Frieze Art Fair: Lisa Williamson

Lisa Williamson’s new works presented by Shane Campbell Gallery take Trendland’s top Frieze honors for perfectly cleansing our palette after a day of boisterous visual impact.

I’m not sure if it was the poised combination of powdery blues, pinks and yellows, or if I was reacting to the cleansing and meditative effect it held over me, but either way, the pieces were open and clear, non intrusive, and could be interpreted in a way that one could naturally follow the inner logic of Williamson’s head. Williamson’s work is so familiar, yet at the same time feels forward, a notion that is highly relevant in pop-culture when achieved this seamlessly. While Frieze had plenty to say about the trends running amok in the art world, Williamson’s work reminded us of the value of simple and concise aesthetics.

Monochromatic, structured, yet drapey and sculptural at the same time, Williamson’s works are meant to be materially ambiguous, focusing primarily on the form. Her use of colour gives hard structures fluidity. High Tilt, featured above, sums up her work perfectly — just the right amount of tension and balance.

The event, which required a $40 pre-purchased ticket for entrance, included Williamson’s work at the Shane Campbell Gallery for part of the “Frieze Frame” series, in which selected galleries chose a single artist to create an exhibition for this show.

The Frieze Art Fair made its debut in New York this weekend, 20 minutes from Manhattan on Randall’s Island under a 250,000-square-foot white tent crafted by Brooklyn’s SO IL architects. We had the pleasure of accompanying Mulberry, who partnered with Frieze, on a walk-thru of the site, which also featured an outdoor sculpture exhibit. Despite being just two months after the illustrious Armory Show, dealers such as White Cube, Yvon Lambert, and Lisson Gallery all participated in the 4-day fair, which also featured such top international artists as Ai Weiwei, Cindy Sherman, Anish Kapoor, and many more art market favorites.