It was Frieze again. Didn't go myself because I play ping pong of a Wednesday but apparently this year's theme was 'Arab Spring'. Every one entered into the spirit of it and the opening night was hot, bright and dry. Figurehead of the event was Christian Jankowski's pointless, overpriced boat, stuck high and dry in the middle.
Money and capitalism were demonstrated rather better and far more subtly by one of the other Frieze Projects. To emphasise the gulf between the haves and the have-nots the booze dispersal was put in the hands of the galleries to give to their mates and the oilworthy, while the liggers, scroungers and other members of the underclass were obliged to pay up or suck pebbles. Genius. A sublime piece that both educated and entertained; the entire opening night became a huge performance, in which everyone played a part.
Now that Frieze has eaten Zoo it was left to others to put on the periphery exhibitions, which they did very nicely thank you. Sluice had some interesting work in a well-laid-out and pleasant space as did Sunday, but in a strange bunker.
Lots of other bits and pieces around but very few worthy of mention. White Cube opened another space. Back to their roots this time: a tiny first floor space. Yeah, and it's got a thatched roof. No, needless to say it's another vast slab, with a big forecourt for Jay to park the Lexus. On the opening night there was a big queue and Christo-esque installation where everything for 200 metres around it was wrapped in bicycles. Biggest gold star of the week goes to Modern Painters magazine for their combination of new and brave: the October issue as an exhibition, and traditional: constantly topped up bubbly and a cheese bar.
The press all did a little pieces on 'Art' last week, but let us look away from the obvious (no doubt the Evening Standard magazine jumped at the chance to do some more photos of Polly Morgan in her Louboutins and her newest artwork; a coat made from 101 dalmatians) and see instead how The Daily Mail reports on the artworld.
And why not? They have a point of view and a great many people are interested in it, how then do they choose to educate that audience about art? Well rather than critique an exhibition they elected to provide an in depth review of the work and career of a single artist, one Meredith Ostrom. Penned by Richard Kay and titled Makes a nice impression? here it is in full.
She may not quite have the cachet of Damien Hirst just yet, but stunning actress-turned-artist Meredith Ostrom has gone one better than the multi-millionaire conceptualist with her use of real diamond dust to enhance her creations.
Meredith, 33, the former love of Duran Duran keyboard player Nick Rhodes, has a unique artistic technique she strips naked and uses impressions of her lissom body on her canvases.
Now she has been buying diamond dust from a pal who is a gem cutter in New York to sprinkle an added lustre on to her finished pieces.
Says Meredith, who sells her works for up to £10,000-a-painting at galleries, including the Opera Gallery in Mayfair: 'Damien Hirst uses diamond dust but his is actually glass because he prefers the effect that glass gives.
'But mine is the real deal. The only problem is that the dust I use is highly toxic.'
So after first stripping off for her art, she then has to don special plasticised protective clothing, plus face mask and goggles, to sprinkle on the dust.
'Once I am all dressed up, I then use a colander and a hair-dryer to spread the dust on to the canvases,' explains Meredith.
No wonder she hasn't had another long-term boyfriend since splitting from Rhodes?
Richard, Meredith, the readers of The Daily Mail and contemporary art itself have all benefited from that being printed, a rare win, win, win, win situation.
Adrian Lee