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10 Picks Dallas Art Fair 2015

Josh Faught, Steve, 2014. Hand-dyed, hand-woven hemp and silver lame, and nail polish on linen. 50 x 36 x 2 in. Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Cooley Gallery, New York.

The title and woven motif of Steve comes from a past lover of artist Josh Faught (born 1979). Faught has no training in sewing or weaving, and the tapestry is visibly imperfect, as are the others in this series named after his lovers, which debuted in a solo show last fall. The series is, in part, Faught's response to the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Atlanta, towards which the artist reportedly feels "ambivalence." 

Oscar Tuazon, Static Trap, 2014. Concrete, steel. 30 x 30 x 1.5 in. Photo: Courtesy of Maccarone Gallery, New York. 

The artist Oscar Tuazon (born 1975) draws on utilitarian building materials in his practice to confuse and question the platitude of fine art as precious and "pretty," a word he used in a recent interview. This concept is seen in Static Trap, which is part of an ongoing series called "False Wall," featuring textured and uneven compositions that add a sculptural element to the canvas.

Alexandra Gorczynski, Chronotope 1, 2015. Giclée, embedded video screens, videos. 43 3/4 x 25 in. Photo: Courtesy of Zhulong Gallery, Dallas.

Philadelphia-based artist Alexandra Gorczynski works with digital media, often contrasting them with art historical references, like this classical statue. Short looped videos play over the breasts and the groin, depicting apparently organic matter, like water, smoke, and blood, in motion. "Many people think the digital marks a separation from the past, but with these works I'm engaging a surreal exploration of a new atmosphere," the artist writes in an email. 

Notably, Gorczynski's website-as-artowork, titled After Dark, is the first website to have sold at an art fair.

Colby Bird, House Lamp, 2014. Wood, paint, PVC foam, screws, wiring, light fixtures, and light bulbs. 21 x 8 x 7.5 in. Photo: Courtesy of Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton.

This sculpture is a functional lamp, one in an ongoing series of hundreds by New York-based atist Colby Bird (born 1978). He fashions them out of found objects, "cobbled together," Halsey McKay gallerist Ryan Wallace says. "He finds things and figures out how to make it work." 

Paola Pivi, Untitled (pearls), 2014. Black and white plastic pearls, wood. Approx. 13.8 x 11.8 x 8 in. Photo: Courtesy of Galerie Perrotin, New York/Paris. 

Artist Paola Pivi, possibly best known in New York for her 2013 solo show of life-size, colorful bears, has shaped a practice that uses simple objects in intriguing ways. These layered pearl strands are luminous and have a satisfying volume, a quality they would not have within a normal context.

Laura LancasterUntitled, 2015. Oil on canvas. 24 1/8 x 119 3/4 in. Photo: Courtesy of Workplace Gallery, London.

Artist Laura Lancaster (born 1979), who shares Workplace Gallery's booth with her identical twin sister Rachel, painted striking works after film stills from anonymous VHS tapes, bought on eBay. "It's the idea of rescuing these lost images, and elevating something mundane to something more cinematic," the artist says. 

Rong Rong & Inri, In the Great Wall, China No.1 - No. 3, 2000. Black and white photograph. Photo: Courtesy of 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong. 

In 1999, the artists Rong Rong and Inri (born 1968 and 1973) locked eyes for the first time, and–so the story goes–fell in love immediately. However, Rong Rong spoke Chinese, and Inri spoke Japanese. Their joint art practice began as a way to communicate.

Before meeting Inri, Rong Rong had a successful career as a photographer, which continued and developed in their collaborations. Notably, the artists do not retouch their works. 

Annabel Daou, I heard you say everything, 2015. Ink on repair tape (gilded with 24 carat gold leaf) on paper. 14 1/2 × 41 in. Photo: Courtesy of Conduit Gallery, Dallas.

Beirut-born, New York-based artist Annabel Daou creates elaborate works out of paper and text, like the work pictured here. The phrases and sentences she uses may evoke subjective experiences.

Luis Tomasello, Atmosphère chromoplastique No. 1014, 2012. Acrylic on wood. 26.3 x 33.4 x 3.9 in. Photo: Courtesy of Sicardi Gallery, Houston.

Luis Tomasello (1915-2014) is an internationally renowned Argentinean-born artist, who spent most of his working life in Paris. Coming into his own with the Op-Art movement, he developed a style based around placing white cubes on white backgrounds. He continued making them up until his death last year.

Pedro Ruiz, Voyager, 2015. Acrylic on board. 75 x 75 cm. Photo: Courtesy of Beatriz Esguerra Art. 

One in a series of gold, circular paintings called "Natural Gold," Voyager requires a magnifying glass (provided by the gallery) to see every minute detail. Columbian artist Pedro Ruiz (born 1957) paints scenes of nature in a way that doubles as humanistic political and social commentary. His aim is to encourage Columbians to rise above their country's tumultous past.