Frieze New York 2016: What happens at the world's biggest art pilgrimage

All the fun of the fair as witnessed by David Usborne, who encounters art lovers, art dealers, and the major talking point at Frieze – a donkey

Frieze New York attendees, Adele and Eva

Warm weather, tree blossoms, allergies (to pollen and tourists) – all harbingers of spring in New York. But nowadays something else tells us that winter’s hibernation is over – the rising on an island in the East River of a giant white marquee that for a few days only becomes the joyous point of pilgrimage for creators and disciples of contemporary art from all around the world.

As it opened its doors, or flaps, on Thursday for its fifth iteration on the American East Coast, Frieze New York, could almost claim now to have become a New York ritual. Preview day on Wednesday produced a familiar hum of anticipation and muttered criticism as the invitation-only guests roaming the 250,000 square feet of space – it is the biggest contiguous tent in the world – competed for attention with the art being shown by 200 international galleries.

“We like it because it is good mainly for the conversation, for exchange,” offered Adele, who with her partner of indeterminate gender, Eva, wandered the tent for the second year running, both with shaved heads and in identical, eye-catching garb down to the red handbags, their names embroidered on them. It wasn’t clear whether she meant conversation as in humans networking – of which there is plenty – or less literally as in between pieces and installations.

A handmade woolen carpet, titled 'Osho' (2015) by Faig Ahmed

Although who can say what the Frieze donkey might have to say either to the crystal chandelier hanging over his head or to the four round glass sculptures weighing 1,700 pounds each by Roni Horn a few stands away. If he had asked how much he would have to pay to take one of them home he probably wouldn’t have got an answer. This reporter tried and failed. Even at Frieze, which considers itself the more playful of art fairs, a whiff of snoot and elitism lingers.

The donkey – more normally engaged, according to his carer, appearing on episodes of The Knick and in productions of La Boheme at the Met Opera – was on hand as the moody star of a restaging of Maurizio Cattelan’s first ever show in the United States, “Warning! Enter at Your Own Risk. Do Not Touch, Do Not Feed, No Smoking, No Photographs, No Dogs, Thank You,” which was originally held at Daniel Newburg Gallery in SoHo in 1994 before it closed.

On the other hand he might have trotted down to the Gagosian Gallery stand and to the goat whose less fortunate fate was to have been encased in a glass tank by – of course – Damien Hirst. Speaking of wildlife, white dogs with mechanically wagging tails pop up at different spots at the fair this year, some with bodies sliced in half by high definition television screens.

Just as when the fair lands in London’s Regent's Park every autumn – with both Frieze London and Frieze Masters – there are mixed motives for exhibitors and visitors in New York. It’s about showing and buying first, of course. Thus preview day opened with representatives of no fewer than 130 museums arriving by boat and limousine for breakfast and a first run though the booths. Among those sampling croissants, Cecily Brown and Erwin Wurm on Wednesday was Sir Nicholas Serota, director of London’s Tate galleries and museums. The well-heeled gaggle with him were members of the Tate's US advisory committee which spends the year scouring the fifty states for possible new acquistions. For them, Frieze New York is an agreeable annual works' outing.

If some among the visitors go to Randall’s Island to be seen by their peers, the same is true of many of the galleries and the artists they represent. “It is about selling but for many of them it is also about being seen on the international stage, sometimes for the first time,” offered a spokeswoman for the fair, noting that a prize awarded for the best stand on preview day had been shared between the Instituto de Vision at the fair for the first time from Bogota, Colombia, and the more established Cologne-based dealer, Galerie Gisela Capitain, showing work by Martin Kippenberger and Gillian Carnegie.

Big Polvo Color Wheel set (2015) by Adriana Varejão

For potential buyers, meanwhile, whether they are from the world’s big museums or representing private collectors, a few hours at Frieze, means that “they really feel that they are at the coal face,” of what’s going on in the world of contemporary art, the spokeswoman suggested. “That is how an art fair works.” Frieze, which grew out of the London magazine of the same name, has graduated to become one of the world’s top-tier fairs with Art Basel arguably the only competitor commanding similar respect and attention.

“Frieze New York offers a fantastic cultural experience – from presentations by the best galleries from around the world, to newly commissioned works and innovative public programs, to the natural light that sinuses our unique bespoke space,” offered Victoria Siddall, the Frieze director.

She and her colleagues are doubtless aware that the sheer size and density of Frieze – exhibitors have come this year from 31 countries – can be overwhelming, especially to the more casual visitor. Thus this year, there has been an attempt to create a few destination areas within the general sprawl, for example its Frame section which brings together galleries that are eight years old or younger. There's also Spotlight, populated by solo artist presentations mostly from emerging countries, and supervised by Clara Kim, just appointed by Sir Nicholas to be a curator at the Tate Modern.

If it still all becomes too much, there are, as usual, pop-up versions of some of New York’s edgier eateries, like Cosme and Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream from Manhattan’s lower east side. And then there is the donkey, wisely silent amidst all the chattering of the fair.