Power play: artist Augustas Serapinas gets physical for Frieze Live

As Frieze takes over Regent's Park, bringing with it throngs of curious tourists, bustling press personnel and the art world glitterati, thousands of local London joggers have been re-routed. At least, this is the thinking behind Emalin gallery's 'art work-out' sessions as part of Frieze Live – 'a way for locals to reclaim the space', explains the gallery's co-director Angelina Volk.
Bringing this heart rate-raising concept to life is Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas. 'Jõusaal (Gym)' – a series of four live performances taking place during Frieze Art Fair – restages a work that Serapinas initially conceived in residence at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. He stumbled upon piles of relinquished, half-finished sculptures discarded by long-gone fine art students, transforming them into dumbbells, weights and other such examples of gym equipment with terrifying names such as Agonist and Ripper.
Lycra-clad Londoners, who prowl the park regularly, have been employed as unlikely performance artists to brave Jõusaal, using it as they would an ordinary gym, in place of their daily jogging routine, merging art with novel, tongue-in-cheek function.
These live performances complement an exhibition from Serapinas, named 'Housewarming', at Emalin's new space on Bethnal Green Road in Shoreditch – the pop-up gallery's first permanent space. Like the performances, visitors are invited to become part of the installation. 'Both installations are predicated on engaging people who might otherwise be less invested in the arts with the artwork,' Volk explains. 'At "Housewarming", which features a fully functional sauna, visitors are invited to use the space as they would a regular sauna – with towels, swimsuits, and a shower provided.'
Whether offering avant-garde exercise, or a post-work-out spa session, Emalin is taking immersive to a whole new level, and seems intent on making its audience sweat.
Ripper, 2016. The performances restage a work that Serapinas initially conceived in residence at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn
Left: Agonist, 2016. Right: Arm Blaster, 2016
INFORMATION
’Jõusaal (Gym)’ is on view until 9 October. For more information, visit the Emalin website
Photography courtesy Emalin
ADDRESS
Emalin
Unit 4
Huntingdon Estate
Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6JU
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
SMAC Venice hosts a substantial show about celebrated Australian modernist Harry Seidler
A comprehensive overview of the life and work of the late architect Harry Seidler helped inaugurate Venice’s new SMAC gallery in Piazza San Marco
-
Sex, scent and celebrity: what perfume ads of the 2000s reveal about consumer culture today
In All-American Ads of the 2000s, the latest instalment of Taschen’s book series chronicling print advertising across ten decades, a section on perfume is a striking precursor for consumerism in the age of social media
-
Shola Branson draws from the antique and modern for his must-have jewellery pieces
Shola Branson's jewellery in SMO gold combines a range of eclectic influences
-
The alternative art fairs championing emerging artists
The lower barrier to entry to these smaller and specialist art fairs make them hubs of grassroots creativity, allowing emerging names to establish a foothold in the industry
-
The Tate Modern is hosting a weekend of free events. Here's what to see
From 9 -12 May, check out art, attend a lecture, or get your groove on during the museum's epic Birthday Weekender
-
Artist Zumba Luzamba on the vibrant aesthetic of Congolese fashion rebels, the sapeurs
The Congolese artist takes a deep dive into a fashion subculture in his show at London's Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery. ‘I draw people in with style so that they can sit with deeper themes,’ he says
-
‘The work is an extension of myself’: Michaela Yearwood-Dan on her debut show at Hauser & Wirth
London-based artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan continues her rapid rise, unveiling monumental new paintings in ‘No Time for Despair’
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate Modern
The 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
-
Meet the Turner Prize 2025 shortlisted artists
Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are in the running for the Turner Prize 2025 – here they are with their work
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion