HopepuncturesdarknessinTheArmoryShow'sPlatformsectionVICTORIASTAPLEY-BROWN

NinelargeworksposebigquestionsintandemwithaWorld’sFairtheme7thMarch201922:39GMT

Photo:HugoGlendinning“WhenNicole[Berry,thedirectorofTheArmoryShow]askedmetodothesecommissionsanditwasthe25thanniversaryoftheArmory,Ithought,whatotheranniversariesarethere?”saysSallyTallant,whohasorganisedthecuratedPlatformsectionofthe2019

ArmoryShow.Tallant,thenewQueensMuseumdirector,settledonthe1939NewYorkWorld’sFair.Withthehopefulforward-lookingthemeof“BuildingtheWorldofTomorrow”,thefairtookplaceinaperiodofgrowingnationalism,populismandarefugeecrisis,and“youcouldsaywe’refacingverysimilarissues”,Tallantsays.Inadarktime,artistsdo“themosthopefulthing”,sheadds.“Tomakesomethinginthisworldandtomakesomethingofthisworldishopefulactandaresilientact.”Scatteredthroughoutthefair(withsomelocationschangedduetothelast-minuteshakeupoftheArmory’svenue)areworksbynineartistswho

“areaskingimportantquestionsandgivingusopportunitytothinkaboutcomplexchallengesthatweface”,Tallantsays.

Photo:TeddyWolffIrisHäussler,Apartment5(2019),DanielFariaGalleryandJohnMichaelKohlerArtsCenter:TheGermanartistIrisHäusslermakesimmersiveinstallationsaboutfictionalcharacters,withcomplexnarrativesbehindthem.“Ineverpickmysubjects—theypickme,”shesays.AtTheArmoryShow,sheispresentingaroominstallationoftheNewYorkstudiooftheseamstressandpainterFlorenceHasard,aFrenchimmigranttotheUSwhowasborninthe1880s.“Weareinonechapterofawoman’sbiographywhowashauntedbyherinnerghostsofpost-traumaticstresssyndrome”fromhertimeasanurseinamilitaryhospitalduringtheFirstWorldWar,Häusslersays.Thewallsofthespaceshowher“innerlandscape”—adizzyingwallpaperingofpagestornfromantiquecopiesofGray’sAnatomy,withreddishmap-like

formsthatalsolooklikemuscles,fasciaorveins.HäusslerhasbroughtintheWorld’sFairtheme,withvintageobjectsfromtheFrenchpavilionpresentedindisplaycaseoutsideoftheroom.

Photo:TeddyWolffTaniaCandiani,Reverencia(2019),GaleriaVermelho:TheMexicanartistTaniaCandiani“oftenusescomplexresearch”inherwork,Tallantsays.HerworkatTheArmoryShow,Reverencia

(2019),referencesthetraditionalDanceofLosQuetzales,adanceofgratitudethatwaspresentedattheMexicanpavilionatthe1939World’sFair.Twogiantheaddressesor“Penachos”worninthisdance,heremadeofmaterialsincludingbamboo,ribbonsandfeathers,arehungonthewall,andavideoofaperformanceofthedanceisalsopresented.“Whatthey’reactingasisakindofwelcomeofgratitude,whichofcourseispoliticallyrelevantnow”givenUS-Mexicoborderrelations,Tallantsays.

SuperTaus(TausMakhacheva),QuickFix(2019):WhentheRussian-DagestaniartistTausMakhachevais“toobusytodosomething,shesends‘SuperTaos’,[who]hassuperpowers”,Tallantsays.(Caseinpoint:adashcamvideoonviewatthefair,whichshowshermovinga“boulder”tocleararoadway.)Makhacheva’salteregoherselfisondisplayintheworkQuickFix,inwhichvisitorscanrolladietowinatrophy—iftheygeta“YES”,onthreeofsix

sides,andthenanother“YES”togetthetrophyoftheirchoice,whichtheycantakehomeforfree.Thesuperpower-wieldingartistthenputsalabelfromagroupofavailableprizesonthetrophy(thisluckyjournalistwithtwoconsecutiveyesrollschose“TheBestCock-and-BullStoryPrize”)orwillmakeacustomprizelabel.(Sofar,thesehaveincluded“BestAss”and“BestCatMom”.)“What’sinteresting[aboutthework]iswatchingpeoplehavethatreallyintimateinteractionwithsomeone,”Tallantsays.

©RyanGander;courtesyoftheartistRyanGander,HetSpel(MyneotonicovoidcontributiontoModernism)(2019),LissonGallery:TheUKartistRyanGander’ssculptureHetSpel(MyneotonicovoidcontributiontoModernism)(2019)takesthe1918sculptureKompositionAusDemOvoid(Compositionfromtheovoid)bytheBelgianartistandDeStijlco-founderGeorgeVantongerloo,blowsituponamassivescaleandcoversitinfluffyblueballs.“He’sinterestedinakindofcomicreinventionofmodernistsculptures,”Tallantsays.“It’sreallyirreverent.”Inthatirreverence,heis“reclaiming[thehistoryofModernism],remakingit,reimaginingit”.Thepresentationhas

wontheinauguralPommeryPrize,whichgives$20,000fortheartistandgallerytoshare.

