News

Apr 23, 2023

10 Works under $25K at Frieze New York 2023

The APAA (Association of Professional Art Advisors) select their highlights,

The APAA (Association of Professional Art Advisors) select their highlights, spanning paintings by Trisha Baga, Maia Ruth Lee and Woody De Othello and textile works by Sanaa Gateja and Jagdeep Raina

Visit Frieze Viewing Room

artadvisors.org

TRISHA BAGACOSTCO, 2022Oil on canvas 25.87 × 37.8 × 1.5 inches $10,000 - $20,000 USD Presented by Gió Marconi

What interests me in all art, and this work specifically, is the line between beauty and a deeper layer. While this work by Trisha Baga seems to represent an atmospheric landscape, upon further observation, the familiar florescent lights and metal framing of a Costco ceiling appear within the clouds on the top half of the painting. This motif would likely go unnoticed at first glance without knowing the title of the work – COSTCO – which shows us that the landscape of suburban big-box stores has seeped into our unconscious minds, so recognizable that they have become invisible even when presented out of context. Trisha Baga's work often represents the mundane but does so with a dream-like quality that tows the line between the digital and real worlds. While formerly focused on creating multi-layered video works, Baga shifted toward a painting practice in 2020, bringing elements of collage and image sequencing into this new body of work, which layers ideas, environments, and objects to create entirely new narratives. – Elizabeth Fiore

CAMERON CLAYBORNroompiercer (with a mended form) #4, 2023 Bronze, dyed muslin, and wire rope Under $10,000 USD Presented by Simone Subal Gallery

I was immediately drawn to the intricate bronze sculpture by American artist Cameron Clayborn for its poignancy. The title roompiercer is fitting for the forms of this intimate work, as a pointed needle extends horizontally from the wall, piercing a hole through an abstracted form resembling a cloaked figure. Clayborn has described their practice as translating their own psychological landscapes, and the small sculptures become "emotional tools" for the artist to unpack their experiences and struggles with their identity, race, sexuality, and mental health. – Laura Smith Sweeney

WOODY DE OTHELLOLately, 2022 Watercolor and colored pencil on paper 22 1/2 × 30 1/2 inches; 57.15 × 77.47 cm 24 1/4 × 32 1/8 inches; 61.59 × 81.61 cm (framed) $ 20,000 USD Presented by Karma

Woody De Othello achieves a level of engagement that makes this work on paper my top pick. Incorporating artefacts from daily life (chairs, a glass of ice water, tulips), vestiges of his Haitian ancestry and hints at the uncanny (several vertebrae, a locked safe), de Othello layers figuration and representation in a cornucopia of color and intrigue. His sense of humor peeks through in the central cartoonish figure, who - amidst an active environment - seems to be peacefully asleep while balancing a coffee mug atop his chest. The complex layering creates a scene that is simultaneously exterior and interior as verdant, leafy plants collide with stark white tile. Distorted suggestions of household furniture recall the artist's ceramic work and playfully warp and anthropomorphize these everyday objects. De Othello's Lately is a dynamic composition that is visually exciting to unpack and experience as a whole. – Laura Solomon

ROE ETHRIDGEDecanter with White Roses, 2017-2023Dye sublimation print43 x 33 inches (109.2 x 83.8 cm.)Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs$18,000 USD Presented by Andrew Kreps Gallery

Earlier this year, Gagosian and Andrew Kreps mounted a two-gallery show of photography by Roe Ethridge entitled AMERICAN POLYCHRONIC to coincide with the artist's first monograph, which documented his 20-plus year practice. Ethridge's work blends commercial photography: fashion, advertising and stock photos with his own personal and private vernacular—between careful still life compositions to cell phone imagery snapped on the fly. There is a humorous tension of beauty and decay, camp and sincerity, nostalgic and current symbols. His photographs are often lush and poetic, but can be somewhat kitsch, investigative, ironic, and edgy. Ethridge photographs encapsulate current pop culture, but his is a hybrid style—"Polychronically" doing more than one thing at a time. All of them pleasurable and rewarding to the viewer. – Lorinda Ash

SAANA GATEJAAfter the Birds, 2023Paper beads on barkcloth58¾ x 27¾ inches, 149.22 x 70.48 cm$25,000 - $30,000Presented by Karma

