highlights and insights from frieze new york 2021 at the shed

frieze new york 2021 kicks off its tenth edition today, may 5, marking the first in-person, single-venue fair in the city since the armory show last year. taking place for the first time at the shed — the telescopic, adaptable structure by DS+R in collaboration with rockwell group — the five-day event has been wholly re-imagined for its new location, and brings together more than 60 leading galleries to showcase ambitious solo, group, and themed presentations of today’s most exciting contemporary artists. ‘it is wonderful to know that people still want to see art in person, and that viewing art in a virtual or digital space can enhance that experience or be the next best thing if you cannot travel,’ loring randolph, director of programming for frieze new york, tells designboom. ‘seeing art brings people together and can be community building. it can also be a form of activism. art can be a critical mirror to the world, it can inform and disrupt — and this translates across the disparate viewing experiences.’

designboom previews frieze new york 2021, and speaks with loring randolph about this year’s highlights, in-person and online programming, and more.

precious okoyomon, this god is a slow recovery
frieze artist award supported by the luma foundation, frieze new york 2021
image by da ping luo, courtesy of da ping luo/frieze

frieze new york’s placement at the shed this year holistically integrates culture and all forms of creativity. the project — best known for its ability to transform and adapt to changes in program — opened in 2019 as part of hudson yards, and comprises two floors of expansive galleries, the versatile 500-seat griffin theater, and a multi-use hall for large-scale performances, installations, and events. when deployed, the shed’s telescoping outer shell creates the mccourt — a 17,000 square-foot space with conditioned light, sound, and temperature.‘the shed’s building is a beautiful site for the fair,’ randolph tells designboom. ‘I think that visitors will appreciate walking around such a well-designed space that was created specifically for viewing art and performances.’

visitors are welcomed to the fair by the presentation of a performance-activated installation conceived specifically for the shed by precious okoyomon, the winner of the 2021 frieze artist award. for this god is a slow recovery, okoyomon focused their research on failures of communication, and instances where language collapses and breaks down, taking the legend of the tower of babel as a point of departure. together with industrial designer jonathan olivares, okoyomon conceived a steel deck structure covered in camouflage netting to be placed at the center of the mccourt. here, poets and performers take turns to read their own poetry, as well as a poem okoyomon wrote for the occasion, sky song, while accompanied by a trio of strings. the readers’ voices and the music organically and unexpectedly intertwine throughout the performance. a recording of the performance at the fair can be viewed on frieze’s website here.

precious okoyomon, this god is a slow recovery
frieze artist award supported by the luma foundation, frieze new york 2021
image by da ping luo, courtesy of da ping luo/frieze

‘additionally we have an exciting augmented reality presentation with acute art in three locations around the fair including artworks by KAWS, cao fei, and precious okoyomon,’ randolph continues. presented in the shed and the public area surrounding the building, ‘the looking glass’ is an exhibition of augmented reality artworks that come to life in your phone when you arrive at the right spot, visible through the free acute art app. once caught on camera, the works appear as real as the environment in which they are situated. precious okoyomon presents two large animated flowers that read poetry, while cao fei’s RMB city AR is a futuristic urban fantasy. meanwhile, KAWS’ companion 2020 (expanded) floats horizontally in the air seemingly pressed against an imaginary glass. through the juxtaposition of the physical and virtual worlds, the artworks presented as part of ‘the looking glass’ convey a sense of surprise and wonder. see a video showing the AR works in action here.

cao fei, RMB city AR, augmented reality, 2020
image by jesse hamerman, courtesy cao fei and acute art

alongside the fair’s gallery sections, frieze new york is anchored by a program of collaborations, exhibitions and talks. the central strand of programming this year encompasses a tribute to the vision & justice project and its founder, sarah elizabeth lewis, associate professor at harvard university, with over 50 galleries and institutions pledging their support. ‘highlights include artist commissions at the fair by carrie mae weems, hank willis thomas and mel chin; a panel discussion on black cultural leadership with ava duvernay, theaster gates, franklin leonard, wynton marsalis, and carrie mae weems, moderated by professor lewis; and countless initiatives formed by over 50 galleries and institutions who are participating in unity to uplift the educational message of the vision & justice project,’ randolph shares.