CourtesyofDavidCastilloGalleryXavieraSimmons,Chord(2018-19),DavidCastilloGallery:TheUSartistXavieraSimmonssaysChord(2018-19),aninstallationofphotographicandsculpturalworks,isa“recoveryofanarrative”,includinggenerationalwealthorpovertybasedonraceandpoliciesthathavehistoricallyinfluencedthis.“I’mreallythinkingaboutthosepolicies,butI’manartist,soIhavetoembedthepoliticalinsidethematerial—Ican’tletthatgo,”Simmonssays.“Thisworkreallyisunpackingimagebyimagea400-year-oldhistorythroughimage,throughsculpture,throughtext,througharchivesearching.”(Thisyearmarksthe400thanniversaryofthefirstarrivalofAfricanslavesinthefutureUS,in1619.)“Ialsostilllovebeautifulobjects,IlovecolourandIlovecraft.Theyallhavetocometogether,”shesays.Theworksincludephotographicpiecesthatmixphotographsoftheartist,archivalimagesandwallpaperprints,andelegantmahoganypieces.“I’mreallyinterestedincraftsmanshipintheespeciallywhenyouthinkofblackAmericanswhoaredescendedfromslaveshere,we’velostalotofthenarrative.Whomadewhat?Wewere[hundredsofyears]producingthingsthatwegotnocreditfor.”

Photo:TeddyWolffSiahArmajani,SevenRoomsofHospitality(2016-17),Rossi&Rossi:“Ithinkbeingabletounderstandtheworldandbeingabletounderstandthechallengesandproblemsoftheworldishopeful,”Tallantsays.“WhenyoulookatSiah’sworkandyouthinkaboutrefugesorasylumseekersor

detaineesanditpromptsyoutobemoreempathetic—Ifindthathopeful.”TheIranian-bornartistSiahArmajani,whoalsohassolopresentationsattheMetBreuerandthePublicArtFund,isshowinghismostrecentbodyofwork,SevenRoomsofHospitality(2016-17),whichreferencesthemigrantcrisisthroughmini3-Dprintedmodels(someofwhichhavebeenrealisedaslarge-scalesculptures)ofspaceslikeadetentioncentreandatruck.Thesmallmodelsareshownalongsidealarge-scaleversionofoneofthespaces,RoomforMigrantWorker.“Withinthiscontext[ofanartfair],itfeelsreallyimportanttobebringinginthiskindofstatement,”Tallantsays.

Photo:CharlesBenton;courtesyoftheartist,RichardTaittingerGallery,NewYork,andGalleriaContinua,SanGimignano/Beijing/LesMoulins/HabanaPascaleMartineTayou,PlasticBags(2019),TaittingerGalleryandGalleriaContinua:ThesuspendedworkPlasticBags(2019)bytheCameroonianartistPascaleMarthineTayou,themostmonumentalofthePlatformworks,addressesplasticwasteandecologicalissues.“It’sakindofveryspectacularworkthat’screatedbyverysimplemeans,”Tallantexplains—colouredplasticbagsattachedtoaframe,assembledonsite.“Ithasapresence,”shesays.Itdoesseemtocommandsomesortofspace—onthefair’sopeningday,astheaislesbustledwithvisitors,therewasaforce

fieldofspacearoundTayou’spiece,puncturedonlybytheoccasionalpersonposingforphotographs.Tallantsaysshespottedpeopleearlierthatmorninglyingunderneaththework.

Photo:JohnLusis,courtesyoftheartistandKaviGuptagalleryJessicaStockholder,DreamWhip(2019),KaviGuptaGallery:TheChicago-basedartistJessicaStockholderisshowingDreamWhip(2019),aseriesof“assists”sculpturesthat“onlyexistwhenthey’reattachedtosomething”,Tallantexplains.“It’saboutaskingthatquestionofwhatdoesitmeantobeinterdependentand

reliantonsomeoneelse?It’sasimplekindofquestionbutitproposesasymbioticinterdependencythatactuallymakesusthinkaboutourrelationshipswithotherpeople.”Thesculpturesaremountedoneverydayobjects,likearefrigerator,which“areprops,buttheyare[partofthework]becausethey’reparalysedasobjects”,sheadds;forinstance,therefrigeratorisnotpluggedinandthuscannotserveitsintendedfunction.

©AndreasAngelidakis;courtesyoftheBreeder,AthensAndreasAngelidakis,DonationDrive(2019),TheBreeder:TheGreekartistAndreasAngelidakis’sworkshowsobjectsfromthewishlistsofpublicschoolteachersasrequestedthroughtheorganisationDonationDrive,andfairgoerscanpurchaseindividualobjects,suchasabeanbagchairoraroboticlearningtool.Thesalepricewillgotowardsbuyingitems

ontheteachers’wish,andcollectorsareencouragedtodonatethephysicalobjecttheyhavepurchasedatTheArmoryShowtotheschool.Theworkusestheartfaircontextto“createavalueintherealworld”,Tallantsays,“givingpeopleanopportunitytoinvestinsomethingthat’sreallyneeded”.