Chelsea Galleries Reaction

The artist Charles Fréger has some interesting pieces in the Yossi Milo Gallery. The one that first caught my attention is titled “Caretos, Lazarim, Portugal.” This piece depicts a person wearing some sort of beastly mask, most likely that of a deer or antelope. The clothes are covered with what appears to be red strings of confetti. The background of the work caught my attention immediately. This person is standing on a hilly terrain, with fog dominating most of the piece. The contrast between the red and white makes the image stand out. I would purchase this piece of artwork since it stimulates my mind and is aesthetically beautiful. Another work by Fréger that caught my attention is titled “Perchten, Werfen, Austria.” This piece depicts a person wearing some sort of leather cloak, with leather ears protruding from the head. There is a cowbell placed on the person’s chest. This piece is quite interesting to me because of the location. The person, rather beast, is situated in a winter wonderland. Both the sky and the ground are white, and it would be difficult to distinguish one from the other without the horizon line of trees in the background. Charles Fréger’s works are both creative and interesting. His pieces seem to drive at something about human displacement of animals from their natural habitats. I hold these works in high regard and would purchase them not only for the ability to hang them in my home, but for the reason that they highlight a very interesting subject. As the environment is ever changed by human interaction, I believe Fréger’s works to become more popular and valuable.

The artist Zhang Xiaogang is featured at the Pace Gallery. At first glance, I had neither a positive or negative reaction to his work. Usually, I will disregard anything unpleasing to my eye and cast it from memory. However, as I examined his works, I found myself interested in his pieces. The interest was not born out of ideal conditions—I did not want to purchase his work, unfortunately for him. Rather, I was surprised about the personality he put into his work. For example, his piece titled “The Position of My Father” is revealing of how he perceived his father as a baby. Although the painting comes from a place of strong emotions, it does not resonate with me. Therefore, I would not feel comfortable purchasing a work which I find unattractive and possessing a strange subject matter. The second piece which caught my attention is titled “Boy No. 1.” This piece is a bronze sculpture of an Asian boy. Usually, when a sculpture is created, it is to reference someone of great accomplishment. However, this piece goes against the grain, not even mentioning what the name of the boy was. Although this notion of sculpting is interesting to me, I would not want to purchase such a work. I find the piece to be unpleasing to look at because of the colors Xiaogang used in painting the bronze.

Charles Fréger

"Caretos, Lazarim, Portugal"

Inkjet Print

2010-2011

Charles Fréger

"Perchten, Werfen, Austria"

Inkjet Print

2010-2011

Zhang Xiaogang

“The Position of My Father”

Oil on Canvas

2013

Zhang Xiaogang

“Boy No. 1”

Painted Bronze

2012