Frieze Art Fair London 2014: the Wallpaper* edit

Art / 16 Oct 2014 / Nick Compton

'Sleeping Guard' by Christoph Büchel, at the Hauser & Wirth stand at Frieze Art Fair 2014. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze. Photography: Linda Nylind

Address: Frieze London
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4PJ

The sleeping security guard is already the star of this year’s edition of Frieze. He sits, we assume he sits there still, head propped against a wall of the Hauser & Wirth stand, snoozing oblivious, tweeted and Instagrammed, gone social, possibly even viral. It doesn’t look like a happy sleep, or a tormented sleep or an active sleep, just a standard preparation for death sleep. Frieze can get you that way.

Visitors look at the tagged-up security guide and smile or think about a prod. Is he art or just a lazy sentinel? He is art of course - phew, no unpleasantness required then - actually Sleeping Guard by Christoph Büchel. And he is part of what is easily the most interesting and successfully conceived stand at the fair.

Curated by Mark Wallinger, a new signing for Hauser & Wirth, the stand is cluttered and domestic. Titled ’A Study in Red and Green’, it is a take on Sigmund Freud’s study in Hampstead and greater than the sum of its Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed, Paul McCarthy, Roni Horn, Subodh Gupta (amongst others) parts. It feels nocturnal, like the seemingly random-but-not-stops of a restless unconscious. Perhaps these are the security guard’s dreams. Who knows what he has seen. There are other interesting things to look at, disorientating and random in their own way, but nothing as arresting.

Carsten Höller has created a kindergarten at the Gagosian stand. Which is nice. Cory Arcangel’s carpet on the Lisson Gallery stand is a success. The gallery goes big on Arcangel’s video pieces and Ryan Gander’s concrete sculptures and to good effect. Thomas Dane’s stand is well composed and I liked the paintings by Ella Kruglyanskaya, a New York-based Latvian, at the Gavin Brown stand which looked French and flighty and funny though no one else seemed much taken.

There is a strong showing from Brazilian galleries this year, including Galeria Luisa Strina from Sao Paulo and the excellent A Gentil Carioca from Rio. They are a welcome addition to the mix, even if most of the action is around the cluster of blue chips during the press and VIP opening (how ’V’ is always hard to know. The Frieze caste system remains impenetrable.)

The experience (more of an ’assault’ in the past) is also generally more civilised this year. BarberOsgerby’s Universal Design Studio has designed the tent and the aisles are wide and there is more air in the air but still too few places to sit down and get your bearings. The VIPs - men in art scarves and art spectacles, tottering ladies in leopard print skirts with taut, tortured looking faces - are as worth watching as ever. And listening too.

The more abundant air is kissed, dinner arrangements made (and probably forgotten) before they wobble or glide back to their idling luxury sedans which will spend much of the rest of the day snarled and stuttering amongst other luxury sedans. While our security guard, happily or unhappily, remains oblivious.

Curated by Mark Wallinger, the Hauser & Wirth stand is cluttered and domestic. Titled 'A Study in Red and Green', it is a take on Sigmund Freud's study in Hampstead and greater than the sum of its Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed, Paul McCarthy, Roni Horn, Subodh Gupta (amongst others) parts. Courtesy of the artists and Hauser & Wirth. Photography: Alex Delfanne

Thomas Dane presents a well composed outing this year with works including: 'Green Streamer' by Phillip King, 1970; 'Stack VIII' by Michael Landy, 1990; 'Public Sculpture' by Alexandre de Cunha, 2014; 'Untitled (fingers)' by Steve McQueen, 2006; 'Untitled' by Kelley Walker, 2009; 'Untitled' by Walead Beshty, 2014

Installation view at the Lisson Gallery stand with works by Ryan Gander, Joyce Pensato and Cory Arcangel. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

'Bad Language (The iconography and abstraction of velocity explored)' by Ryan Gander, 2014, at the Lisson Gallery stand. © The artist. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

'Portenchoppader' by Ryan Gander, 2014, at the Lisson Gallery stand. © The artist. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

