Frieze London
The OG of art fairs Frieze London returns to the Regent’s Park for its 21st edition with a new design enabling a less crowded experience. New additions to Frieze London include galleries from China, Georgia, Korea.
Director of Frieze London Eva Langret says: ‘This year we look forward to welcoming artists, galleries institutions, collectors and art enthusiasts from around the globe in celebration of our 20th anniversary. We’re delighted to mark the occasion with the fair’s most international edition to date, with exhibitors spanning six continents. As the international art world descends on London, we look forward to seeing the spirit of collaboration ripple across the city and for everyone to see our cultural capital shine.’
Culturalee favourites include; Esther Schipper Gallery’s Pop Art Aesthetic complete with pink helium balloons; Victoria Miro’s group exhibition featuring Yayoi Kusama, Doron Langberg, Celia Paul, Conrad Shawcross, Adriana Varejão and more; Billy Childish at Lehmann Maupin where the artist has recreated his studio and is painting live, creating dreamy large-scale landscapes evoking Van Gogh or Munch; Timothy Taylor’s presentation of new picotage works and paintings by Paul Anthony Smith titled Dreams Deferred and Eye Fi Di Tropics exploring diasporic identity and cultural memory; Benedikte Bjerre’s colony of inflatable penguins at palace enterprise referencing climate change; a witty, multi-layered exhibition of work by Yin Xiuzhen referencing experiences of womanhood and communism at Beijing Commune, including circular sculptures made from compressions of her outfits.
Curated sections “Artist-to-Artist” and “Smoke” are a real highlight too. In the Artist-to-Artist section Rob Davis selected by Rashid Johnson at Broadway New York, Magda Starwaska selected by Lubaina Himid at Yamamoto Keiko Rochaix and Nengi Omuko selected by Yinka Shonibare at Pippy Houldsworth gallery.
And don’t miss Carl Freedman Gallery’s group exhibition featuring luscious paintings by Billy Childish and Vanessa Raw, juxtaposed with playful new ceramics by Lindsey Mendick exploring society‘s obsession with youth.
Other highlights include Kukje Gallery’s solo booth dedicated to Korean artist Haegue Yang, whose first major UK retrospective opened this week at the Hayward Gallery, Joy Labingo’s joyful paintings and Samuel Nnorom’s intricate wall hanging at Tiwani Contemporary, and Mor Charpentier gallery’s presentation featuring work by Teresa Margolles, whose sculpture Mil Veces un Instante (A thousand times an Instant) plaster casts of the faces of 726 trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people are currently exhibited on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
After leaving Frieze, Culturalee recommends a walk through Regent’s Park through Frieze Sculpture, curated by Fatoş Üstek and featuring work by 22 leading international artists from five continents who are pushing the boundaries of traditional sculpture.
Photograph by Culturalee.
Frieze Masters
Across the park from Frieze London is it’s younger sibling Frieze Masters, where the focus shifts away from contemporary art to ancient and modern periods. Expect to find a vast range of art from many eras and genres including 20th-century collectibles, antiquities, sculpture, prints, manuscripts and Old Masters.
Featuring 130 galleries from 26 countries, Frieze Masters 2024 is led by Nathan Clements-Gillespie and features a reimagined, artist-centred approach, including an expanded Studio section and redefined floor plan to encourage creative connections across art history. The fair’s new Creative Advisor, Sheena Wagstaff, said: “Our new curatorial direction acknowledges how artists visit Frieze Masters to satisfy their curiosity, rejuvenate their thinking and see how the work of their artist peers reflects the creative values of the past.”
Culturalee highlights include; David Aaron, who is exhibiting a 700 BCE Egyptian inner sarcophagus which is reputed to have belonged to Princess Sopdet-em-hawt, Pharaoh Rudamun’s granddaughter; Bowman Sculpture’s presentation, which covers almost two centuries of sculptural excellence, with highlights including Ossip Zadkine, Degas, Rodin and Emily Young; Charles Ede’s eclectic selection ranging from Two 450-430 BC Greek white-ground Lekythoi to a 1921 portrait of a young girl by Walter Sauer; “A Surrealist Eye” featuring Man Ray and other surrealists at Prahlad Bubbar; Pop Art Kings Warhol and Lichtenstein shown with a suite of Hockney etchings inspired by Hogarth’s “A Rake’s Progress” at Susan Sheehan New York; and a 15th century Latin manuscript illuminated by Gherardo and Monte di Giovanni del Fora at Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books.
