The sixth edition of Frieze New York will be presented at Randall’s Island Park from May 5 – 7, 2017, with an invitation-only preview on Thursday May 4. Convening more than 200 galleries from 30 countries, the fair showcases an unparalleled program of ambitious presentations by today’s most significant international artists, ranging from emerging contemporary talents to iconic and rediscovered 20th-century masters. Frieze New York is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank for the sixth consecutive year, continuing a shared commitment to discovery and artistic excellence.
Frieze New York provides vital insight into artistic practice worldwide, with galleries joining from six continents, including first-time exhibitors from Brazil, Guatemala, Japan and Poland. With museum-quality presentations, curated sections for modern pioneers and emerging galleries, newly commissioned artist projects, and a series of talks by leading cultural figures, Frieze New York brings together major institutional and private collectors, art scholars and enthusiasts.
This year’s fair will showcase top-tier modern and contemporary gallery programs from around the world, including returning exhibitors Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (New York), Tanya Bonakdar (New York), Matthew Marks Gallery (New York), Marian Goodman Gallery (New York), David Zwirner (New York), Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo), The Modern Institute (Glasgow), Foksal Gallery Foundation (Warsaw), Chantal Crousel (Paris) and Sprüth Magers (Berlin). This year’s fair will see a growing presence of 20th-century art, with the return of Acquavella (New York), Lévy Gorvy (New York) and Skarstedt (New York) showing contemporary and modern work, alongside new exhibitors with a particular strength in 20th-century masters, such as Castelli Gallery (New York), Bernard Jacobson Gallery (London), Eykyn MacLean (London and New York) and Axel Vervoordt Gallery (Antwerp). Frieze New York also continues to grow as a platform for the world’s most exciting emerging galleries, with exhibitors including VI, VII (Oslo), Bridget Donahue (New York) and Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala City) joining the fair for the first time.
Organized by Victoria Siddall (Director, Frieze Fairs) alongside Artistic Directors Abby Bangser and Jo Stella-Sawicka, Frieze New York’s exceptional quality is further strengthened by a team of independent curators. Toby Kamps (The Menil Collection, Houston) will curate the expanded Spotlight section for the first time, alongside Cecilia Alemani (High Line Art, New York / Italian Pavilion 2017 Venice Biennale) organizing Frieze Projects, and Jacob Proctor (Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of Chicago) and Fabian Schöneich (Portikus, Frankfurt) returning as curatorial advisors for the Frame section.
The fair is mounted in a light-filled structure designed specifically for the presentation of works of art, providing an immersive experience that interweaves art, culture, nature and the urban landscape. This unique setting provides a space for visitors to enjoy pop-ups of the city’s best restaurants and stands presented by distinguished non-profit institutions, all overlooking the East River and the New York City skyline.
“Frieze New York continues to evolve and this year galleries are bringing presentations of greater breadth and quality than ever before, reflecting the diverse cultural interests of our audience.” noted Victoria Siddall (Director, Frieze Fairs). “The increased presence of 20th-century art at Frieze New York will create a great context for the many contemporary galleries in the fair and will open up fascinating dialogues. Visitors can look forward to discovering emerging talents from Guatemala to Japan, as well as Toby Kamps’s new perspective on Spotlight and Cecilia Alemani’s inspired artist commissions. All of this will be at the heart of an unmissable week of exhibitions and events across New York City.”
Frieze New York features three special platforms that ensure a diverse representation of artistic practices from around the globe:
Spotlight, expanding to 31 stands this year and curated for the first time by Toby Kamps (Menil Collection, Houston), this section reveals foundational moments in art history since 1960, and fosters new research into artists from emerging countries, as well as rarely seen work by iconic figures of the avantgarde. This year sees increased participation by younger exhibitors, alongside more established galleries, all sharing a common interest in artistic reexamination.
Frame, advised by Jacob Proctor (Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of Chicago) and Fabian Schöneich (Portikus, Frankfurt), grows increasingly international this year, featuring 17 emerging galleries from 13 countries. A section for experimentation, Frame presents solo shows by today’s most exciting new artists.
Focus, a platform that subsidizes today’s strongest young galleries to showcase their programs in stands throughout the fair, will feature 30 galleries from Mumbai to Rio de Janeiro.
Further information on key themes and presentations of Frieze New York 2017 follows below, and additional details will be announced over the coming months.
