London Frieze and Paris FIAC art fairs take over the month of October
By Hemdat Kislev
Linda Nylind, Frieze London in Pictures, 2021. Photo: Frieze London.
This fall was packed with artistic events that kickstarted in September with Art Basel. But it was the month of October that has been an especially busy one for the art world, with two big art fairs taking place in London and Paris. The events stirred excitement among art lovers, as they were finally taking place in-person after operating online last year.
Frieze London took place from 13-17 October with booths from 276 galleries from 39 countries. It included displays by big-name galleries such as Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and David Zwirner, as well as an open air display in Regent’s Park and online viewing rooms.
“I think at this particular moment in time, and after everything that we’ve been through, it was really important for us to think about what the fair means as a platform and how it can contribute to elevating new voice,” said Frieze London artistic director Eva Langret.
The fair included three sections each dedicated to a theme. The section named ‘Focus’ was a space for young galleries, and included a solo presentation by Alberta Whittle, and contributions by galleries such as Arcadia Missa, Instituto de Visión and Tiwani Contemporary. The second section titled ‘Unworlding’ and curated by Cédric Fauq, touched on “the undoing of the world as we know it,” with works that dealt with deconstruction of the known and the emergence of something new. The third section, ‘Live’, was dedicated to live and performance art that was broadcasted online. It was curated by Languid Hands, a London based curatorial collective.
Günther Förg , Untitled, 2007. Photo: Bernhard Strauss/©2021 Estate Günther Förg, Suisse and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/Courtesy Estate Günther Förg, Suisse and Hauser & Wirth
The fair also reported strong sales, with works by well known names, such as Pablo Picasso or Yayoi Kusama, being sold next to works by contemporary artists. Some notable sales were the Kerry James Marshall painting sold by David Zwirner for $2.2 million to a major American collection, and the Günther Förg’s painting, Untitled (2007), sold by international gallery Hauser & Wirth for $1.7 million.
The Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain (FIAC) opened from 21 to 24 October 2021 at the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris. The fair included over 200 exhibitors, with galleries from all over the world, ranging from Contemporary Fine Arts from Berlin, to Öktem Aykut from Istanbul and Tokyo’s Tomio Koyama.
Katinka Bock, Leichtsinn and Speaker and Receiver, 2021. Photo: Courtesy Galerie Jocelyn Wolff
Some notable displays were spotted in the fair. In the booth by Berlin-based gallery Esther Schipper recreated a 1995 work by Philippe Parreno. Titled Iceman in a Reality Park, the work is made up of an ice sculpture of a snowman standing over a manhole cover. The Parisian Galerie Jocelyn Wolff exhibited sculptures by Katinka Bock. Made of ceramic pieces and partly suspended in midair, the large scale sculptures attracted much attention.
Bibliography:
Frieze. “Frieze London 2021: ‘Elevating New Voices’.” Accessed October 23, 2021. frieze.com/video/frieze-london-2021-elevating-new-voices
Durón, Maximilíano. “Frieze Lines Up 276 Exhibitors for In-Person London Fairs.” Artnews, August 19, 2021. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/frieze-london-frieze-masters-2021-exhibitor-lists-1234601939/
McCoole, Veena. “What Sold at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2021.” Artsy, October 18, 2021. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-sold-frieze-london-frieze-masters-2021
FIAC. “FIAC Galleries.” Accessed October 23, 2021. https://www.fiac.com/fr-fr/galeries.html
Belmont, Sarah. “The Best Booths at Paris’s 2021 FIAC Fair, From Ice Sculptures to a Ceramic Bank Vault.” October 21, 2021. https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/fiac-2021-best-booths-1234607692/