Until 13th October at The Regent’s Park, London.
PAD London
PAD London in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square is a veritable treasure trove of high end design, jewellery, art and bespoke furniture. Founded in 2007 by fourth-generation Parisian antique dealer Patrick Perrin, PAD London is the only fair in the UK exclusively dedicated to 20th-century and contemporary Design. PAD London is the sister fair to PAD Paris which was launched in 1998 and takes place every April in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Look out for Vikram Goyal, Secret Paris, Brazil Modernist group exhibition including Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, Giulia de Jonckheere, Theoreme editions and Bryan O’Sullivan.
Until 13th October, Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EN.
1-54
Lovers of art from Africa and its diaspora should check out the 1-54 art fair, which returns to Somerset House on the Strand for its 12th Edition.
Founded in 2013 by Touria El Glaoui, 1-54 is the first and only international fair dedicated to contemporary African art. With three editions per year—in London, New York and Marrakech—as well as an annual pop-up fair in Paris, 1-54 draws reference to the fifty-four countries that constitute the African continent.
This year’s London edition hosts over 60 international exhibitors, representing 23 countries, with 21 newcomer galleries making their 1-54 London edition debuts. Newcomers to the fair include ADA contemporary art gallery (Accra, Ghana), Amasaka Gallery (Masaka, Uganda), Art Pantheon Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), Cynthia Corbett Gallery (London), Galerie REVEL (Bordeaux, France), Galerie Voss (Düsseldorf, Germany), House of Beau (Rabat, Morocco), Le LAB (Cairo, Egypt), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong, China) and Post Gallery (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).
Culturalee picks include; renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu who has a stunning solo booth featuring paintings and vases at Melrose Gallery; a group show featuring Fidel Avara, Januario Jano, Keyezua and Kwame Sousa at Lisbon gallery Movart; Cultural exchange initiative “Dreaming in Colour”; Megan Gabrielle Harris at OOA gallery; ADA Contemporary Art Gallery; Alia Ali at Moroccan gallery Loft Art; Silvana Mendes at Portas Vilaseca Galeria and DADA Gallery.
1-54 is spotlighting emerging talents Freya Bramble-Carter, Layo Bright and Kofi Perry. Also look out for an exhibition by PieceUnique, a new artist agency dedicated to supporting and empowering African artists. At 1-54, PieceUnique are showcasing works by renowned Nigerian artist Oluwole Omofemi, co-Founder of PieceUnique, London-based textile artist Elfreda Dali, Ghanian sculptor and painter Michael Blebo, and Cameroonian painter ANJEL (Boris Anje) in the Special Projects section. The artists have immersed themselves in each other’s cultures and histories, creating works that bridge the material and spiritual realms. The works were created during PieceUnique’s inaugural artist residency in Ibadan, Nigeria in September, marking the launch of an ongoing series of artist residencies dedicated to fostering collaboration and cultural exchange.
Until 13th October, Somerset House,Strand, London, WC2R 1LA.
Minor Attractions
Fledgling art fair Minor Attractions takes over The Mandrake Hotel in Fitzrovia for a second edition pioneering an intimate new art fair format. Featuring presentations from more than 40 commercial galleries and artist-run spaces from London and around the world. Highlights include British Congolese artist Djofray Makumbu’s evocative installation featuring Congolese music and portraits of his parents’ friends in dapper outfits from the 70s and 80s at Bolanle Contemporary, Brazilian photographer Danilo Zocatelli’s vibrant portraits of his father at Filet, an experimental art production directed by Rut Blees Luxemburg and Uta Kogelsberger, and T J Boulting who also have a new Sarah Lucas exhibition at their nearby gallery, surreally titled Un Oeuf is Un Oeuf.
Until 13th October at The Mandrake Hotel, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG.
Women in Art Fair
Women in Art Fair’s second edition takes over the Mall Galleries with a ‘Women’s Cycles’ section in Spotlight, curated by Virginia Damtsa and featuring six international female artists. Artists to look out for in Spotlight include Sofia Laskari, Anna-Lena Krause, Poppy De Havilland and Wen Wu.
Also check out Daisy McMullan, Olga Morozova and Cristina Schek, three talented Young Masters Artists chosen by Cynthia Corbett for The Young Masters platform, which has played a pivotal role in elevating the careers of many artists. Artists including Nadine Talalla are featured in an open call exhibition curated by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.
Until 12th October at Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1.
