Frieze, stARTup, SPRING/BREAK, ALAC, Felix
This was the weekend. Art fair weekend. We took in five art fairs this Presidents Day weekend, each with its own flavor.
At Frieze Los Angeles on Friday, we took in an astonishing collection of works in the gallery tent. From Alison Saar to James Turrell and Anish Kapour, name the starry art luminaries and they were represented here. Attendees sipped champagne taking in a massive Cindy Sherman towering over NYC-based Metro Pictures booth, while Ugo Rondinone’s ten mountains + one sun evoked the artist’s large scale Nevada installation Seven Magic Mountains. The art hits kept coming inside. Outside, installations on the backlot included terrific textile art from Channing Hansen inside a false-front brownstone; in a larger indoor space was Barbara Kasten’s massive colored plexiglass and steel-frame sculpture “Intervention.” A small shopping arcade of artisan goods and a collection of local dining options was also available on the lot; fresh turmeric juice from Sqirl fueled our foray past massive sculptures and video art.

Cindy Sherman at Frieze Los Angeles.
Saturday started with stARTtup at the Kinney in Venice. This collection of motel room exhibition space housed both artists and galleries, such as Launch, LAAA and the Los Angeles Center for Photography. The Museum of Art and History in Lancaster was also on hand with a stellar collection of works from Stevie Love, Annie Seaton, Dani Dodge, Lynne McDaniel, and Lilian Abel. Lili Bernard’s passionate works literally and metaphorically glittered; Cathy Breslaw’s lush mixed media works, and the compelling room installation of Snezana Saraswati Petrovic heightening awareness of ecology and climate change in playful style were among the many standouts. In the motel courtyard, guests sipped cocktails, and lingered in conversation between room visits.