One of the most popular works at Frieze New York is the Tribute to the Flux-Labyrinth (1976-2015), part of this year’s crop of Frieze Projects organised by the curator Cecilia Alemani. At the fair’s VIP opening on Wednesday, the queue to enter the interactive obstacle course of conceptual art, which requires visitors to climb, squeeze and problem-solve their way through various rooms designed by artists, wound down the aisle. Around 450 people made their way through the maze by the end of the day, Alemani said, including a group of “German gentlemen in very nice suits” from Deutsch Bank, a somewhat fitting audience since the original labyrinth, conceived by Fluxus founder George Maciunas, took place at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. The piece is “a very different experience” from the usual fair offerings, Alemani said, because it “challenges you in a physical and psychological way”. Despite the requisite safety warnings about tight spaces, finding “the trick for each room” as the guide at the entrance described it is a joyful task more often than not and allows for moments of surprise—especially John Bock’s “Sweat Production No 9a that serves as the exit (we won’t spoil it). “It’s nice when I see people come out and smile,” Alemani said.
