Paradise Row and Prakke Contemporary this week managed to create the nearly exact opposite feeling of an art fair with the pop up show, “Play: A Festival of Fun.” On view from October 9 through November 3 at 50 Upperbrook Street in London, the show brings together over 40 artists and performances on five floors with work that deals with the theme of “play.”
So while there are a lot of artists, artwork, and space you’ll be sure to get lost in, this show achieved the feeling of all play and no business. It was a welcome Yin to Frieze’s Yang. On the opening night for Frieze week this past Wednesday, it felt like a play house. The doorway had piles of marshmallows, black licorice, and other sweets to get you in the mood upon entering. Straight ahead was David Birkin’s “Concord” (2009), where a young man with fingers wrapped in Christmas lights pounded away on a piano that made no sound. Directly behind him was Amelia Whitelaw’s “Listen with your eyes” (2009), a black cylindrical net with gobs and gobs of multi-colored play dough dripping from it’s bottom onto the floor.
Strategically stepping so as to avoid getting play dough dropped on my head I moved to the back left room, where a life-sized game board was laid out for guests to play, Gosha Ostretov’s “-ism Monopoly” (2009). Moving on to the first floor (America’s second floor) via the five-story, spiraling staircase, it was revealed that the net of clay extended several stories up where the artist was hard at play tossing fresh clay own every few minutes. In a side room was Jake and Dinos Chapman’s “Fucking with Nature” (2009), a moving see-saw with actual stuffed animals arranged by height on either side.
The second floor felt like a maze of playhouses among works by Sol LeWitt, Aaron Young, and Carsten Holler. There was a room painted white and filled with feathers, Olympia Scarry’s “Kinder Heaven” (2009). A young man and woman drifted and swam in the sea of feathers, interlacing arms and throwing clouds of fluff about. Next to that was Edward Fornieles’ “Kinder Bar’s Playground” (2009) which you entered through a Hannah Montana towel draped over the doorway. There was a ball pit, a small room outfitted with mattresses on every wall, and a two-story playhouse.
There was much more to the exhibition and half the fun was finding it all in the many hallways and rooms and floors. If at the end of Frieze week you find yourself in need of a pick me up it’s a must see before your flight home.
