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12.14.2014

Fair and Loathing: Coincidences, Trends and a Coupla WTFs

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You know the old saw: Two's a coincidence, three's a trend. An amuse oeil for you while I plow through the painting pictures.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Stones

Immediately apparent on my first walk-through of the big fair, rocks became more visible the more I looked and then showed up at most of the other fairs. Well, you can't get more down to earth than stones. I'm sure the art handlers loved them. I am particularly fond of Katie Paterson's three existential rocks, below. The Glaswegian took three found meteorites, cast them, melted them, and recast them back into new versions of themselves.

Katie Paterson, recast meteorites, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh;  Art Basel Miami Beach


Alicja Kwade, iron and stone, Kamel Mennour, Paris; at ABMB


Lee Ufan, natural stone and iron, at Kukje Gallery, Seoul; ABMB


Installation at Francesca Minn, Milano; ABMB


Ismael Ortiz at unidentified gallery; Untitled


At ABMB, artist and gallery unidentified


Mark Hagen, Neon in my Veins, volcanic glass on burlap, at John Wolf, Los Angeles; Aqua Art


At Galerie Leme, Sao Paolo; at ABMB

Sam Moyer, marble and fabric, at Galerie Rodolfe Janssen, Brussels; at ABMB
Detail below


Ken Fandell, Rock, photograph, at Traywick Contemporary; at Miami Propject


Alan Magee, Aphorism, acrylic on canvas, at Forum Gallery; at Miami Project


Plus Sizes

The Lumbersexual look was big in Miami. Non popular, necessarily, just big. An average-height person would come up to the elbow of of the shirt shown below. The ghostly gowns from Beverly Semmes loomed large (I'm a fan). There was a polo shirt for a polo team. And a giant glove? Don't cough.

Artist unidenfified at The Sunday Painter, Londin; NADA


Beverly Semmes at Shoshanna Wayne, Los Angeles; Pulse


Jose Lerma at Roberto Paradise, San Juan; NADA


Amanda Ross-Ho at The Approach, London; ABMB


Just as Wearable as Your Manolos

And even more expensive.

Diego Bianchi, Stairs, at Galerie Jocelyn Wolff, Paris; ABMB


Lia Chaia at Vermelho, Sao Paolo; ABMB
Detail below



Juan Luis Moraza at Gakeria Espacio Minimo, Madrid; Untitled


Hair Today

It's not just the preponderance of  hair, but the back-of-the-head pose. Oddly compelling.

Jose Castrellon at Diablorosso, Panama; Miami Project
Individual photograph below


Nina Beier, human hair wig in painted frame at Metro Pictures; ABMB
Individual work below


Alex Katz, Tracy, at Graphicstudio; Ink


Rosemarie Trockel at Spruth Magers, Berlin and London; ABMB


It Had to Happen

Once selfie made it into the OED, the art was not far behind. Two's a coincidence here (both at Pulse), but there were hoards of people taking selfies of their own.

Tapp Francke at Gallery Nine 5, New York City


Lisa Levy at Schroeder Romero, New York City
(yes, that's moi in the mirror, above and left) 

Up next: Painting, lots of it

2 comments:

Linda Starr said...

I love rocks, so good to see them in all their glory

india flint said...

Lumbersexual.

adding that to my dictionary.