of these characters play out with a minimalist narrative. Presented often large in scale, the ambiguity of emotion reaches a complexity that becomes a signature. Longe’s practice is fascinating and timely, a joyful pleasure to wonder about the topics of conversation read beneath the brushstrokes. 

Time and art are two themes that conjoin with one another. In a sense that art changes over time but also standing time can also affect how artists feel and will display their works based on emotions and global events.

Pavel Otdelnov has deeply rooted his research on the relationship between time stance through landscape scenes. As an artist, Otdelnov has always been fascinated by the idea that it is possible to pause and observe the present time. Looking at his observations and research Otdelnov said

“You can imagine the past through the objects and the style of a given period, but we do not have a conceptual image of the present. The reality evades examination, it mimics the mundane, and the familiar, and becomes indistinguishable. I think it is possible to capture the present if you employ the “slowed-down gaze”, like a timelapse. This is how you notice the change in the familiar landscapes. A painting has this distance already embedded into it by virtue of being rooted in history. The static nature of painting is none other than the statically captured duration itself.”

Known for industrial landscape paintings. Otdelnov reenacts the critical commentary on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Associated with the war in Ukraine currently, Otdelnov mimics an almost time-lapse to capture a crucial time in his exhibition Acting Out. 

As spoken about how art and technology are continuing to prove a developing relationship. Immersive video installations can allow feelings physically and emotionally to be somewhere else. Taking on such an ambitious project to prove this. Richard Mosse takes viewers into the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.

The result of three years of filming in the world’s largest rainforest. ‘Broken Spectre’ takes on powerful and urgent representations of climate change. Using a range of scientific imaging technologies outputs a dramatic realisation of destruction to people and the planet.

Extending cutting-edge technology at 180 Studios Universal Everything features the largest UK solo show, Lifeforms. With 14 characterful and futuristic moving image artworks using cutting-edge generative technology. Creates immersive and mesmerising scenes of pushing the boundaries of materials, textiles, and movement through the installation.

SecuWarm colours such as red, yellow, and orange are ones that can spark a variety of emotions ranging from comfort and warmth to hostility and anger. Cool colours such as green, blue, and purple often spark feelings of calmness as well as sadness. Secundino Hernández presents time TIME, an exhibition of new paintings by the artist who is acclaimed for his spirited inquiry into language, history, and abstraction. With the outcome to be something of a unique creation of an image that uses line, form, gesture, and colour. With too the use of negative space to create diverse influences of emotion. Whilst most of his paintings are playoff neutral tones, the emotion drives through his works. 

Drawing you into art that’s out of this world into a world currently in. Jeremy Olson, This Time of Monster’s second solo exhibition with Unit London draws in anthropomorphic monsters that live on the precipice of imminent catastrophe, yet they check their cellphones, lounge around reading, play, party, and entertain. The paintings exhibit a state of in-betweenness, addressing the current social, political, economic, and environmental uncertainty. Whilst these subjects would suggest disaster and collapse, the way Olson forays his work uses a sense of hope and humour. The cartoonish monster’s appearance suggests to be depicted as kind and nurturing, confused, introspective, and in most cases, party. 

Olson has been attracted to the concept of monsters since childhood, the artist grew up watching scary movies, the 1950s Godzilla films, and David Cronenberg’s body horror. As an adult, Olson’s fascination with monsters takes shape in their potential meaning as something metaphorical, socio-political, or psychoanalytical. Playing with perspectives the artist uses the subject of the monster, reconciling it with something human, interacting as humans do. Forming a connection of a relationship as the humorous scenes become instantly relatable. 

Jeremy Olson “and never went outside again” oil on panel

The study of how people from certain cultures use indigenous plants featured in Frieze London 2022 as part of Indra’s Net, curated by Sandhini Poddar. Artist Patricia Domínguez is trained in contemporary art as well as in traditional botanical illustration, Domínguez assembles futuristic totems which interconnect with plants. Exploring vegetal intelligence and giving meaning to its species by sharing a common spirit. Understanding the relationship of energy in vegetation. After spending time in Switzerland, learning about quantum physics, coupled with a month-long recent stay with a plant healer in Peru, to produce the totem at Frieze London.

