Several dozen of Ann Agee’s Hand Warmers, as she titles her diminutive ceramic shoe-like forms, make for a sumptuous display at P.P.O.W (Booth E3). On some of them, the artist has stenciled a logo, “AGEE MFG,” making them seem like multiples, whereas in fact they’re individually rendered. Selling for about $1500 a piece (with no two matching) and spread on a low white table in a sea of color, they recall a visit to an upscale boutique—the tight arrangement highly conducive to a shoe fetishist. Pigmented earthenware and enamel glaze flatter these sensitively rendered, hand-sized objects with abounding references to footwear fashions of the ages. Objects range from literal penny loafers to geometric abstractions that even a die-hard fashionista has to leave alone and look at as sculpture. The work is perfect for Frieze’s Riviera vibe, as visitors saunter around, hot under the bright white tent, parading summer finery. Stella Artois and sea breeze beckon at the island’s edge.
