Galerie Lelong Showcases Activist Artists at Frieze New York 2013, Now thru 5/13

Galerie Lelong will take part in Frieze New York, today, May 10 - 13, 2013 at Booth B13.

For the second edition of Frieze New York, Galerie Lelong will feature activist artists from different generations, whose works share concerns of social inequality, violence, and political turmoil expressed through a variety of mediums. The works on view range in date from 1970 to the present day and deal with both historical and ongoing conflicts.

A feminist and anti-war activist, Nancy Spero's collage works from the 1980s depict the suffering of women during periods of political turmoil.Argentina (1981) contains fragments of typed Amnesty International reports on the deplorable treatment of pregnant women in concentration camps during the "Dirty War," while South Africa (1981) details stories of women imprisoned for opposing the apartheid.

Works by Leon Golub and Cildo Meireles also respond to political conflict. Golub's The Assassin (1972) portrays the physical and psychological desecration of the body by modern weaponry through figural painting inspired by ancient Greek and Roman forms. A known activist in opposition to the Vietnam War, Golub's "Assassins" series was later called the "Vietnam" series. Meireles' Tiradentes: Totem-Monument to the Political Prisoner (1970) responds to the violence of the military dictatorship in his home country of Brazil.

Krzysztof Wodiczko's iconic sculpture, Homeless Vehicle (1988) was created as a practical, mobile solution to the dramatic increase in the homeless population of New York City during the 1980s. Conceived in collaboration with homeless individuals, this functional work relates to Wodiczko's concern with enabling the voiceless to be heard in public space and with the power of testimony as a force of change.

The Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica was also concerned with social inequality. In reaction to the alienation he experienced upon moving to New York, his photographs from the Cosmococa 5: Hendrix - Warseries (1973/2003) reflect the artist's interest in Jimi Hendrix as a countercultural icon and his desire to merge art and life as a rebellion against forces of social conditioning.

Renowned for her work as a peace activist in addition to being a leading conceptual, performance and feminist artist, Yoko Ono's A Hole (2009) directly confronts the viewer with an act of violence, while her text work IMAGINE NO FRACKING (2013), opposes this harmful method of extracting gas and oil in favor of clean energy.

Several of Alfredo Jaar's primary concerns are expressed in Three Women (2010): the limits and ethics of representation and the responsibility of the viewer. In this installation, Jaar uses the physical illumination of the small portraits of Graça Machel, Aung San Siu Kyi, and Ela Bhatt to challenge the viewer to contemplate the under-recognition of these women despite their significant contributions as humanitarians and activists. Jaar will represent Chile at the 55th Venice Biennale opening this June.

Untitled (Self Portrait with Blood) (1973) was made by Ana Mendietawhile at the University of Iowa during a year-long series of works on violence against women created in the wake of the violent rape and murder of a female student. Mendieta's work will be concurrently on view in Ana Mendieta: Late Works 1981-85 at Galerie Lelong and in a large-scale retrospective at the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy. The Hayward Gallery in London will open a retrospective this fall.

FRIEZE NEW YORK will take place at Randall's Island, New York City today, May 10-12: 11am-7pm and May 13: 11am-6pm. For more information, visit www.galerielelong.com and friezenewyork.com.