The contemporary art world is about to head to swinging London for Frieze Week. Here is what the English have in stock for you in terms of fair programming. This should be well worth the trip.
FRIEZE
The fair’s 14th edition will host over 160 of the world’s leading galleries, including English landmarks like Laura Bartlett Gallery, Lisson Gallery, and Stephen Friedman Gallery among many others. In addition, the fair includes a greatly awaited James Turrell solo show and an intriguing new segment: The Nineties, curated by Nicolas Trembley, which will recreate seminal exhibitions from the decade such as the “Aperto” of the 1993 Venice Biennale or Wolfgang Tillman’s very first exhibition at Daniel Buchholz that same year. Also widely anticipated is the Frieze Film section, curated for the first time by Raphael Gygax.
Photo by Luke Hayes
Other artists commissioned explicitly for the fair will include Sibylle Berg and Claus Richter, Coco Fusco, Martin Soto Climent, Julie Verhoeven, SamsonYoung, and the winner of the Frieze Artist Award, Yuri Pattison.
Another noteworthy aspect to this year’s fair is the significant funds made available for museum acquisitions. Thanks to its partnership with the Contemporary Art Society, Frieze London will help a regional museum acquire a major contemporary art work. This year, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art will be the beneficiary of the new scheme of a value of £50,000 ($66,210.75).
Courtesy of Frieze
VIP PREVIEW
October 5: 6-8:30 PM
DATES
October 6-9
FRIEZE MASTERS
The fifth edition of Frieze Masters will host over 130 galleries, showing art spanning several thousands of years, from antiques and Old Masters to modern and post-war art. The 2016 edition will see the debut of Toby Kamps, from Houston’s Menil Collection, as curator of the prominent “Spotlight” section dedicated to solo presentations of underappreciated artists from the 20th century.
A special highlight includes The Gallery of Everything’s annual stand, which will pay homage to Jean Dubuffet’s original experimental salon Le Foyer de l’Art Brut. This was a space down in the basement of the artist’s gallery, René Drouin, which displayed all sorts of discoveries by non-artists from around the globe. The gallery has selected renowned names for its own cabinet, with artists like the French medium Fleury-Joseph Crepin, the Spanish autodidact Miguel Hernández, and the Swiss mono-maniac Adolf Wölfli—all who inspired Jean Dubuffet at an early stage.
Also, for the first time this year, The Frieze Sculpture Park will remain open in Regent’s Park until January 8, 2017, with free entry to all. 19 major artists are featured, notably Conrad Shawcross, Jean Dubuffet, Nairy Baghramian, and Eduardo Paolozzi.
VIP PREVIEW
October 5: 6-8:30 PM
DATES
October 6-9
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair
Sir William Chambers’ neoclassical building overlooking the River Thames will host the fourth London edition of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair (1:54). Since the inaugural edition in 2013, the fair has expanded rapidly, and will this year span three wings of Somerset House. Still striving to honor the commitment of its appellation (one African continent for 54 countries), 1:54 will showcase 40 of the world’s leading galleries from 18 countries, including 17 newcomers, such as Circle Art Gallery, Éric Hussenot Gallery, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, and Village Unhu. 1:54 will spotlight the work of more than 130 African and African diaspora artists from a unique spread of geographical backgrounds comprising 30 countries.
In addition to the inclusiveness of the fair, the expanded program of exhibits and special projects promise great quality. Perhaps the most impressive of them is the first major U.K. solo exhibition of late Malian photographer Malick Sidibé. Also, for the first time, the fair will take over the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House with an installation by Zak Ové from Vigo Gallery.
Another highlight will be “The Arab Spring Notebook” by Ibrahim El- Salahi, which is considered by many to
be one of the most important cultural responses to the Arab Spring, exhibited in a special project presented by Modern Forms and Floreat Group—1:54’s main sponsors.
COLLECTORS PREVIEW
October 5: 9 AM-6 PM
DATES
October 6-9
The Pavilion of Art & Design
The Pavilion of Art & Design (PAD) is returning for its tenth edition. The spin-off of its longer established Parisian sister brings together exceptional works of contemporary design, photography, and jewelry, as well as decorative, modern, and tribal art from 1860 to today. This year, the fair will feature 66 exhibitors—14 of which are newcomers.
The majority of newly featured galleries respectively belong to the Modern Art and Design sections. Gérard Lasés (Hong Kong) will join a select number of U.K.-based galleries, such as Aktis Gallery, Repetto Gallery, Opera Gallery, and Richard Green in the Modern section, while France-based galleries Alexandre Guillemain, LECLAIREUR, and Philippe Rapin will join Galerie Le Beau (Belgium) and Sarah Myerscough (U.K.) in the Design section.
The boutique setting of this fair is designed to inspire collectors, art consultants, museum experts, interior specialists, design practitioners, and the public alike, making PAD the only event of its kind.
COLLECTORS PREVIEW
October 3: 3-8 PM
VIP OPENING
October 4: 3-8 PM
DATES
October 3-9
To read more about Frieze London 2016, pick up the latest copy of Whitewaller in London next week.
