Anti-Frieze

Frieze Art Fair, an annual event which takes place every October in London’s Regent’s Park is a wash with pretentiousness. It’s the place to go to see and be seen; it’s about who’s who and what they are wearing and above all, how much money they have (and are spending!) Sadly, art is not the main attraction. It’s become a monstrous event in the art world encompassing not just the fair but a series of events, headline exhibitions and private parties across London during what has been dubbed ‘Frieze week’. And it doesn’t plan to stop there, the Frieze art fair, will be travelling to New York for the first time in spring 2012.

Fuelled by wealthy collectors, celebrity sighting,s ‘Super-VIPs’, trendy pop-up restaurants and status-seeking twats, the commercialist attitude has even crept into the mindset of those exhibiting. For instance, Christian Jankowski, a multimedia artist who largely works with video, installation and photography, attempted to sell a yacht from a gallery stand in an effort to comment on art and money. The idea is that people will pay more for the yacht if it’s signed by the artist thus the boat is more valuable when it is considered to be a work of art. But if you can look beyond all the hoopla, perhaps there might be some interesting artworks to behold.

Enjoy the video!