London’s Frieze Sculpture Park is a far gentler setting in the Regent’s Park’s English Garden, but it deserves as much of our attention. Tucked amongst the trees this year are works by Yayoi Kusama, KAWS, Martin Creed and Not Vital, and all of this for free. i-D spoke to curator Clare Lilley, also Director of Programmes at the increasingly influential Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
What do you think about the New York setting because obviously it’s so dramatic?
It’s so different. I think the funny thing about London parks is that we take them for granted. The gardens in Regent’s Park are really well designed, there’s a finesse there that you really start to understand. Of course it’s not as dramatic as New York, but personally I think it’s a better landscape.
Do you have to find connections between your choices?
I don’t really try to find connections because I have to do it all too rapidly, but certain things emerge and this year there’s something a lot more earthy about the work. Last year I had a lot of mirrored, shiny things, but this year it’s much more earthy and there’s much more wood.
Tell us about the range of artists.
They range from somebody in their 70s right through to graffiti artist KAWS. KAWS has made the most incredible 10 metre high figure that is going to be a talking point for sure. This is actually the biggest he’s made, and he’s shown in Europe before but he hasn’t shown in the UK. It’s made from wood. It’s a crazy material to use. I think KAWS worked with Disney at one time, so there’s that quality to it, but with this earthy feel.
What are the other noteworthy pieces?
We’ve also got a really gorgeous Martin Creed film. It’s stark: two films on a white background just with Martin doing an action. The screen is three metres wide and there’s going to be this block of moving colour all the time. Today I’ve been working with an amazing land artist called Richard Nonas. He’s this little, fit muscly guy heaving rock around and he’s made a beautiful piece of double boulders making up a line of rock across the park. For me, I’ve read about this guy – he’s in the history books. One of the delights of Frieze is being able to work with these art historical figures.
What about the lesser-known names?
There’s Marie Lund, who’s a Danish artist working in London. She’s quite a young artist. She’s got a pretty solid reputation, but she hasn’t got the name that the others have. She’s made this really nice instillation of concrete pillars. You know they’re odd, and as you come up to them, you realise what they are: she’s poured concrete into jeans, so what you’re looking at is basically the inside of jeans. She’s playing with sculptural concerns, like the void and the negative and material, but making something that I haven’t seen before.
When do you think is the best time to visit the park?
Oh the morning! It’s always got to be the morning. It’s looking stunning, really.
The Jaume Plensa show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park a couple of years ago was incredible, and you’re showing one of his works here.
It’s a really lovely piece; it’s a man, sitting on a boulder, on his knees, but the whole thing is made from letters from the alphabet. It’s a kind of universal theme of people, places or languages in this one figure.
What do you think the Sculpture Park offers Frieze?
It’s definitely a place for contemplation and peace. It’s a far more thoughtful place to be. But there are going to be things in the park that will make people think, “Oh I’m not sure about that, but I like it.” There should be! You don’t want to have everything beautiful and peaceful. There has to be an irritant there as well, which is good.
friezelondon.com/sculpture-park/
Credits
Text Stuart Brumfitt
Main image Franz West, Sitzwurst, 1999-2000. Courtesy Faggionato, London. New Art Centre, Roche Court Sculpture Park