Art Fair’s a Frieze For All

With over a thousand contemporary art galleries from all over the world cramming their best stuff into a 21,000 square metre tent in Regents Park, Frieze Art Fair is always a bit of a headache.

Excitable students who push and shove, zany enthusiasts with no concept of personal space, and the privileged few who are actually looking to buy some art are thrown together to battle it out for a glimpse of a Marc Quinn or a Gary Hume in the labyrinth of visual tasters.

And other than a floor map of the spaces representing galleries based anywhere from Mile End to Moscow, there aren’t an awful lot of clues for the hapless spectator as to what, or whom, they are looking at. Some galleries make the effort to scrawl some information in biro or even make labels for their pieces. But many leave their wares as a bit of a mystery, offering nothing but a vacant glance in the viewer’s direction as they hurry by.

Perhaps, if you appear to be interested in buying the giant inflatable poodle made out of bin bags, the gallerists are more welcoming. But most people are left to their own devices as they view lots of complicated works varying from the intricately woven Grayson Perry tapestry to some strips of parcel tape stuck on the wall.

Challenging as it may be, Frieze is a fantastic taster session for anyone at all interested in contemporary art. You can take a snapshot of the current art scene in Tokyo, Sao Paulo or Los Angeles and compare it to the rest of the world just by taking a few steps.

There aren’t many barriers, protective glass or velvet ropes, so you can get up close and personal with the work, and more savvy visitors use the opportunity to launch into curious conversation with an unsuspecting gallery manager or curator.

Hundreds of conversations echo across the space, as young mums circle buggies around sculptures of little girls blowing bubble gum and groups of business men guffaw at a video of a dog running around with a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on its head. It’s certainly not a silent place controlled by shh-ing and security guards like so many art events.

Manic as it is, Frieze always has something new to offer (did anyone else fall in love with Dawn Mellor’s gruesome take on Hollywood?) and even the most bamboozled of visitors can come away with something to think about. It’s just a shame that the whole thing is so pricey. After spending £25 per day on the door, few stumped up for a further £20 on a catalogue and a shocking £3.10 for a cup of tea.

No wonder everyone looked a bit confused and dehydrated.

Frieze Art Fair took place at Regent’s Park, NW1, 15-18 October.

www.frieze.com