Bidoun at Frieze New York, 2015

      For the 2015 edition of Frieze NY, Bidoun dug through the art world’s trash to present a booth of motley memorabilia: insignificant objects touched by the most significant hands of our time.

      Inspired by the celebrity collectibles market, where a Justin Bieber hairball sold at auction for $40,668, Bidoun extended this covetous logic to the rarified realm of art, proffering such miscellanies as Jeremy Deller’s iPod Mini, Lawrence Weiner’s gold tooth, Hans Ulrich Obrist’s abused passport, and a 1638 edition of Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy defaced by Orhan Pamuk.

      Other items included Tony Shafrazi’s prescription drugs, a rock signed by Robert Smithson, Douglas Gordon’s house keys, Yto Barrada’s third grade report card, Hal Foster’s breath mints, Cindy Sherman’s eyeliner, Tala Madani’s body lotion, Wade Guyton’s Nikes, Anicka Yi’s brain, Julie Mehretu’s golf ball, Bjarne Melgaard’s Christmas card from a serial killer, Laura Owens’ bus pass, Shirin Neshat’s kohl, a stuffed animal once owned by the great Iranian modernist Bahman Mohasses, and Darren Bader’s junk mail.

      Objects were auctioned via www.paddle8.com/auction/bidoun.

      All proceeds supported Bidoun’s not-for-profit activities.

      Frieze New York: May 13-17, 2015

      Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Passport, 2015. Current, over-full Swiss passport belonging to the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist. Expiration date: May 5, 2020. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Passport, 2015. Current, over-full Swiss passport belonging to the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist. Expiration date: May 5, 2020. Courtesy the Curator
      Cindy Sherman’s Mask and Eyeliner, 2015. Mask used in shoot of the artist Cindy Sherman by Patrick Demarchelier in 2013 along with eyeliner frequently used by the artist. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Shirin Neshat’s Kohl, 2015. Kohl purchased by the artist Shirin Neshat from her native Iran. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Douglas Gordon’s Keys, 2015. House keys belonging to the artist Douglas Gordon retrieved from the artist Rirkrit Tiravajina. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Tony Shafrazi’s Pain Killers, 2015. Pain killers prescribed to the gallerist and artist Tony Shafrazi. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Wade Guyton’s Nikes, 2015. Nike athletic shoes belonging to the artist. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Yto Barrada’s Third Grade Report Card, 2015. Third grade report card belonging to the artist from the American School of Tangier. Descriptive comments about the artist’s conduct in class, popularity, and Arabic language skills included. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Trisha Donnelly’s Hat, 2015. Hat used by the artist Trisha Donnelly for the last eight years. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Julie Mehretu’s Stress Ball, 2015. Golf ball and occasional stress ball owned by the artist Julie Mehretu since 2007. Accompanied by signed commentary about the life of the object. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Lawrence Weiner’s Gold Crown and Stitches, 2015. Gold crown and stitches removed from the artist Lawrence Weiner’s body in 2015. The gold crown fell out while eating, and the stitches were the result of an unfortunate encounter with a turnip. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Hal Foster’s Breath Mints, 2015. Effects stolen from the art historian Hal Foster’s desk at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers: two pencils, a pencil sharpener, a Tic Tac container holding two remaining Tic Tacs (flavor freshmint), and a library slip requesting a book on Jean Dubuffet. One pencil bears the name of the writer Lynne Tillman and was produced on the occasion of her being honored by the organization Triple Canopy at their annual benefit in 2014. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Jeremy Deller’s Moleskin Notebook, 2015. Notebook contains sketches and notes related to his participation at both the 2013 Venice Biennale as well as related to an exhibition at Gavin Brown Enterprise in the summer of 2012. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Jeremy Deller’s iPod, 2015. iPod holds music related to the installation at Venice as well as a smattering of Elton John. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Jeremy Deller’s T-shirt, 2015. The T-shirt was the artist’s first artwork on a T-shirt and once had a print on it (since faded) of the body builder and notorious drug dealer Patrick Tate–without his head. When an individual wore the T-shirt, their head became the body builder’s. Tate was assassinated with two other associates in 1992. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Bahman Mohasses’ Doll, 2015. Doll belonging to the artists Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian inherited from the late Iranian modernist Bahman Mohasses (1931-2010). The doll was stored in a bookshelf in the late artist’s Rome apartment until his death. Courtesy the artists and Bidoun Projects
      Bjarne Melgaard’s Christmas Card from a Serial Killer, 2015. This Christmas card was purchased by the artist Bjarne Melgaard and was written by the serial killer Doug Clark. Clark and his wife, Carol Bundy, were known as the renown “Sunset Strip Killers.” The Christmas card is recycled, with Clark having crossed out its contents to write a fresh note to an acquaintance in which he requests money for postage stamps. It was sent from San Quentin Prison in California. Clark died in 2003, in prison, of heart failure. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Rachel Harrison’s Selfie Stick, 2015. The selfie stick is an item the artist Rachel Harrison used to stir paint as she painted her studio walls in 2015. The “non-event speaks for itself,” says the artist. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Orhan Pamuk’s Annotated Copy of The Anatomy of Melancholy, 2015. Robert Burton’s “The Anatomy of Melancholy,” first published in 1621, went through eight untidy revisions during the author’s lifetime. Each edition published in the 17th century responded to popular demand for more copies of the book. However, following the eight edition in 1676, the book went out of print and fashion for nearly 150 years, not to be revived until 1800 as a historical curiosity. This copy of the fifth edition from 1638 has been rebound and re-margined and bears a number of inconclusive ex-libris stamps. As with most copies of the Anatomy, historical and contemporary, the book shows the evidence of wear and tear associated with the anxious browsing of previous readers, insomniacs and nervous self diagnosticians. This copy has been drawn in, painted in, and annotated in by the Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. The book and drawings by Pamuk are housed in a white clamshell box, custom built for the occasion, with title stamped to spine, “Anatomy of Melancholy” and full text, “Anatomy of Melancholy / Robert Burton / 1638 / Orhan Pamuk / 2015” stamped to front in brown. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Orhan Pamuk’s Annotated Copy of The Anatomy of Melancholy, 2015. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Darren Bader’s Junk Mail, 2015. Junk mail addressed to the artist’s Chinatown address over a span of 24 months. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Tala Madani’s Body Lotion, 2015. Tala Madani’s partially used Johnson’s honey apple baby lotion. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Ed Ruscha’s VIP Card, 2015. The artist’s VIP card to the Frieze Art Fair, signed by him. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects
      Anicka Yi’s Brain, 2015. X-ray of the artist Anicka Yi’s brain. Courtesy the artist and Bidoun Projects