20th-Century Art Contextualizing Contemporary Work
Building on Frieze’s reputation for showcasing modern artists, this year’s fair features a growing presence of galleries exhibiting significant works from the 20th century alongside masters of contemporary art. Nurturing a rising culture of cross-collecting, Frieze New York 2017 integrates aspects of the successful Frieze Masters model to present rare and insightful juxtapositions across art history. Returning exhibitors including Acquavella (New York), Hauser & Wirth (New York), Lévy Gorvy (New York) and Skarstedt (New York) will curate cross-generational dialogues between modern works and new contemporary art, shedding light on the evolution of artistic practice. A number of international galleries specializing in 20th-century art will also make their Frieze New York debut this year, including Daniel Blau (Munich), Eykyn Maclean (New York), and The Mayor Gallery (London).
In addition, acknowledging the enduring influence of tribal art on avant-garde artists of the 20th century and today, three eminent galleries and founding Frieze Masters exhibitors – Donald Ellis (New York and Vancouver), L & R Entwistle and Co (London) and Galerie Meyer – Oceanic Art (Paris) – will participate in Frieze New York for the first time.
These presentations of modern masters and their tribal influences are complemented by the expanded Spotlight section, which will highlight solo artist presentations of 31 pioneers of 20th-century practice, such as Thomas Kovachevich (Callicoon Fine Arts, New York); self-taught artist Felipe Jesus Consalvos (Fleisher / Ollman, Philadelphia); Barbara Chase-Riboud (Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York); and Dom Sylvester Houédard—a Benedictine monk turned counter-culture cult figure of 1960s London (Richard Saltoun Gallery, London).
“Spotlight at Frieze New York brings together an extraordinary range of presentations, providing rare, intimate glimpses into the practices of leading figures of the 20th century as well as introductions to some of their underrecognized contemporaries from around the world,” noted Toby Kamps, curator of the Spotlight section. “The galleries joining Spotlight this year reveal foundational moments in art history through their presentations of influential artists of diverse practices, ranging from downtown denizens of New York such as Kenny Scharf and Jaime Davidovich, to purveyors of ‘hippie modernism’ like USCO (The Company of Us) and Gerd Stern and artists exploring forms of concrete poetry such as Dom Sylvester Houédard and Irma Blank. In addition to shedding light on the origins of key ideas at the root of contemporary practice, this year’s Spotlight section highlights work that has been long overlooked but gains resonance in the context of contemporary society.”
Leading Platform for Galleries Across the Americas
Frieze New York continues to grow as a platform for established and emerging galleries and artists in the U.S. and throughout the Americas. Many of New York’s most stimulating young galleries are participating in the fair this year, including returning exhibitors David Lewis and Rachel Uffner, along with new additions including Chapter NY, Bridget Donahue, and On Stellar Rays. From South America, Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala City) – recipient of the 2016 Focus Stand Prize at Frieze London, Galeria Luisa Strina (São Paulo) and Walden (Buenos Aires) will make their fair debuts alongside returning galleries such as Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel (São Paulo), Instituto de Visión (Bogotá), and Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo). With 19 galleries participating from California, including Los Angeles-based Blum & Poe, David Kordansky Gallery, and Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Frieze New York continues to strengthen its role as the preeminent fair in the United States— connecting major New York-based and international collectors and institutions with leading galleries and artists from across the Americas.
Engagement with Political and Social Issues
Following a year of upheaval and conflicts around the world, many galleries will showcase artists that grapple with pressing social and political issues of our time, ranging from legacies of colonialism, to the politics of feminism, to the dynamics of power and the dissemination of information in an increasingly digital world.
In the main section, Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris/Brussels) will bring a solo presentation by Andres Serrano, showing his emblematic photographic series “America”. Chi-Wen Gallery (Taipei) will move from Focus into the main section this year, with works by Chien-Chi Chang and Yin-Ju Chen, looking at history, memory, and human destruction. Galerie Lelong (New York) will concentrate on both historic and recent work by four artists— Alfredo Jaar, Nalini Malani, Hélio Oiticica, and Nancy Spero—looking at issues including media bias and misperception and the experiences of refugees. The Third Line (Dubai) will present a solo stand of work by Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri exploring the common ground between Iran and the West. Among the galleries exploring feminist issues, Salon 94 (New York) will feature works by three women artists— Huma Bhabha, Francesca DiMattio, and Katy Grannan—offering commentary on issues of race, gender, class and sexuality; and Galleri Magnus Karlsson (Stockholm) will present a thematic stand curated around the question of what it means for works of art to be designated as “female”.
