During Frieze Art Week 2024 in Los Angeles, Hypeart and the esteemed auction house, Bonhams, are collaborating for a momentous auction series titled Instructions for a Memory Device. Set within Bonhams’ recently revamped venue, this carefully curated collection by Hypeart provides a window into intimate artist paths from diverse cultural backgrounds. Attendees are encouraged to immerse themselves in the rich histories embedded in the works on view while reflecting on their own personal experiences surrounding the subject matter presented.
Instructions for a Memory Device essentially peels away layers nostalgia, navigating a flurry of recollections and emotions. Each piece in this series serves as a unique set of loose instructions, guiding us through the labyrinth of artist memories. From the vivid strokes of artists’ brushes to the intricacies of sculpted forms, these pieces encapsulate moments that linger in the corridors of our minds. One highlighted work is a minimalist sculpture entitled Cleaning Piece (1966/1988) by Yoko Ono that references the artist’s “action poems” which she published in a book called Acorn back in 2013 — a sequel to Ono’s Grapefruit book of conceptual art. The poems act as prompts for readers to engage in deep reflections based on particular activities that occur in nature, the home as well as sights and sensations.
Another work in the collection is a pair of unique works on paper by LA-based artist Glenn Akira Kaino called Study for 19.83 #2 (2013) and Study for 19.83 #3 (2013) that challenges the act of recollecting memories. In 1968, Tommie Smith’s symbolic protest during the Mexico City Olympics became an iconic image, symbolizing various causes. “19.83” explores the transformation of historical events into powerful images and the duality of memory—remembering and forgetting. Smith’s action is part of a discourse on collective action and responsibility to past achievements which is memorialized in Kaino’s work.
Other notable works include Andy Warhol’s Shoe Drawing (1981), Robert Longo’s Study for Jupiter (2005), Banksy’s Lenin on Rollerblades (Who Put the Revolution on Ice?) 2003, as well as Nancy Spero’s Lovers (gray abstract) (circa 1962) oil painting. Explore, reminisce, and acquire these evocative fragments that resonate with the beauty and complexity of the human experience within Hypeart’s Instructions for a Memory Device.
An exhibition preview for Instructions for a Memory Device opens on February 24 with a special opening reception featuring custom cocktails by Maestro Dobel Tequila to launch on February 27. The physical, live auction will commence on March 1. Those interested in attending the special opening reception will need to RSVP here. In the meantime, take a closer look at the lots we’ve curated for Bonhams below.
