Interview with the Creative Director of White Cube Gallery, Susan May, at Frieze Art Fair London 2006. Susan May talks about the history of White Cube, the artists the gallery presented at Frieze, especially the work by Jake and Dinos Chapman, and future projects. At Frieze the gallery also exhibited work by Marc Quinn, Darren Almond, Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George, Sarah Morris, Sam Taylor-wood, Carroll Dunham, and Cerith Wyn Evans. Frieze Art Fair, London, October 15, 2006.
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Okay, we're here at the White Cube at Friis, and perhaps you could tell us a little bit
00:05about the White Cube, about the history of the White Cube.
00:08Well, it's quite an exciting point in White Cube's history right now.
00:12We've just opened a new gallery in the West End of London, in Mason's Yard,
00:16which is actually a return to the roots of White Cube.
00:19When Jay Joplin opened the gallery, his first gallery in 1993,
00:23it was in a very small space, a one-room space,
00:27where he presented exhibitions of single-artist exhibitions, never repeated.
00:33And basically, we've then moved from the gallery in Duke Street,
00:42we then moved to Hoxton Square, which enabled the gallery to show group exhibitions
00:48and exhibitions of artists in more depth.
00:50So the move back to Mason's Yard is a very exciting one for us,
00:54and obviously it comes at a great moment because it coincides with Friis.
00:59Are you happy with Friis Art Fair?
01:01Yeah, extremely happy. It grows from strength to strength.
01:05It's the fourth year, and it's amazing, actually, just the quality of the collectors,
01:10the quality of the art, the buzz around it. It's fantastic.
01:14It's great for London as well.
01:16Yeah, I think it's really great, the development of contemporary art in London,
01:22in Britain. What do you think is the reason for this success?
01:28I think there's a number of factors. I think it's also to do with the artistic community
01:31that's based in London. It's an international art city.
01:35I think a lot of artists from overseas also choose to come and study in London,
01:41they choose to stay in London, and with that, it broadens the gene pool, if you like,
01:47and creates a different sort of energy.
01:50And so London is only second to New York, probably, as an art centre.
01:55Yeah, perhaps about the booth, do you have a personal favourite here at the booth?
02:02I couldn't possibly pick out one favourite. I think there are a great many highlights.
02:07I think, obviously, Jake and Dinos painting portraits is a great piece,
02:13and it's, again, created a great buzz around the art fair.
02:17And I think there's also been a great deal of interest in Kerith Winn-Evans' work,
02:22Portraits of Greatness, which is shown here, which, again, is a really wonderful work.
02:28But they're all great pieces, of course.
02:30I was going to describe this box. What is going on here?
02:34It's a work called Painting for Profit and Pleasure.
02:39Basically, Jake and Dinos are painting portraits of visitors to Frieze Art Fair,
02:44and each portrait will then go into their retrospective at Tate Liverpool.
02:50So the work also has an instant provenance,
02:52and then the work will be returned to the clients after the show.
02:57So it's a great piece, and the set-up is a kind of old studio.
03:03I mean, it's a kind of simulacra of a kind of atelier.
03:09Your next project, what will it be?
03:12The next exhibition after Gabriela Rothko at Mason's Yard is Mona Hatoum,
03:18and the very next exhibition at Hoxton Square is Carol Dunham paintings,
03:23which we're really looking forward to.
03:33So there's a couple of exhibitions coming up, right?
03:35I'm going to start collecting them.
03:42I'm just looking at the numbers you mentioned.
03:56I'm going to help you.
04:00I'm not going to help you.
04:04I'm not going to help you.
04:26It's flat.