Hasta La Ideas

Six standout pieces from London’s Frieze Art Fair 2011

Now in its ninth year, the Frieze Art Fair has grown to encompass nearly 1,000 artists and 173 galleries from more than 33 countries under one hangar-like tent. Though organizers have been accused of creating an over-commercialized art supermarket, there is no doubt that Frieze still shows fascinating work.

This year we’ve picked six new glass pieces from a variety of galleries worldwide based on their striking angular elegance and transparent special effects. Part of what made these works so compelling was their ability to occupy their own space while also incorporating the people and art around them, reflecting all the fun of the fair.

Brooklyn-based Nick van Woert caught our attention with his vibrant “Not Yet Titled 7” (2011) on show at the Parisian Yvon Lambert Gallery . These multi-colored building blocks cut a dash through the space, each filled with a different material. Insulation foam, chipped concrete and metal shavings are layered between colorful liquids and gels, all encapsulated in plexi-glass containers, as a sort of deconstructed expression of modern architecture.

Down the aisle at Plan B Gallery, Navid Nuur‘s “Untitled” (2011) is a simple structure of angled mirror and glass reflecting a combination of its fast-paced surroundings against the words “Just Another Edge of Present Understanding.” These complex visuals seem to reflect the multicultural layers of this Netherlands-based, Tehran-born artist showing work with a Romanian gallery.

Carsten Nicolai’s work at Galerie EIGEN + ART Berlin also incorporates layers of glass. In this case the three “Batterie Random Dot” (2011) sculptures reflect Nicolai’s own work on the walls rather than that of other artists. The dot patterns printed on the piled-up horizontal glass sheets contrast with the sculptures’ overall rectilinear cube structures, reinforcing Nicolai’s interest in the tension between random and organized patterns. “Many of my works underlie a rule and introduce a model as organizing scheme to recognize chaotic movements,” he explains.

Anri Sala achieves full transparency with his installation “No Window No Cry”(2010). This Albanian artist provides a viewfinder both into the Marian Goodman Gallery and outward to the rest of the fair, creating moments where visitors come face-to-face on either side of the glass to admire this intriguing artwork. Trapped in between the viewers and the layers of glass in a carefully blown bubble is a “modified music box,” which one imagines could make a beautiful sound, if only it could be reached.

Olafur Eliasson expresses the containment of movement in a flash of bright yellow glass at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Eliasson’s “Thinking Sphere” (2011) seems to develop last year’s “Untitled Sphere,” which reflected fragmented yellow light in a black box. Now the structure is reversed, with the light escaping into an external yellow sphere and the mirrored geodesic black box now containing a mysterious energy at its core.

Jeppe Hein‘s, Two-way Mirror Mobile (2011) at Galleri Nicolai Wallner brought the theme of reflection and transparency to its rightful conclusion by the show’s exit, summing up the art world’s sense of watching and being watched. As this Danish artist’s large glass discs rotate on their Calder-like mobile structure visitors can see straight through them, while also seeing reflections of themselves and the surroundings artworks, capturing all of Frieze in a perfect circle.

Questo rientra nella mia personale categoria di holy crap. Se volete stupire il vostro amico tamarro, lo trovate qui.
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Découverte de cet hôtel très suprenant avec un véritable village d’igloo basé à Kakslauttanen, en Finlande. Chaque igloo est équipée de verre afin de de contempler les aurores boréales et les d’étoiles. Construit à partir de verre thermique spécial, les 20 chambres sont chauffées.

Previously on Fubiz

• Tree Hotel
• Alila Villas Bali
• Baccarat – House of Crystal

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London designer Héctor Serrano presents this series of jars with cork lids at Maison&Objet, which opens today in Paris.

The project is an extension to his Natura collection of vases for La Mediterránea, launched in January.

The jars come in three sizes and three colours.

Maison&Objet continues until 13 September.

See all our stories about Héctor Serrano here.

The text below is from Serrano:

Natura Jars by Héctor Serrano para La Mediterránea

Natura jars are inspired by the world of vases. A collection of jars that not only store but also decorate. Its translucent colors let you see their content, screening them and creating a balanced range of tones.

A continuation and extension of the natural collection. This why we use the cork in the same way, similar formal language and same color code that resembles ancient glass, giving it a vintage flavour.

The collection is made of 100% recycled glass and is composed of three jars of 1000cc, 2000cc and 2400cc, available in three colors green, amber and red.

See also:

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Plug by Tomas Kral	Wine & Bar by Aurélien Barbry for Normann Copenhagen	Cru by Sebastian Bergne

Chains, ring pops and weapons in a master glass designer’s latest experiments with crystal

Though master of crystal and glass design Orfeo Quagliata, 39, has been producing his own transparent wonders for several years (he’s been working with glass since age 12 and heads up Phuze Design), a recent collaboration with Swarovski Elements has led the Mexico-based artist to explore a more subversive side of the material. After the success of his initial partnership with the crystal leaders (he made five exclusive martini shakers for Skyy Vodka, like one that evokes Mr. Big’s character and a lipstick tube, for the Mexico City Sex and the City 2 premiere), Quagliata’s new work featured in a show at San Francisco, California’s Velvet Da Vinci’s gallery this month makes almost a 180. Celebrating both the beauty of Swarovski’s crystals and showing a “lack of respect” by fearlessly grinding and melting the pieces, Quagliata’s irreverence and a playful approach to material mark his sleek designs.

Among his more outlandish explorations in jewelry, glassware and sculpture is the aptly named “Crystal Death,” a design inspired by gladiators’ iconic morningstar weapon. This crystal implement is a prime example of Quagliata’s tendency to transform something with negative associations (in this case, a piece traditionally used for killing) into a stunning work of art.

Quagliata describes the show’s one-off designs (that inspired Phuze’s new production line) as “coming out of necessity.” While he primary occupies himself with beauty and combining unexpected materials, Quagliata also focuses on functionality. In the case of his geometric glassware, the cups are made from Pyrex (a sturdy heat- and chemical-resistant material) for those craving chic, faceted mugs for their coffee. Drawing from his work for the exhibition, Quagliata simplified the production design from tall glasses with elaborate handles to short cups with a single colorful knob.

Other offshoots of the exhibition include Phuze’s Disco Line for which Quagliata removes the crystals’ foil with acid and fills hollow pieces with them. Unlike standard jewelry with crystals fixed into settings, the Disco Line’s pieces are “shimmering little worlds for the crystals to live in.” A standout from the line’s delicate rings, earrings and pendant-like pieces, the “Alpha Chain” contrasts the lightness of the crystals with heavy steel links.

For a look at Quagliata’s one-of-a-kind pieces, catch his show before it ends 28 August 2011. Visit Phuze Design for a look at Quagliata’s other jewels, like his glammed-up glass candy rings colored with ground crystals. Currently showing at Swarovski’s booth for Accessory Circuit Intermezzo in New York, his work will hit London and Shanghai soon. While his pieces are now available for purchase from his London distributor, they will be sold at MoMA next year.