Taxidermy is on my walls with a full description of the kill and cause
I’m a hunter
Cupid thank you for what you did
But you can’t aim and get what I get
I’m a hunter
—Pharrell Williams “Hunter”, from G I R L, 2014
At Marian Goodman (booth IC18) look out for an extraordinary Giuseppe Penone drawing “Pelle di grafite”, a rendering in graphite of the skin (pelle) around his eye. Lawrence Weiner’s Chinese work “THE MIDDLE OF, THE MIDDLE OF, THE MIDDLE OF” (2012), made up of language + the materials referred to in it (Traditional and Simplified Chinese as well as English) will be exhibited around the exhibition hall as part the Encounters section—tying up our tongues with ritual and pilgrimage, in an art fair exhibition.
Close by is London’s famous Lisson gallery (booth IC20), who have just expanded to New York. Lisson will present Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg in the Encounters section and John Akomfrah’s “Peripeteia” in the Film section. In the booth you will find works by art fair perennials Ryan Gander, Anish Kapoor and Julian Opie, but look out in particular for Japanese digital artist Tatsuo Miyajima.
Giuseppe Penone drawing “Pelle di grafite” at Marian Goodman (booth IC18)
Construction of Lisson Gallery New York. Courtesy Studio MDA
Next door David Zwirner (booth 1C21), arguably the world’s preeminent painting gallery, brought Neo Rauch to Hong Kong last year. This year the gallery is bringing Belgian Michaël Borremans. The gallery is also presenting Isa Genzken works in the Encounters section.
Michaël Borremans at David Zwirner (booth 1C21)
Domique Lévy Gallery (booth 3D07) specializes in 20th Century art; particularly parallel movements in different regions; so for Hong Kong the gallery is bringing a selection of works that sets up a “dialogue” between Gutai master Kazuo Shiraga, along with Pierre Soulages and Zao Wou-Ki (the latter two met in Paris in the 1950s).
Like Zwirner, Michael Werner is originally from Germany. The gallerist is famous for supporting German neo-expressionists like Baselitz, Immendorf and Polke, and with senior director Gordon Veneklasen, the gallery has expanded in this vein, including Peter Doig, as well as key conceptualists such as Marcel Broodthaers and James Lee Byers. The gallery is also paying close attention to China. In 2015 the gallery’s experimental VeneKlasenWerner Berlin branch held a major Zheng Guogu (郑国谷) show (Ran Dian review here).
Sigmar Polke “Graphite Painting with Loops (After Dürer)”, acrylic, graphite, silver oxide on canvas, 190 x 200 cm, 1986.
New York galleries are increasingly present in the Chinese art scene, whether with or without permanent spaces—but it started with Pace (booth 1C23), which as part of its permanent lineup of artists will be showing Li Songsong, Mao Yan, Song Dong, Yin Xiuzhen and Zhang Xiaogang.
Mitchell-Innes & Nash (booth 3E14) are bringing an Anthony Caro sculpture—an artist whose massive contribution to art is sorely under appreciated. The gallery will also bring a rare Picasso papier collé, “Verre et Carte à Jouer” from 1914.
Fu Xiaotong, “Fierce Gale #2”, handmade paper, 250 x 160 cm, 2016. Chambers Fine Art (booth 1D04)
New York-Beijing gallery, Chambers Fine Art (booth 1D04) is bringing Fu Xiaotong, Yan Shanchun, and Zhao Zhao. Founder Chris Mao was one of the pioneers in bringing Chinese art to New York’s gallery scene. The Ran Dian interview with Mao is coming out soon.
A still image from Sun Xun’s animation film “The Time Vivarium”, at Sean Kelly New York (booth 1D09)
Paul Kasmin (New York) (booth 3D35) will bring Indonesian Nyoman Masriadi along with modernist and pop stars such as Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst, Kenneth Noland, Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell and Robert Indiana. Meanwhile Sean Kelly (New York) (booth 1D09) will present Marina Abramović and Los Carpinteros, but the highlight is Sun Xun’s animation film “The Time Vivarium”, which debuted in his first solo show at SKNY last year. At 303 Gallery (New York) (booth 3C05) watch out for Alicja Kwade, a Berlin-based artist originally from Poland, who is renowned for games with mirrors and doubles.
Alicja Kwade, “Conversion in Perspective”, mirror, brass, granite, sandstone, steel, wood, 150 x 280 cm, 2016. (© Alicja Kwade, courtesy 303 Gallery, New York)
Finally, we end with a Stella star, courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery (New York) (booth 1D06)
Frank Stella “Wooden Star II”, wood,520 x 520 x 520 cm, 2014. (Courtesy: the artist, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, Dominique Lévy Gallery, New York and London, and Sprüth Magers Berlin. © 2015 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)