Although these works push the price category to the upper limit, Sanaa Gateja's work is modestly priced for an older artist who has been exhibing for decades. His African background and use of recycled materials aligns him with such well-known artists as El Anatsui. Known as Uganda's bead king, he also has a serious educational background which includes stints studying jewelry design at Goldsmiths and in Florence, and his workshop in Uganda has employed thousands of women since 1990. The works are delicate and feel more understated, perhaps even traditionally "female" as opposed to Anatsui's powerful gilt tapestries. I love the glorious mashup of paper beads, raffia, banana leaves and wood and the backstory of his empowerment of women in his community. – Lisa Austin

LISA OPPENHEIMEntartete Kunst, Südfranzösische Landschaft, 1945/2023 (Version I), 2023 Silver gelatin photograph exposed to firelight Unframed: 23 x 27-1/4 in. (58.4 cm x 69.2 cm) $18,000 USD Presented by Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

Lisa Oppenheim's Entartete Kunst, Südfranzösische Landschaft, 1945/2023 (Version I), 2023 is a great find for collectors, both from a visual and intellectual perspective. This solarized photographic diptych was inspired by German artist Erich Heckel, a founding member of the German Expressionism group Die Brücke, and who was considered a "Degenerate" artist by Hitler. Like artists in Die Brücke, Oppenheim builds a conceptual bridge between the past and present. She creates an appropriation of sorts, by recontextualizing the image and connecting it with the contemporary world. The original image of a Heckel painting is described on the left next to the artist's reinterpretation on the right.­ It is as if the past wrongs of the political environment are seeping into the present. – Lela Hersh

TANIA PÉREZ CÓRDOVAAlocasia Odora (40% chance of rain), 2022Iron, epoxy clay, plastic, acrylic, gold plated brass chain, patterns of leaf damage27.5 x 12.75 x 12.75 in. (70 x 32.5 x 32.5 cm)$10-20kPresented by Tina Kim Gallery

While navigating the bustle of an art fair, it's a pleasure to connect with contemplative works like those of Mexico City-based artist Tania Pérez Córdova. In her series 'Precipitation', Córdova continues her practice of recontextualizing natural forms with complex construction methods. The subject of Alocasia Odora (40% chance of rain) is a single green leaf - its delicacy and fragility compromised by disintegration both natural and synthetic. In this work, Pérez Córdova pierces the leaf with strands of brass chains piercing the leaf to mimic rain, evoking another powerful natural element. The sculptural relics of her practice quietly but proactively address the complex natural world. – Lela Hersh

JAGDEEP RAINAShe travels softly through the seven gates as her garden croons for her, 2022Silk and cotton embroidered tapestry 26 × 17 in | 66 × 43.2 cm $8,000 USD Presented by Cooper Cole

Jagdeep Raina often depicts complex scenes in fast, immediate drawings that convey the dynamism of his subjects. He also works in the relatively slow medium of embroidery, capturing the gestural quality of his drawings in the painstaking detail of needle and thread, specifically incorporating embroidery techniques and traditions from Kashmir and the Punjab. These dense and somewhat difficult-to-photograph objects hang with a peculiar weight and poetic presence. They command our attention despite their small size, conveying layers of meaning that may or may not be apparent to someone outside of the diasporic communities they represent. – Jeremy Johnston/Darling Green

MAIA RUTH LEEBondage Baggage series, 2018 onward$10,000 - $20,000Presented by Tina Kim and François Ghebaly

Following her much lauded show that just closed at Tina Kim Gallery in New York, I’m very excited to see Maia Ruth Lee's paintings at Tina Kim and François Ghebaly's booths. These paintings showing with Tina Kim are a relatively new development within Lee's ongoing Bondage Baggage series begun in 2018 which takes inspiration from the rope-bound bulbous luggage bundles ubiquitous in developing countries. Lee has been fascinated by the form ever since encountering it at the Kathmandu International Airport where she lived for several years with her parents who are missionaries and linguists. The paintings are literally born out of the sculptures. Referred to as "skin" by the artist, the canvases start as the shroud that envelops the sculptures and takes its organic form from the taut ropes and masked contents. Lee applies ink that articulates the irregular trellised pattern of the rope as negative space almost like a cyanotype. Once the rope is cut the canvases shift from sculptural objects to two dimensional images. No longer indexical, the paintings engage a rich lineage of abstract painting – Simon Hantaï's pliage technique, Yves Klein's Anthropométries series, the Pattern and Decoration movement, and the cellular architecture of Terry Winters’ paintings. All these formal dialogues exist concurrent with Lee's exploration of themes relating to migration, labor, and diasporic identity. There are a lot of different ways to engage these paintings – plenty for the eye and mind. – Alex Glauber

