Frieze

TANIA PÉREZ CÓRDOVA
Alocasia Odora (40% chance of rain), 2022
Iron, epoxy clay, plastic, acrylic, gold plated brass chain, patterns of leaf damage
27.5 x 12.75 x 12.75 in. (70 x 32.5 x 32.5 cm)
$10-20k
Presented by Tina Kim Gallery

While navigating the bustle of an art fair, it’s a pleasure to connect with contemplative works like those of Mexico City-based artist Tania Pérez Córdova. In her series 'Precipitation', Córdova continues her practice of recontextualizing natural forms with complex construction methods. The subject of Alocasia Odora (40% chance of rain) is a single green leaf - its delicacy and fragility compromised by disintegration both natural and synthetic. In this work, Pérez Córdova pierces the leaf with strands of brass chains piercing the leaf to mimic rain, evoking another powerful natural element. The sculptural relics of her practice quietly but proactively address the complex natural world. – Lela Hersh

MAIA RUTH LEE
Bondage Baggage series, 2018 onward
$10,000 - $20,000
Presented by Tina Kim and François Ghebaly

Following her much lauded show that just closed at Tina Kim Gallery in New York, I’m very excited to see Maia Ruth Lee’s paintings at Tina Kim and François Ghebaly’s booths. These paintings showing with Tina Kim are a relatively new development within Lee’s ongoing Bondage Baggage series begun in 2018 which takes inspiration from the rope-bound bulbous luggage bundles ubiquitous in developing countries. Lee has been fascinated by the form ever since encountering it at the Kathmandu International Airport where she lived for several years with her parents who are missionaries and linguists. The paintings are literally born out of the sculptures. Referred to as “skin” by the artist, the canvases start as the shroud that envelops the sculptures and takes its organic form from the taut ropes and masked contents. Lee applies ink that articulates the irregular trellised pattern of the rope as negative space almost like a cyanotype. Once the rope is cut the canvases shift from sculptural objects to two dimensional images. No longer indexical, the paintings engage a rich lineage of abstract painting – Simon Hantaï’s pliage technique, Yves Klein's Anthropométries series, the Pattern and Decoration movement, and the cellular architecture of Terry Winters’ paintings. All these formal dialogues exist concurrent with Lee’s exploration of themes relating to migration, labor, and diasporic identity. There are a lot of different ways to engage these paintings – plenty for the eye and mind. – Alex Glauber