Just before Frieze Art Fair opened in 2008, we interviewed Emma Dexter, Director of Exhibitions at Timothy Taylor
Gallery, Mai-Thu Perret, exhibiting artist at Timothy Taylor Gallery
and Frieze Art Fair and Catalina Lozano, Residencies Co-ordinator
at Gasworks. They told us about their journeys to becoming who they
are today, about their lives and careers and also about their roles
at Frieze Art Fair.
We interviewed three people involved in 2008’s Frieze Projects,
which run alongside the main Frieze Art Fair and provide a non-commercial
aspect to the fair. David Thorp, Curator of Frieze Sculpture Park,
Neville Wakefield, Curator of Frieze Projects and Cory Arcangel,
commissioned artist for Frieze Projects 2008 told us about their journeys
to becoming who they are today, about their lives and careers and
also about their roles at Frieze Art Fair.
* * *
Cory Arcangel
Cory is a digital artist whose artworks explore the relationship
between technology, culture and media. As a commissioned artist
for Frieze Projects he intervened in the fair’s gallery selection
process. Like Willy Wonka, Cory hid a golden ticket inside one of
hundreds of chocolate bars that were sent to all the galleries who
were unsuccessful in their application to this year’s fair. Studiò
di Giovanna Simonetta was the finder of the golden ticket and was allocated a stand at the fair.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I find my ideas everywhere. I might see something that reminds me
of something or other, or would look better in another colour, or
upside down. All of a sudden, I find I have to make this idea as
opposed to having it stay in my head.
How do you make your work?
Sometimes slow, sometimes quick.
How do people get to see your work?
The internet, museums, galleries, art fairs, magazines, and on TV.
My favourite is the internet.
Do you need others to help you make your work?
Yes, sometimes, I don’t know how to do something, so I have to have
others help me figure that out. I am working on a machine that plays
video games automatically, and I thought this would take me too
long and would be way too hard to figure out, so I found an engineer
who makes electronic toys, and now he is helping me on the design
of this machine.
Why did you accept the invitation to make a commissioned
piece of work for Frieze Art Fair?
Because I thought it would be fun to make an artwork about an art
fair. You wouldn't think so, but it is a very rare opportunity.
Is it difficult to make work that is commissioned?
Yes, because usually by the time the work is due, I have a better
idea, and would like to do that idea as opposed to the idea I originally
proposed because usually commissions are decided a year or so in
advance. Luckily this wasn't the case with Frieze Projects because
we had to do all the work directly after it was decided it would
be commissioned. Also, this was an idea I wouldn't change anyway.
Sometimes things like this work out!
What influenced you to be an artist?
My teachers.
Where do you live?
Brooklyn, New York.
What do your family think about you being an artist?
They have been watching weird videos I made since I was young, so
they have had a lot of time to get used to it. But they enjoy it
and they like to come to my openings, which are always fun. For
many years I was in a band with my sister Jamie, so sometimes they
are included in the art.
Does being an artist suit your personality?
Yes, of course, because I like to make things with no practical
use. So it is a perfect fit.
Do you like having a live audience?
Yes, because you know immediately if they like what you are doing
or are bored by what you are doing. It is really nice to know immediately
what people think about your efforts. This way it is more like stand-up
comedy which I also like (and do sometimes).
Where does your interest in fusing art and technology come
from?
I am and have always been a computer nerd. So, as much as I try
to get away from this, it always creeps into my work, because at
the end of the day, I am happiest when I am sitting in front of
my computer.
* * * Neville Wakefield
Neville is a critic, curator and writer on contemporary art, culture
and photography. He is the Curator of Frieze Projects at Frieze
Art Fair and the author of ‘Postmodernism: the Twilight of the Real'
published by Pluto Press in 1988.
The work of Richard Prince at Frieze Art Fair 2007
Briefly describe your job
I am the Curator of Frieze Projects (art projects commissioned just
for the Frieze Art Fair). I commission the projects and oversee
the film programme and everything that comes under the umbrella
of Frieze Foundation.
How do you choose the artists?
Given that the projects are really quite specific to the fair one
tends to approach artists who are able to address the larger issues
of a fair. That eliminates a lot of object-based artists who would
not be suitable.
What is special about the artists you’ve chosen?
