The relatively new pairing of Esther Schipper and Johnen Galerie are offering a wonderfully balanced group exhibit at this year’s Frieze London, showing that harmony can well be found in collaboration. A cheeky work from Gabriel Kuri and Frieze week favourite Liam Gillick are the highlights.
We must admit, we can be a childish bunch here at Elephant, and it was the smooth contours of Kuri’s I collate, I convey, I comply (06) that pulled us into this booth; paper cup, satisfyingly flattened at the base and wedged, ever-so-appealingly between two rounds of smooth grey sculpture. Kuri’s work is a surefire crowdpleaser, the simple but effective coming together of sturdy materiality and visual pun. He definitely wants you to think the worst, but the gutsiness of the main sculpture seems to call for absolute respect.
The booth continues in a similar aesthetic vein, a combination of greys and earthy materials with sleeker forms and the odd zinger that feels absolutely contemporary. A solid black wall, mounted with Gillick’s signature white, floor-to-ceiling neon offers a sharp contrast to the dusty clays and tiles that sit on either side, the words ‘McNamara Motel’ offering a seedy side-note.
There is an understated interiors setup that continues throughout the booth, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s Untitled playing off the shiny, nighttime feel of the neon–two blood red telephones connected to one another by their spiral cables, appearing as two forms involved in some kind of romantic encounter.
Esther Schipper / Johnen Galerie can be found at stand C11 at Frieze London until 18 October
