Pablo José Ramírez’s Top 5 Picks from Frieze Los Angeles Viewing Room 2024
The Hammer Museum curator selects groundbreaking ceramics by Sharif Farrag and Rose B Simpson, and a painting by Roberto Gil De Montes he describes as “a delightful journey”
The Hammer Museum curator selects groundbreaking ceramics by Sharif Farrag and Rose B Simpson, and a painting by Roberto Gil De Montes he describes as “a delightful journey”
Yeni Mao, fig 39.1 freemartin, 2024
Blackened steel, porcelain, ceramic with graphite finish, calcite, leather. Presented by Make Room. $10k-$20k
“The way that Yeni Mao relates diasporic Chinese sensibilities with a practice of space and architecture makes me think of an archaeological practice executed with scrutiny and an almost obsessive sense of observation. Mao’s work is an extraordinary exploration of those terrains, too easily dismissed when thinking about diasporas.”
Sharif Farrag, Mud Mountain, 2024
Glazed ceramic, 43 × 25.5 × 25.5 cm. Presented by François Ghebaly. $16,000
“This is the time for ceramics in contemporary art, and LA knows it. The unique language of Farrag is a not-to-miss.”
Roberto Gil De Montes, Untitled, 1989
Oil on canvas,152.4 × 152.4 cm. Presented by Ortuzar Projects. Not for Sale
“Gil de Montes’s paintings are a delightful journey through delirious and tender imagery of his personal and collective brown sensibilities. His work is a testimony to the monumental transnational legacy of Chicano art in the US.”
Aydeé Rodríguez López, Vicente Guerrero y Juan del Carmen, 2023
Oil on canvas, mounted on hand-carved dyed poplar-wood frame, 169 × 218 × 4.5 cm. Presented by Proyectos Monclova. $20k-$50k
“Thankfully, we have the work of artists such as Aydeé Rodríguez López that remind us of the many histories that were suppressed by dominant narratives of colonial mestizaje in Latin American countries. Rodríguez’s work speaks of the rich inheritance of Afro-diasporic communities in Mexico and beyond.”
Rose B Simpson, Heights I, 2022
Patinated bronze and wire, 215.9 × 40.6 × 24.1 cm. Presented by Jessica Silverman. $300,000
“Simpson is doing some of the most daring work I’ve seen in ceramics in the last few years. Her work speaks to a larger cultural pueblo tradition while innovating the medium and pushing the boundaries of sculptural practice itself. I am looking forward to encountering this majestic bronze being in person.”
About Pablo José Ramírez
Pablo José Ramírez is curator at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and co-curator of the Made in L.A. 2023: 'Acts of Living'. He was formerly the adjunct curator of First Nations and Indigenous art at Tate Modern. His work revisits post-colonial societies to consider brownness, indigeneity and translation.
About Frieze Viewing Room
Open to all from February 22–March 8, Frieze Viewing Room is the online catalog for Frieze Los Angeles 2024, offering visitors access to the wealth of gallery presentations at the fair, as well as the chance for audiences around the world to connect with galleries and acquire artworks.
Main image: Pablo José Ramírez