Cory Arcangel's carpet on the Lisson Gallery stand is a success. The gallery goes big on Arcangel's video pieces and Ryan Gander's concrete sculptures and to good effect. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

'Dinner/Lakes' by Cory Arcangel, 2014, at the Lisson Gallery stand. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery

'Mixed Emotions' by Tony Cragg, 2011, at the Marian Goodman stand. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery

Untitled (Study for 'Le Temps du Sommeil') by Francis Alÿs, 1995-2009, at the David Zwirner stand. The work encapsulates the way in which Alÿs has absorbed the role of painting as a narrative of prodigies, attitudes, and object relationships. Courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery

'Assets and Activities' by Jenny Holzer, 2013, at the Sprüth Magers stand. Courtesy of Sprüth Magers

New York gallery Gavin Brown is showing Ella Kruglyanskaya's flighty and funny paintings. Courtesy of David Zwirner

Carsten Höller has created a kindergarten at the Gagosian stand, playfully entitled 'Gartenkinder'. Courtesy of Carsten Höller and the Gagosian gallery

'Gartenkinder' by Carsten Höller, at the Gagosian stand. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery

Outside, in the English Gardens of Regent’s Park, the Frieze Sculpture Park is located a short walk from the fair. Pictured is 'Small Lie', by Kaws, 2013. Courtesy of Galerie Perrotin. Photography: Lowkey Productions

Meanwhile at Frieze Masters, Sprüth Magers is presenting works by Reinhard Mucha and Bernd and Hilla Becher. Courtesy of Sprüth Magers

'Probestück, Studio Piece', by Reinhard Mucha, 1982, at the Sprüth Magers stand. Courtesy of Sprüth Magers

Also at Frieze Masters, 'Thin Ridge Cardboard - Second One' by Jan Schoonhoven, 1965, at the David Zwirner stand. Courtesy of David Zwirner

Back inside the main fair, White Cube is presenting works by the likes of Liza Lou, Antony Gormley, Cerith Wyn Evans, Mona Hatoum, Rachel Kneebone, Doris Salcedo. Courtesy of White Cube. Photography: Patrick Dandy

Installation view at the White Cube stand. Photography: Patrick Dandy

'Tools and Toys III' by Enrico David, 2014, at the Michael Werner Gallery stand. Courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery

From the series 'Los Teatros de Saturno', by Adrian Villar Rojas, 2014, at the Marian Goodman stand. © The artist. Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery

'And what if know one believes in this truth?' by Ryan Gander, 2014, at the Lisson Gallery stand. © The artist. Courtesy of Lisson gallery

'A Glance at a Map' by Mark Bradford, 2014. *© The artist. Courtesy of White Cube. Photography: Jack Hems*

Installation view at the Victoria Miro stand. From left: 'Untitled' by Secundino Hernández, 2014; 'Art Fair: Booth #16 Sexual Politics', by Eric Fischl, 2014; and 'Ritual & Resistance (Desire)', by Chris Ofili, 2009. Courtesy of the artists and Victoria Miro, London

'Paradigm Study (Structural)' by Conrad Shawcross, 2014; 'Paradigm Study (Solid)' by Conrad Shawcross, 2014; 'British Museum Through My Window', by Celia Paul, 2013; and 'Separation' by Celia Paul, 2011, at the Victoria Miro stand. Courtesy of the artists and Victoria Miro, London

'Separation' by Celia Paul, 2011; 'Untitled, New York', by Francesca Woodman, 1979-80; 'Hogan's Alley', by Stan Douglas, 2014; 'INFINITY-NETS［AYCW]' by Yayoi Kusama, 2014; and 'Half S' (foreground), by Tal R, 2014, at the Victoria Miro stand. Courtesy of the artists and Victoria Miro, London

'Volume' by Dadamaino, 1959, at the David Zwirner stand. Courtesy of David Zwirner

'The Ringbook' by James Lee Byars, at the Michael Werner Gallery stand. Courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery

'Untitled' by Sigmar Polke, 2003, at the Michael Werner Gallery stand. Courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery

Address: Frieze London
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4PJ

Frieze Art Fair London 2014: the Wallpaper* edit

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