Frieze New York 2021
The Shed
545 W 30th St, New York, NY 10001
May 5 – May 9, 2021
New York’s art fair Frieze is bringing together over 60 world-leading galleries for its tenth edition – and it’s coming back for an in-person event in a brand new location. This year’s fair will take place for the first time at The Shed in West Manhattan from May 5 to May 9. “The Shed is a really important cultural institution in New York,” Loring Randolph, Director of Programming for Frieze New York 2021, said. “It brings together artists from every discipline under one roof.”
“Now more than ever it’s really important that we support our galleries and artists,” Randolph said.
In parallel with the fair, a dedicated edition of Frieze Viewing Room will run from May 5 to May 14 with an expanded online programming and connecting galleries and audiences across the world. People will be able to view a lot of the art that will be displayed at the fair online as well as exclusive presentations that will not be at the fair. Randolph said that the quality of the user experience for the Viewing Room has been updated specifically for this year. Frieze Viewing Room will feature an expanded list of international galleries including 303 Gallery, Xavier Hufkens, Charlie James Gallery, and The Breeder, among many others. Through the online platform, exhibitors will present online group shows, two-artist presentations, and an extensive number of solo shows including Devin B. Johnson with Nicodim Gallery, Erin Jane Nelson with Chapter NY, Dawit L. Petros with Tiwani Contemporary, and more. “Frieze New York, it’s the back-to-school moment for the art world,” Randolph said.
The central strand of this year’s fair is the Tribute to the Vision & Justice Project and its founder Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, who is an Associate Professor at Harvard University. The Tribute will honor the work of the Vision & Justice Project, through an engagement with the community of galleries participating at the fair both in-person and online. The project is rooted in education and is dedicated to examining art’s central role in understanding the relationship between race and citizenship in the United States.
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Over 50 galleries, participating in Frieze New York and Frieze Viewing Room, and institutions have pledged their support and will respond to the tribute. The response will take the format of digital conversations, artworks, institutional contributions, and special events. As a starting point, participants were asked the question: ‘How are the arts responsible for disrupting, complicating, or shifting narratives of visual representation in the public realm?’
The Frame section will also be back this year. The purpose of this section is to provide a platform for galleries that have been active for 10 years or less. This section often features artists that people are unfamiliar with.
At Frieze New York 2021, attendees will also be able to see a new commission from the winner of the 2021 Frieze Artist Award, New York-based artist, Precious Okoyomon.
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Supported by the Luma Foundation, the award presents a major opportunity for an emerging artist to debut an ambitious new commission. For Frieze New York 2021, Okoyomon will present a performance-activated installation conceived specifically for The Shed. Extending their practice, Okoyomon’s work will aim to create what the artist describes as “a portal for a space of fragilization.” The performance will be filmed and streamed online on Frieze’s website from May 5 onward, allowing audiences across the globe to engage with the project. Okoyomon said that their new piece will be a Tower of Babel featuring all their favorite poets throughout the day who will be reading on different platforms.
“The most fun thing I’m looking forward to about this piece is that the space is truly limitless in what I can do,” Okoyomon said. “No one has actually been able to be in a space together for over a year to gather and listen and be with people that they love. So that feels really important to be able to create that space.”
