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May 8, 2019

People-Watching at the Frieze Art Fair

By Lee Musho Photographs by Melodie Jeng

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Photo: Melodie Jeng

Every May, white tents balloon around the park in New York City’s Randall’s Island. They’re there for Frieze, an art fair showcasing contemporary works from more than a thousand artists.

Last Friday, critics, gallerists, and art lovers appeared on the island to see and be seen — and also to shop. They wandered through the tented space, examining everything from an installation of laundry dryers and mermaid tails to a room dedicated to virtual reality. And many of them were dressed to rival the art.

The Cut asked some of the more colorful creatives one question: If you could possess any artistic skill that you don’t already have, what would it be? Here are their answers.

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Fabia Alabraba: "The ability to express what's going on inside of my head effectively." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Wei Wei: "Singing." Yumeng Cheng: "Typography and painting." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Lizzy Plapinger: "I'd like to be an installation light designer." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Gregory Clark: "The ability to have access to colors everybody else can't see." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Nathalia Pierina: "Painting! Something very bright and colorful." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Alyson Cafiero: "I would love to have the eye to be able to curate my collection, where to hang it and what to hang together." Photo: Melodi... Alyson Cafiero: "I would love to have the eye to be able to curate my collection, where to hang it and what to hang together." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Shaniqua A. Cherie: "Sculpture. I would sculpt my family and friends, blackness, and the faces of people I know and love." Photo: Melodie Je... Shaniqua A. Cherie: "Sculpture. I would sculpt my family and friends, blackness, and the faces of people I know and love." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Tarrell Mitchell: "To sew my own clothes. My imagination is so crazy and thick and sometimes you wake up and think, I want to wear this today. If... Tarrell Mitchell: "To sew my own clothes. My imagination is so crazy and thick and sometimes you wake up and think, I want to wear this today. If you had the ability to sew, you could make anything. And everything would be fresh and new." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Gobi-Kla Vonan: "I'd want to be able to render and create shapes in real time. To be able to mold any material with my mind, kind of like telekin... Gobi-Kla Vonan: "I'd want to be able to render and create shapes in real time. To be able to mold any material with my mind, kind of like telekinesis, but sculpting with my brain." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Katherine Atkinson: "To paint. Because I think paintings are beautiful. And I want to make something that's beautiful." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Victoria Dreesmann: " I would love to be able to paint, I really would. I'd love to create very emotional paintings, but beyond that I have no id... Victoria Dreesmann: " I would love to be able to paint, I really would. I'd love to create very emotional paintings, but beyond that I have no idea. I'd have to start painting to know." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Kenneth Ning: "Architecture. I like structure." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Jiachen Lu: "Write. Because you can create millions of possibilities." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Zelinette Estrada: "I'd be a sculptor. Found objects, large scale -- that's what I'd want to do." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Ann Miller: "Painting. Abstract Art." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Victoria Al-Din: "I wish that I was a really good painter. I would paint portraits cause I think it's actually really difficult to capture someon... Victoria Al-Din: "I wish that I was a really good painter. I would paint portraits cause I think it's actually really difficult to capture someone's likeness. I can get perspective and stuff right, but I can't do portraiture." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Robert Lue: "Painting. Probably minimalist abstraction." Alain Viel: "Sculpture. Figurative, cute things." Photo: Melodie Jeng/Mel... Robert Lue: "Painting. Probably minimalist abstraction." Alain Viel: "Sculpture. Figurative, cute things." Photo: Melodie Jeng/Melodie Jeng
Scam Likely: "Perhaps sculpting...bodies." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Anhdao Nguyen with her baby, Cosmo: "To be a blind artist. To see art in a completely different way. I'd like to see what I'd produce without any... Anhdao Nguyen with her baby, Cosmo: "To be a blind artist. To see art in a completely different way. I'd like to see what I'd produce without any sort of understanding of what I already know." Photo: Melodie Jeng
Amy Chan: "I'm an artist now, so I'd just want to keep doing it, doing it all." Johnny Emus: "It's too much to think about." Photo... Amy Chan: "I'm an artist now, so I'd just want to keep doing it, doing it all." Johnny Emus: "It's too much to think about." Photo: Melodie Jeng
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