MAAIKE SCHOORELTulips and Toys, 2023Oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm$10-20,000 USDPresented by Mendes Wood DM

At first glance, Dutch painter Maaike Schoorel's painting Tulips and Toys appears to be an abstract arrangement of delicate painterly brush strokes across the canvas. When the viewer slows down and looks closely at the artwork, details emerge of tulips in a glass vase and other objects on a table. Sustained observation rewards the viewer's time and focus with a quietly beautiful still-life. While contemporary and quite audacious in challenging us to spend time decoding what we see in Schoorel's canvases, the work also nods to a long tradition of virtuoso Dutch still-life painting. – Lisa Marie Marks

RONNY QUEVEDOEl crack, 2022Gold leaf on carbon transfer on paper11.61 x 16.26 inchesPresented by Alexander Gray Gallery

The subtly and elegance of Ronny Quevedo's work is evident in the 2022 gem titled el crack. The mapping and graphing of what appears to be a soccer pitch provides gracefulness to one of the worlds most beloved sports, fútbol. Born into a family of Central American sports enthusiasts, Quevedo was informed and exposed to his father's playbook as a child. Each player on the field is essential and intricately performing in concert in an attempt to drive the ball into the net. Fútbol in Latin America and throughout the world can either unify and/or divide families and communities as players become allies or adversaries on the pitch. In el crack all performers crowd the central field whereby only the most skillful athletes will break apart the coagulation of deft athletic technicians. – Erica Barrish

With thanks to APAA members Lorinda Ash, Lisa Austin, Erica Barrish, Elizabeth Fiore, Alex Glauber, Lela Hersh, Jeremy Johnston/Darling Green, Lisa Marie Marks, Laura Smith Sweeney and Laura Solomon.

Frieze Viewing Room is an online platform that offers a preview of gallery presentations at Frieze fairs, as well as the chance for audiences around the world to experience the fair and acquire the art on show from wherever they are.

Frieze New York returns to The Shed in Manhattan from May 17 to 21, 2023 and promises to be an unmissable event. With an unparalleled selection of galleries and artists, alongside a critically acclaimed curated program the fair is a highlight of the global art calendar.

Tickets

For more information, sign up to our newsletter and follow @friezeofficial on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Main image: Woody De Othello, Lately, 2022, Watercolor and colored pencil on paper, 22½ x 30½ inches; 57.15 x 77.47 cm, 24¼ x 32⅛ inches; 61.59 x 81.61 cm (framed), courtesy the Artist and Karma

The Brooklyn-based artist with a solo presentation at Frieze New York shares what inspires her practice, ahead of her exhibition at The Drawing Center, New York

At The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, a group show of ceramics explores the influence of the 1960s San Francisco funk movement on artists today

The senior editor of frieze magazine talks about some of his favorite artists at Frieze New York 2023, including Takako Yamaguchi, Sung Tieu, Emma Prempeh and Farah Al Qasimi

From a marigold yellow room in the National Arts Club, Alex Tieghi-Walker presents the work of one-of-a-kind maker

Artist and educator Mary Lum makes a selection from the venerable book store, whose pop-up returns to Frieze New York 2023

From Tracey Emin to William Kentridge, members of the Association of Professional Art Advisors reveal their favourite artworks from the New York edition of the Frieze Viewing Room

From Fire Island to Loewe at Paris Fashion Week, the New York-based artists create queer, colourful worlds

The Brooklyn-based artist with a solo presentation at Frieze New York shares what inspires her practice, ahead of her exhibition at The Drawing Center, New York

The senior editor of frieze magazine talks about some of his favorite artists at Frieze New York 2023, including Takako Yamaguchi, Sung Tieu, Emma Prempeh and Farah Al Qasimi

From a marigold yellow room in the National Arts Club, Alex Tieghi-Walker presents the work of one-of-a-kind maker

Artist and educator Mary Lum makes a selection from the venerable book store, whose pop-up returns to Frieze New York 2023