Neville Wakefield, the current Curator of the Frieze Project comments on this year’s Frieze show. This year is especially exciting, as Wakefield wants Frieze to cover both ends of the spectrum. At one end there are incredible spectacles by the likes of Richard Prince, while at the other end there are artists like Chris Martin, whose works “have no real presence, but are an intervention to the fair.”

When selecting art for an unconventional viewing like a fair, there may not necessarily be the same criteria that there would be at a more traditional viewing. Mr. Wakefield was interested in projects that can exist in the sort of environment that is not traditional, and not like the average art show. The previously used examples, by Richard Prince and Chris Martin, would never be able to exist in a gallery – especially Chris Martin’s piece, which is a minute silence.

The piece by Richard Prince involves a traditional car and car-stand that you would expect to see at a trade show; this comes complete with a model (Carly) and music by Led Zepplin. This is a “Riff on the fair as a trade show, but also on extending the idea

the ready made art object.”

Mr. Prince had the car specially built for the show; “It’s a unique copy of a mass produced original.” The irony comes from the fact that Mr. Prince put so much work into producing something that was meant to be ‘labour-less’.

Frieze is a fairly young concept, “What distinguishes Frieze, at least from my experience, is that it comes from an editorial background. So it comes from a slightly different place, which attracted me to it - it comes from a place that isn’t commercial.”

When asked for his thoughts on the sustainability of the current ‘rude health’ of the art market, Mr. Wakefield was skeptical. “I’m not sure it can continue because demand exceeds supply.” His worry about this is that the excess demand may get fed with lesser art works. “Although this may not be the case with Frieze, it is an overall sense of something that’s happened.”

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