They’re interested in the way that organisms function - and the
fair’s really a big organism. The artists are almost like scientists
- they don’t mind dissecting the fair to look at its working parts.
What do the Frieze Projects bring to the fair?
A critical voice, as the fair is a market. The projects bring art
that isn’t available for sale, and art that is able to engage critically
with the conditions of the fair and the conditions of how art is
seen and sold.
What got you interested in art?
At University I studied philosophy. I am interested in how you visualise
thought structures, how you give ways of thinking visual form. In
sixth form I had a really great and inspiring teacher, a guy called
Robin Childs, so I was always interested in how we look at things.
A transformative moment would have been when I was not so old.
I went to see the Spiral Jetty which is a land art sculpture by
Robert Smithson in America. It was the first bit of art I’d seen
that wasn’t in a museum, that didn’t have a picture frame and was
part of the landscape. I grew up on the Isles of Scilly and Spiral
Jetty was something I could relate to because it was as much about
the land and the water and the sky.
How do your family feel about you having a career in the
arts?
They are very happy I have a career in anything! My father’s a potter
and my mother’s a painter so it’s part of the family tradition.
How do you decide if a piece of art is interesting?
If it lives on with you. If once you’ve stopped looking at it you
continue to think about it.
Does the price on an artwork relate to how good it is?
The price reflects a consensus. A lot of art purchasing is about
taste and people tend to agree on matters of taste in groups. It
doesn’t necessarily reflect how good the individual piece of art
is. Many people believe that some of the best works of art, such
as the Spiral Jetty, are not for sale.
How do you think becoming famous might affect the work
an artist makes?
It affects how we see it. In certain cases, where people make work
with high production values, being famous makes it much easier for
the artist to raise the money and make the work. Someone like Jeff
Koons needs to be famous, or he would not be able to spend the million
dollars needed to produce a single piece. But in most cases, I think
it has no impact on it whatsoever.
Name three artists we should be looking at now.
Jeppe Hein: he makes kinetic work that is very engaging. (You can
currently see Appearing Rooms, his waterfall outside the Southbank
Centre in London). Sharon Hayes: she makes work that has no object
presence whatsoever, such as her performance at Frieze Art Fair.
And Richard Prince: he is more well known and has just had a big
show at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
What do you think the art of the future will be?
In the direction it’s going, the art of the future will come much
closer to being design. The art market, which is now the largest
unregulated market in the world, is basically catering for a form
of interior decoration. Art in the last ten years seems to have
become much more about ownership and we will see it coming closer
to the everyday objects we surround ourselves with.
* * *
David Thorp
David is the Curator of the Sculpture Park at Frieze Art Fair, which
showcases sculptures in the English Gardens, Regent’s Park, during
the fair. He is an independent curator who is a former director
of the South London Gallery and curator of contemporary projects
at the Henry Moore Foundation.
The
Sculpture Park at Frieze Art Fair 2007
Describe your job in one simple sentence.
I select and organise exhibitions of contemporary art.
How do you get jobs?
People ask me.
What is your role at Frieze Art Fair?
I select the sculpture to go into the outdoor Sculpture Park.
What is special about the artists you have chosen?
Their work is varied and made for the outdoors and I think it is
of a high quality and the public will find it interesting.
Why is it different curating a show connected to a commercial
art fair?
The Sculpture Park show is only open to artists represented by galleries
selected to take part in Frieze Art Fair.
How and why did you become a curator?
I was an artist and I began by organising exhibitions of my artist
friends.
What got you interested in art?
I have been interested in art since I was a small child.
Which are your favourite London galleries?
Both Tate Galleries, Matt's Gallery, Cabinet, Serpentine, Artprojx,
South London Gallery, Riflemaker.
Name three artists we should be taking notice of and why.
There are too many good artists around to select three. What makes
an artist good for one person does not necessarily make them good
for another. One of the great qualities that art has is its inclusiveness.
That is to say that the old maxim really is true that beauty is
in the eye of the beholder. If someone is truly interested in art
they will seek out and find those artists who are relevant for them
by going to exhibitions, etc and making their own minds up.
Do people need to go to art school to become artists?
It is not necessary to go to art school to be an artist but it's
probably a good idea.
The
Sculpture Park at Frieze Art Fair 2007