Frieze Art Fair

Frieze Art Fair is an event that takes place every October in Regents Park, London. It features more than 150 international galleries, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to see and buy art by world leading artists.

We attended the fair on the first day of public opening. Each section represented a separate gallery. As I walked from one to the next the displayed works projected freshness, it was obvious that the art’s existence here was only a temporary arrangement. Instead of snaking around the Fair in alphabetical order we ended up playing it by eye, leaving it up to our natural attraction and interest to lead the way. The sheer size of the temporary building and the overwhelming amount of work being displayed meant that as the viewer, before long, works were being overlooked. It was interesting to note this dismissal. Connection to an art piece is a subjective response, but some works were more popular than others on a collective level.

Overall the day seemed very sales orientated, the individuals working in each section became less like invigilators and more like salespeople. This was disappointing because when questions were asked about the works a response similar to a sales pitch was replied, even to viewers like me who, I would assume, were obviously unlikely to be buyers. It became as though I was walking around a 3-dimensional catalogue. The impact of my preferred pieces was diluted by the quantity of work and the ‘wrong’ intention of a large proportion of the viewers. I believe that the authenticity or ‘magic’ of art is what makes it powerful or worthwhile, and not the price tag.

I was affected by the piece titled “The Thinker” (artist unknown). The concept was describing intellectual equality, which was highly relevant to the event as a whole. The table top with wine bottle and glass is held up by the figure below wrapped in an old quilt. I felt the artist was trying to express the respect given to those who hold wealth over those who think about the ‘true meaning’ of life.

Another work of interest was by an artist who does not belong to a gallery. On revision I believe she would probably call this a ‘found object’, because that is exactly what it is. The piece of glasses frame was found in exactly this way, and although there is an urge as the viewer to question “why?” I believe that the object gives most impact when it is just accepted as being.

Art like this excites me. There is something innocent and pure here that does not relate to money. In my opinion the creation of art should not focus on selling to individuals who appear to have more money than sense.

Something I read written by the artist Wolfgang Tillman’s in interview with Isa Genzken is this, “you can divide art into two groups. One consists in the will to show: I am making something. The other arises from an immediate interest in the world and things.” This is one area of debate I face when making art, I feel art that is forced or contrived can become worthless.

An example of art created by people outside this network of high society galleries is shown in The Museum of Everything, which has opened this month, in Primrose Hill, London. At present the museum is showing over 200 drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations all made by people described as ‘unknowns’. James Brett, creator of the Museum, says: "For these artists there are no studios, no press junkets, no art fairs, no magazine spread. Instead there are treasure troves of untrained work, discovered under rocks, in basements and attics, its creators often unaware that their art would ever see the light of day."