By
Johanna Silver

All images courtesy of the artist and Chert, Berlin.

DAVID HORVITZ AT FRIEZE NEW YORK


Taking place on Randall’s Island this weekend, Frieze New York continues its five-year legacy of amassing contemporary artists and enthusiasts in one dynamically curated locale. Over two hundred galleries will be represented in the fair’s exhibition space, which will feature talks, solo shows, and other programming. Among them is Frieze Projects, which will showcase site-specific artist commissions.

One of the Frieze Project exhibitors, artist David Horvitz, will be bringing a professional pickpocket to the fairgrounds. Weaving among the fairgoers, they will be placing small sculptures into unsuspecting pockets, rather than stealing valuables, a generous gesture that is punctuated with intrigue as guests will discover a gift where a crime could have just as easily taken place.

In a nod to the money surging through today’s market, Horvitz ruminates on the fair’s aggregation of art admirers, who would normally make optimal pickpocketing targets. “In the fair, there is so much wealth in one spot,” he explains.

The act also overturns the very nature of the fair as a space where art is being sold. While most are charging for their art, Horvitz is giving it away—in fact, gifting it—to crowd members, challenging the regularity of art as a cornerstone of wealth and opulence and offering a humble alternative. Having had the idea for several years, he was waiting for the opportunity and the ideal environment in which to carry it out.

Frieze is just one of many New York venues to have showcased Horvitz’s projects. He has exhibited locally at the New Museum, MoMa, and the Brooklyn Museum, as well as in oversees art syndicates like Art Basel. His current show at Chert in Berlin features multimedia displays, evoking his ever-inquisitive air.

Subverting conventional constructs with varying mediums, Horvitz’s work often propels an idea into the masses, calling on followers, fellow artists, or passersby to respond to his queries. The internet has been a popular vehicle for his operations, where he has created viral memes, invited artists from all over the world to share what they had for breakfast, and inserted photos of himself onto Wikipedia pages. He has also created photography collections, short films, and public spectacles that require participation from his audience.

Much like his past tangible and technologic spectacles, the outcome of his latest art is contingent on a third party, through whom he brings a concept to life and allows those involved to finish the thought. When asked if he is apprehensive about the success of his Frieze piece being dependent on the skills of the thief, he nonchalantly responds, “I think it’s fine, we’ll see what happens.”

As for future exhibitions, Horvitz is currently exploring mediums that transcend his already elusive art-making. “This is going to sound weird, but I’m studying telepathy as an art form and lucid dreaming.”

Frieze New York runs May 5 to 8 at Randall’s Island Park, New York. “ja” runs through June 11 at Chert, Berlin.

David Horvitz, "ja," installation view, Chert, Berlin, 2016.
By
Johanna Silver

All images courtesy of the artist and Chert, Berlin.

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