Frieze: A Preview of the Madness

The talk of the day at Frieze Art Fair, from some grasped snippets of conversation, was a Yacht. It was, quite literally just a yacht that the artist Christian Jankowski was going to sign. Apparently this sort of thing is called “ready made art” and “the viewer gets to decide onwhether or not to consider it art”. How lucky for “the viewer” right? It is necessary to have a vast amount of cheek in order to get away with it. I was not convinced although, as someone very kindly put it, “Yeah… but you get the signature!”.

In spite of all the rubbish that makes it into Frieze in the sacred name of Art, there were many beautiful objects worth looking at. The following comments are simply on a few personal favourites.

Yeah... but you get the signature!

At the Gagosian stand was a banana suspended by two strings and projected onto the wall to look like a wine bottle. This sounds rather silly; in person it is captivating. Work by Carsten Nicolai at Galleries Pace, Eigen and Lorcan O’Neill, is as elegant as it is complex. He brings together the seemingly opposing worlds of art and mathematics with mesmerizing designs. Finally, some striking collaged books by young Czech artist Eva Kotatkova, also caught my eye.

By seven in the evening, after 6 solid hours, there has been a torrent of art shoved down your eyes, your throat, your ears, and they can take little else. You are in an arty stupor and wandering through the ether, drinking in only the atmosphere, the characters, and hopefully the champagne. Because Frieze Art Fair is just as much about the people traipsing through it as it is about Art. There are some wonderfully mad ones, in the best sense of the word.

Frieze Art Fair, 13 October – 16th October. Tickets from £27