frieze los angeles 2022: highlights from this year's returning art event

FRIEZE LOS ANGELES 2022 HOSTED AT A NEW VENUE IS BEVERLY HILLS

frieze los angeles 2022 kicks off its third edition today, february 17, after sitting out 2021 because of the covid-19 pandemic. hosted at a new venue in beverly hills at 9900 wilshire blvd, the art fair brings together more than 100 local and international galleries in a custom-made structure designed by kulapat yantrasast of wHY.

‘frieze los angeles promises to be a site for ambitious artistic presentations and important collaborations that show the expansive and varied nature of the city,’ said christine messineo, the newly appointed director. ‘having missed out on a fair in 2021, this year gives us so much to celebrate – not only our new location at the iconic beverly hilton but also the renewed opportunities for arts discovery and patronage.’

main tent at the inaugural frieze LA, image by wHY architecture

THIS YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS

highlights from this year’s fair include tanya aguiñiga’s section of the fair dedicated to ten local BIPOC-led, not-for-profits. ‘drawing on her upbringing as a binational citizen, who daily crossed the border for school, in 2016 aguiñiga founded AMBOS (art made between opposite sides) to connect artists, activists and makers in the border region and use craft and art as vehicles for community self-care,’ continues messiness.

tanya aguiñiga’s BIPOC exchange

THE 8 X JEFF KOONS BMW

the global debut of the 8 X jeff koons (read more on designboom here) will also happen during the fair, seeing the artist transform a high-performance BMW 8 series gran coupe into a rolling sculpture, extremely limited to just 99 editions. the new collaboration sees the limited fleet of rolling sculptures – or technically M850i xDrive gran coupes – not only be displayed as coveted collectors’ items in museums but also destined to flourish on roads too. the sporty shape of the car received what BMW claims was the most extensive design effort in the brand’s history.

the 8 X JEFF KOONS BMW

RUINART + FRIEZE’S INAUGURAL R.U.IN.ART COMMISSION

as part of ruinart and frieze’s inaugural R.U.in.art commission, the partners have named suzanne husky as this year’s artist selected to present a participatory installation centered on themes of ecology and the environmental crisis that will live in the ruinart lounge throughout the entire fair. through her commission, husky seeks to raise awareness of the beaver as ‘california’s forgotten radical wild ally.’ the artist will display an ensemble of artifacts that prompt discussion about how we both understand and misunderstand the beaver.

R.U.in.ART commission: Suzanne Husky, Dam Beaverly Hills!, courtesy frieze los angeles

OLAFUR ELIASSON AT TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY

visitors to the fair in los angeles will also be able to enjoy exhibitions around the city. tanya bonakdar gallery is presenting olafur eliasson’s your light spectrum and presence, where twelve circular paintings represent the artist’s long-standing investigation with light, color and the ways we perceive and interact with our surroundings. known collectively as the ‘colour experiment’ series and numbered sequentially, these circular canvases strive to challenge our expectations and encourage our eyes to stay in constant motion.

olafur eliasson, colour experiment no. 105, 2021

THE PRADA MODE AT GENGHIS COHEN

on 16 and 17 of february, prada presents the seventh iteration of prada mode at genghis cohen featuring an immersive installation by the artist martine syms. the location is transformed by the artist with the interactive installation titled ‘hella world’. syms, known for a practice that blends ‘conceptual grit, humor, and social commentary’ has shown extensively around the united states and internationally, and has created commissioned work for various partners.

prada mode

PIPILOTTI RIST: BIG HEARTEDNESS, BE MY NEIGHBOR AT MOCA

pipilotti rist: big heartedness, be my neighbor is the first west coast survey of the internationally renowned swiss media artist. rist’s installations explore relationships of video and the body; exterior environments and interior psychological landscapes; and reason and instinct. the exhibition surveys more than thirty years of the zürich-based artist’s work, encompassing early single-channel videos; large-scale installations brimming with color and hypnotic musical scores; and sculptures that merge everyday objects, video, and decorative forms.

I GOTTA FEELING BY KAZUHITO KAWAI AT STEVE TURNER

at steve turner, the I gotta feeling solo exhibition by ibaraki-based kazuhito kawai will feature new ceramic sculptures. some monochromatic and others gloriously colorful, the works were inspired by an association that kawai makes whenever he hears the black eyed peas hit song ‘I gotta feeling.’

I gotta feeling. installation view, steve turner, 2022

TREE OF LIFE BY VERDI

after its appearance at the amangiri desert hotel, verdi’s sustainable tree of life is traveling to los angeles and being installed at bridge house. the installation embodies the symbiotic relationship between conscious art, design and architecture while paying tribute to the natural environment. made by hand with sustainable fibers, copper and straw, the tree serves as the protagonist of a larger setup presenting verdi’s rugs.

tree of life by verdi