Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos: Frieze Art Fair Returns To Randall's Island With Live Burro & A Carload Of Mimes
By
Scott Lynch
Published May 6, 2016
Modified May 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist
View all 56
By
Scott Lynch
Published May 6, 2016
Modified May 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The glitzy Frieze New York opened its massive white tent to the public yesterday, the fifth year the fair has brought the art buying-and-selling world to Randall's Island. Some 300 galleries set up shop for this year's spectacle, showing works by more than a thousand artists from all over the world. And even if crowds were minimal in the afternoon, the people-watching was still a pretty good sideshow for the art.
In addition to the hundreds of individual booths running up and down the tent in four long rows—you really need at least two and a half hours to even just glance at everything—there were also a number of performance pieces happening both inside and out on the lawn, including a team of mimes pushing around a cartoony green car, and a five elegant dancers in mirrored tutus. There's also a recreation of a Maurizio Cattelan piece from 1994, which is basically a live burro tromping around in his pen under a chandelier.
(Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
As is always the case with these big-money fairs, most galleries brought out their most eye-catching works for Frieze, so if you like to photograph yourself, your friends, or random strangers next to a bizarre sculptural piece, this is the place to be. Frieze also hosts an impressive line-up of food vendors—from Court Street Grocers and Roberta's to Marlow and Sons, El Rey, and Morgenstern's Ice Cream—as well as comfortable areas in which to eat.
Note too, there's a booth that looks like a space-age-y installation but it actually sponsored by that weird protein drink Soylent that Silcon Valley tech bros consume instead of eating actual food because they're so busy or something, and the company's giving away bottles of the stuff for you try. Spoiler: it's gross.
Frieze New York on Randall's Island will be open to the public today until 8:00 p.m., tomorrow from 11:00 until 7:00, and Sunday from 11:00 until 6:00. Tickets are $45, and should be bought in advance. There are shuttle buses running from the Guggenheim all day long, as well as ferry service from East 35th and East 95th Streets.
Tagged
art
frieze 2016
frieze ny
randall's island
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .