Frieze 2015 came full of surprises but none were as talked about as the Masters booth of Helly Nahmad. With a stand that is split halfway down the middle and mimics versions of spaces in asylums, the booth makes a statement against art as an asset.
The sanatorium-like booth displayed the works of French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet and reflect the spaces Dubuffet visited while in search of inspiration in 1945.
Visitors were invited to take immerse in a world of mental hysteria where walls were scrawled with impromptu images; textbooks and dolls belonging to imagined patients laid around; along with medication in cabinets; sleeping quarters and bedspreads. Separated from the rest of the fair by a tall white wall, viewers also find themselves transported by period music.
Written by Jade Moyano
