A few weekends ago, Frieze LA (Feb. 14–16) led the LA Art Marathon, and I put on my walking shoes to get to three of them.  Frieze itself was again in the white tent set up at Paramount Studios, this time with 75 galleries, plus 16 Projects in the Backlot.  Even though they upped general admission to $125 this year, there were plenty of visitors in tent – yes, perhaps with a little more breathing room than last year, which was most welcome.  The booths are still small, and in these limited spaces, I found galleries that focused on one or two artists delivered the most impact.  That included L.A. Louver featuring sculpture and works on paper by Alison Saar, Pace Gallery and Kayne Griffin Corcoran featuring light installations by James Turrell, and As-is.la featuring trompe-l’oeil paintings by Takako Yamaguchi.

James Turrell works in Pace and Kayne Griffin Corcoran booth at Frieze LA. Photo by Casey Kelbaugh.

Another standout was a floor installation by Alicja Kwade at Koenig Galerie from Berlin. “Emergenz” comprised of series of objects, ranging from petrified wood to a highly polished bronze bowl, divided by mirrored glass.  This was a show-stopper, and also highly photogenic, so lots of people stopped for a snapshot.  I found it so fascinating from so many angles that I went back several times over two days.  

Alison Saar at L.A. Louvre booth at Frieze LA. Photo by Casey Kelbaugh.

The Backlot seemed thinner this year—fewer participants, fewer big projects.  A mesmerizing performance was given by Naama Tsabar outside in the “crossing” of the faux city streets.  In “Untitled (Double Face),” she began by playing a custom-made, double-faced guitar, rubbing it on her thighs and legs as she walked.  She was then joined by Kristin Mueller, who played the other side of the guitar, and together, head against the other’s shoulder, they danced back and forth across the space —at first in a kind of waltz, then more contentiously as they forcefully pushed again each other.  It was a potent encapsulation of how relationships begin, evolve, and end.

Naama Tsabar, Double Face print, as displayed in Frieze LA Backlot.

There were parallel programming/events at the NeueHouse and the very upscale West Hollywood EDITION hotel.  This was launched Feb. 11 with a morning presentation by the nonprofit RxArt about its mission to provide art for children’s healthcare facilities, with an appearance by collaborators The Haas Brothers.  That evening Yours Truly got to attend Alex Prager’s very amusing short film “Play the Wind,” an homage to Los Angeles in all its pop-culture giddiness.  The screening room at the EDITION, by the way, is one of the comfiest I’ve been in.

Marlborough booth at Felix.

Felix (Feb. 13–16) returned to the Roosevelt Hotel— the cabanas around the pool, plus rooms on two floors.  There were again the lines for the elevators, but with the new pricing system—free last year, $25 for admission this year— the lines were shorter.  Maybe the novelty’s worn off this year, but I really noticed how very crammed the rooms were for showing art, except for smaller works.  This may also be because I went first to the reinvented Art Los Angeles Contemporary (Feb. 13–16) at the Hollywood Athletic Club.  

Exterior of Hollywood Athletic Club.

THAT was a revelation, and a credit to ALAC founder Tim Fleming who hired PRODUCTURA and Part Office to design the space.  There were elegant tall wall dividers in the former Gymnasium – what looked like gold-painted drywall covered in clear polycarbonate sheets, basic industrial materials made to look fab.  There were nice sitting areas with comfy sofas.  There was the navigable layout.  Since this was a former health club, the rooms felt roomy, and were divided into galleries which comfortably flowed into one other.  Gallerists such as Gerard O’Brien (The Landing) and Edward Cella were happy with how it all turned out.  “Solid attendance and the response to the new location was overwhelmingly positive,” said Cella.  “Good sales all through the weekend.”