In collaboration for the exhibition with ancient Buddhist and Hindu thought forms, Indra’s Net refers to the ethics of being, where an individual atom holds within it the structure of reality. For all sentient life is interconnected; shifts to one atom subtly alter the rest.

Patricia Domínguez, Plant Saga, 2019, Watercolour on paper

This year, the first-ever group exhibition presented by Venture Arts was named YESS LAD. The group exhibition of artists in collaboration with award-winning charity Venture Arts. Venture Arts is a visual arts studio in Manchester that works with learning-disabled artists to create and showcase new contemporary visual art. Showing together for the first time in London, the exhibition presents eight artists presenting inspiring, humorous, and vibrant works in a variety of mediums, from ceramics to drawing, painting, and photography.

Horace Lindezey, images courtesy of Venture Arts

As part of this exhibition, the artists in collaboration go by the following Dominic Bennett, Violet Emsley, Barry Anthony Finan, Jennie Franklin, Horace Lindezey, Ahmed Mohammed, Leslie Thompson, and Terry Williams.

Barry Anthony Finan, images courtesy of Venture Arts

Each one of these artists has a unique identity and visual language through the themes of their art and influences. Inspiration for their works comes from the landscape of places and people close to the artists, as well as personal memories and histories. Popular culture is also a strong influence, especially on television programmes and personalities and characters from fiction. The Venture Arts have found and ensured innovative ways to keep their artists’ creative practices going.

Jennie Franklin, images courtesy of Venture Arts

Venture Arts is an award-winning visual arts charity based in Hulme, Manchester. Prioritising the artist’s visions into a world in which people learning disabled artists are empowered, celebrated, included, and valued in the arts, culture, and society. Endeavoring their mission to shape a new cultural landscape where people with learning disabilities reach their potential as artists, curators, critics, audiences, participants, and advocates.

Celebrating artists at Frieze, In an exhibition for Muse, Rolls-Royce’s arts programme, held by Rolls Royce. Young artists were invited to reimagine the Spirit of Ecstasy a creative programme through collaboration, the young artists strived to push technical and conceptual boundaries. Following tradition and innovation, the winners embarked on the chance to bring their ideas to life by working intimately with a specialist team at Rolls-Royce. 

This year the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy,’ programme asked young artists to focus on textiles. Bi Rongrong, Ghizlane Sahli, and Scarlett Yang were the emerging artists selected as winners, respectively using stitching, a material newly invented from algae extract and silk protein, and recycled mixed media. The exhibition showcased the product and materials involved in reimagining the Spirit of Ecstasy for Rolls Royce.

Image Rolls-Royce, Muse, Rolls-Royce Arts Programme, from left to right, Ghizlane Sahli, Scarlett Yang, Bi Rongrong

Continuing a celebration, Moncler celebrates its 70 years anniversary in London during the Frieze Art Fair. The Extraordinary Expedition exhibition with Moncler invites visitors on an immersive journey. Visitors will embark on a multisensory experience. The immersive experience will take place in three cities: New York, London, and Seoul. The immersive experience will take visitors to fully immerse themselves in Moncler’s past, present, and future of design and creatives.

Ending Frieze Art Fair 2022 on an incredible high as the festival has already been presented with so far. Every year the Art Festival honours one artist with the Frieze Art Award. Established in 2013, the award provides an emerging artist with the platform to debut an ambitious new commission on the occasion of Frieze London. The 2022 Frieze Artist Award this year was announced to be awarded to installation artist Abbas Zahedi. 

The work of Zahedi involved two different site installations exploring the artist’s research into the potential of sound to hold and create space. The first part of the installation situates one part at the start of the fair involving a wooden structure co-designed with designers Harley Gray, Bassam Ibellini, and Neurofringe, echoing the architectural forms of modernist bus stops. Over the course of the fair, this structure will host a series of live activations each of which will be broadcast, via a DIY radio, both online and into the heart of the fair. 

This year at Frieze, participating artists were asked to consider sustainable approaches in their production and installation processes. In line with the prize’s criteria, Zahedi’s commission will utilise reusable and sustainably sourced materials and will seek to minimise any disruptive impact on the installation’s site. 

If you enjoyed reading ‘Frieze’ The Highlights Here why not try reading ‘Marvellous Miniatures here. 

.Cent Magazine, London. Be Inspired; Get Involved.