Sarah and Joel McHale’s Top Picks from Frieze Viewing Room
The comedian-artist couple choose works by Eamon Ore-Giron and Carolee Schneemann from the Frieze Los Angeles preview
The comedian-artist couple choose works by Eamon Ore-Giron and Carolee Schneemann from the Frieze Los Angeles preview
Eamon Ore-Giron, Talking Shit with the Decapitator Owl/Nocturnal Spirit (iteration II), 2025
Mineral paint and Flashe on canvas, 175.3 x 137.2 cm. Presented by James Cohan. $70,000
Sarah McHale I have been a big fan of Eamon’s since working with him in 2020 on a project for The Hammer Museum’s KAMP (Kids Art Museum Project). His work in this past year’s Whitney Biennial was a definite highlight of the show. I love the whimsy and playfulness he brings to his reimagining of the deities from ancient Peruvian and Mexican cultures. The colour palette and movement in this particular work evoke such a lively conversation, almost like a dance.
Joel McHale I love it because it looks like once you complete this puzzle you’re going to be killed by the Grim Reaper.
Maia Cruz Palileo, Bury Me in Stone, 2024
Oil on linen, 182.9 x 162.6 x 3.2 cm. Presented by David Kordansky. Sold
SM This is the first time I’m learning about Maia Cruz Palileo and I can’t wait to see their work in person. I’m especially compelled by their story of visiting the Philippines in 2024 and seeing and experiencing what they had only previously imagined through family and archival retelling. It’s like the viewer gets to come along on this journey with Cruz Palileo as they capture the figures coming in and out of the verdant, overgrown landscape. The sense of grief mixed with awe is palpable.
JM I like it because it looks like the final curtain before you get to Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now.
Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., 18th St, 2024
Oil and enamel on canvas, 182.88 cm x 147.32 cm. Presented by Jeffrey Deitch. $30,000.
SM Alfonso Gonzalez Jr. is another hometown LA artist I had the pleasure of working with during Hammer KAMP 2022, but Joel picked this artwork without knowing about his KAMP connection.
JM It caught my eye because it captures something rarely seen in Los Angeles – a traffic-free intersection. But seriously, the way Gonzalez Jr. depicts light is jaw-droppingly perfect.
Laís Amaral, Untitled I, from the series ‘Eu sou um peixe dourado na correnteza’, 2024
Acrylic on linen, 160 cm x 150 cm. Presented by Mendes Wood DM. $20k – $50k.
Acrylic on linen, 160 cm x 150 cm. Courtesy: the artist and Mendes Wood DM
SM Laís Amaral is exciting to me for a number of reasons, particularly that her journey as an artist began as part of a collective [Trovoa in Niterói, Brazil]. The way she works with utilitarian tools, layering and scraping black paint over colourful compositions, seems to embody her interrogation of themes of environmental collapse and socioeconomic struggle. I’m looking forward to seeing this in person – I have a sense that it will vibrate with power.
JM If spiders could read and write, this would be their language.
Carolee Schneemann, Green Line, 1983
Acrylic, nails, manmade fabric with silkscreen, plastic acetate, on foam board, 69.2 x 89.5 x 3.8 cm. Lisson Gallery. $50k – $100k.
SM This historical work of Schneemann’s addressing the violence in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War feels as important as ever given the political state of the world. I’m stunned by her ability to combine collage elements like nails and plastic acetate with acrylic and silk-screened fabric into such a beautiful painting. It gives me a sense of hope.
JM This looks like using a retro radar screen on final approach to landing on the surface of the gas giant Jupiter.
About Sarah McHale
Sarah McHale is a Los Angeles-based mixed-media artist and spiritual director. She was co-chair of Hammer KAMP and is board president of Active Cultures. As a spiritual director, Sarah serves as a companion using creativity and movement as a way to access what feels inaccessible. Sarah received a BS in Psychology from the University of Washington, studied interior design at UCLA Extension, and completed spiritual direction training with Nuos Formation and Stillpoint.
About Joel McHale
Joel McHale is an actor, comedian, television host and art critic based in Los Angeles. He is set to host Fox’s The 1% Club, stars in and executive produces comedy series Animal Control and has appeared on FX’s The Bear. McHale will reprise his role as Jeff Winger in the upcoming Community movie. He also hosts and executive produces Crime Scene Kitchen and House of Villains. His other credits include Community, Stargirl, Mortal Kombat, Card Sharks, Becky, Ted, The Informant, X Files, The Twilight Zone, and The Joel McHale Show.
About Frieze Viewing Room
Open to all from 13 – 28 February 2025, Frieze Viewing Room is the online catalogue for Frieze Los Angeles, giving global audiences access to gallery presentations at the fair. Visitors can search artworks by artist, price, date and medium, save favourite artworks and presentations, chat with galleries and much more.
Further Information
Frieze Los Angeles, 20 – 23 February 2025, Santa Monica Airport.
Frieze is proud to support the LA Arts Community Fire Fund, led by the J. Paul Getty Trust. In addition to Frieze’s contribution, 10% of the value of all newly purchased tickets is also being donated to the fund.
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Main image: Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., 18th St, 2024. Courtesy: the artist and Jeffrey Deitch