alexis peskine,  sequita, 2020 
red gold leaf, nails, havana ochre, coffee, earth and hibiscus on lumber core wood  | 220 x 198 cm 
© the artist,  courtesy of october gallery

rooted in education, the vision & justice project is dedicated to examining art’s central role in understanding the relationship between race and citizenship in the united states. the intention of the multifaceted tribute at frieze new york is to explore this mission, and expand the reach of the vision & justice project, giving audiences access to a visual literacy that could change the way they see the world. as a starting point, gallery participants were asked the question: ‘how are the arts responsible for disrupting, complicating, or shifting narratives of visual representation in the public realm?’ — in response, the more than 50 galleries and institutions who have pledged their support are creating or showcasing their own programming to participate in this conversation.

stan douglas, 7 august 1934, 2021
© stan douglas | courtesy the artist, victoria miro and david zwirner
read more about this series on designboom here

‘when loring randolph from frieze approached me about a tribute to the vision & justice project, I was surprised and moved’, said sarah elizabeth lewis, founder of vision & justice. ‘first, I’m mindful of how much more I want to do with this initiative. we’re just getting started. the second reason is that I have always wanted the vision & justice project to be a platform for highlighting the work that others do. so what I hope comes of this invitation is an increased chance to do precisely that: to showcase what is coming next for the project as well as the mission-aligned work of other organizations in the art world and beyond.’

sanford biggers, cipher, 2019
kilkenny marble | 74 × 23 × 20 cm
image courtesy of the artist and massimo de carlo

‘this tribute was born of reflection,’ randolph shares. ‘the tragedy of the global pandemic this past year provided the necessary time to consider programming for frieze new york anew. the aim was to integrate a more rigorous and historical narrative into the fair context, and with the support of our participating galleries, to unite our community in an overarching mission that could potentially create a similar pause for change. the vision & justice project and sarah elizabeth lewis are an educational force, one that could forge a pathway toward a more just and visually literate america. we are privileged to collaborate with everyone participating in this extensive program to honor such an imperative.’

discover details of the program of events and contributions presented by galleries and institutions here.

meanwhile, a dedicated edition of frieze viewing room runS parallel to the fair, through may 14, featuring an expanded list of more than 160 exhibitors from six continents, connecting international galleries and audiences unable to travel. built to facilitate discovery, this year’s roster includes over 50 young galleries, further demonstrating frieze’s commitment to supporting the arts community. launched in 2020, the platform has been further developed to provide an improved user experience, and now benefits from faster image loading times and enhanced mobile functionality.

frieze viewing room online platform

the fair’s core program of artist talks, special projects and commissions will be accessible both at the fair and online via the frieze viewing room. ‘other online offerings include free screenings of the HBO documentary: ‘black art, in the absence of light’ and ‘aggie’, a documentary on the life and work of agnes gund,‘ randolph tells us. ‘we also have countless informative talks you can log into on each day.’

lynn hershman leeson, seduction, 1986
C-print | 47 x 37 in framed | 119.4 x 94 cm
courtesy of the artist and altman siegel, san francisco

at the fair, solo, curated group and themed presentations by more than 60 galleries populate the show, while frieze’s ‘frame’ section supports galleries operating for 10 years or less with solo exhibitions by today’s most exciting artists. ‘after a challenging year it’s so important – now more than ever – to support our artistic community, and this year’s curated program strives to address some of the most relevant conversations in art today,’ randolph says. ‘I am greatly looking forward to seeing my colleagues and friends, and the artists and patrons that the fair brings together under one roof.’

david shrigley, untitled (fairly clean), 2020
acrylic on paper | 33 3/16 x 25 5/16 inches (framed), (84.3 x 64.3 cm) artwork
© david shrigley, image courtesy of the artist and anton kern gallery, new york

yuji agematsu, zip: 10.01.18 . . . 10.31.18, 2018
mixed media in cigarette pack cellophane wrappers (31 units) on wood backed acrylic shelf, latex paint
wrappers, each approx.: 2 1/2 x 2 1/8 x 1 inches (6.3 x 5.3 x 2.5 cm)
shelving unit: 26 1/2 x 34 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches (67.3 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
courtesy of miguel abreu gallery

ewa juszkiewicz, untitled (after joseph karl stieler), 2021
oil on canvas | 125 x 100 cm
image courtesy of gagosian and the artist

olga balema, interior biomorphic attachment, 2014/2020
steel, foam, latex | overall: 100 × 140 × 49 in., 254.00 × 355.60 × 124.46 cm
image by gregory carideo, courtesy the artist and bridget donahue, NYC