The Tamesis
At most fairs, almost all booths look the same: a series of white walls with paintings, some with sculptures in between. That’s certainly not the formula used by Los Angeles’ Parker Gallery, whose booth looks and feels different from other Frieze booths. Gallery artist Marley Freeman is showing a new series of paintings inspired by Textile Artifacts, an antique textile dealership in Midtown Los Angeles founded by her father, Paul, in 1990. She and her brother Jordan are now also involved in the business, and the company has loaned antique textiles and produced reproductions for more than 100 films.
For this installation, the Freemans worked together to select some of their favorite textiles, which were hung flush on display from the top of the booth walls. These textiles were produced from the 1880s to the 1980s and originated primarily in Europe and New England. On these textiles, Marley is displaying her abstract paintings. They feature layers of paint of varying opacity, giving them the illusion of movement, an illusion amplified by the tapestry patterns behind the pieces.
Paul began collecting textiles in 1979 and eventually began selling them. During his career, he was a regular at the Brimfield Antique Flea Market in Massachusetts, the largest flea market in the country, and he hosted several European trade shows each year starting in the 1990s. “For 15 years, I’ve been on the treadmill,” he told me art news During VIP preview. After all, an art fair is a trade show, and Paul seemed comfortable working in the booth. Paper receipt book in hand, he makes sales within the first hour.
