Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Regents Park, London
11-14 October 2007
Reviewed by: Tom Duggan
I had heard things about Frieze, was it really just a car boot sale for all the big galleries to bring their best stock along and flog it to rich people? Well yes actually, it was. I think I had seen about three or four Blackberry phones before going and I believe I have now seen over a hundred. The whole thing was rudely two tiered; you could tell who was there to look and who was there to buy.
There was the poor persons place to eat where a cheese sandwich was just shy of three pounds and alternatively there was a posh restaurant where everyone wore black and bottles of champagne were delivered by suited waiters. Around the corner, was the VIP area, what made you one or who decided was completely unknown, like an exclusive secret club. Certain people would walk up and be allowed past the doorman, whilst others were told that the toilets were elsewhere and embarrassedly walked away.
Men with glossy hair and linen trousers paraded with their young wives discussing whether the seventy five grand Franz West would look best in the Venice home or the Zurich home. I didn't feel intimidated, I felt thankful. Thank god I know now who I never want to be like.
The art there was of a sellable nature, nothing overly awkward. I saw two pieces of video work, and two more involving performance but this is in a show of over 150 galleries, major ones. Each showcasing an average I reckon, of about 6-8 different works of art, that's at least a thousand works. Everything is for sale. Ready, so that once Monday comes it can be packed, shipped, and delivered. Its all about the money.
Frieze, to say the least, is a disgrace. It makes you feel ashamed to contribute to art. Ashamed to want to contribute. Ethics are discussed within the art, but they are almost taboo and reserved singularly for discussion. I don't want rich people to buy the things that I make. I don't want to produce things for those people. I'm not even sure I want to make things anymore, not if this is where they are supposed to end up.
It was packed, I did see some good art through the swarms of bodies but the atmosphere hardly favours any subtle work. My favourite thing there was probably a cardboard and scaffolding construction (commissioned by Frieze) that formed a small cinema showing a Woody Allen film. This quiet refuge provided a haven from the loud everything else, loud people, loud art, loud words, books, attendants.
Zoo by comparison, is principally the same thing; it's not quite so high profile but still seemed to be largely there for the self-emulation of galleries. I certainly preferred the art at Zoo, there was some brilliant Kinetic sculpture and some rather witty works. The size of Zoo was manageable, and there were less people everywhere, thus the work was accessible. I think there is much more to say about Zoo, there are agendas present, but also a reassuring aura of optimism.
Zoo is like a degree show and Frieze a car showroom. It isn't fair to compare Zoo to Frieze in five hundred words. There are undoubtedly a lot of galleries that are newer or less renowned than those at Frieze and see Zoo as a steppingstone on the way to recognition. But at Zoo, I got the feeling that there are artists, gallerists and curators out there who manage to care about the art more than the money.
Venue detail:
Frieze Art Fair
Regents Park
www.friezeartfair.com
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