Frieze London opens in Regent’s Park this week, on view October 5—8. To guide you through the week’s fairs, exhibitions, happenings, and more, is our Whitewaller London & Paris issue. Here, we share your top 12 events and shows not to miss.
1. Frieze London
Frieze is in its 15th edition this year, with more than 160 participating international galleries. Fair Director Victoria Siddall is describing it as the strongest year yet, with exhibitors like David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Marian Goodman, kamel mennour, and Sprüth Magers.
KAWS FINAL DAYS (2013) Galerie Perrotin, Frieze Sculpture 2017. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.
2. Frieze Masters
For its sixth edition, Frieze Masters features more than 130 international dealers. It brings together an incredible range of art—ancient, medieval, Old Master, and modern. Eras, ideas, and concepts intermingle in a setting designed for moments of discovery by Annabelle Selldorf.
3. Frieze Sculpture
Frieze Sculpture, with selections by the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Clare Lilley, is on view, opening for the first time over the summer. Participating artists include Urs Fischer, Ugo Rondinone, Sarah Sze, and Anthony Caro.
Lakin Ogunbanwo, Let it Be, 2016, Archival ink-jet print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 119 x 79.5 cm, Edition of 10, Image courtesy of Lakin Ogunbanwo and WHATIFTHEWORLD
4. “Soul of a Nation” at Tate Modern
“Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” focuses on the contributions black artists made during the Civil Rights movement in America. On view are work by artists like Benny Andrews, Carolyn Mims Lawrence, William T. Williams, Betye Saar, and more.
5. Jack Whitten at Hauser & Wirth
This is the gallery’s first show in London of work by the American abstractionist Jack Whitten, who was awarded the 2015 National Medal of Arts. Whitten’s practice mixes the gestural with process. Richard Shiff curates the show, which focuses on paintings from the 1980s.
Robert Longo, Untitled (Osage Headdress, American Tragedy), 2017, Charcoal on mounted paper, 152,4 x 116,2 cm, courtesy of Thaddaeus Ropac
6. “Opera” at Victoria & Albert
The story of nearly four centuries of opera is told in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, inaugurating the V&A’s new Sainsbury Gallery. The show takes visitors through seven operatic premieres, starting with Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea in 1642 in Venice.
7. “ZHONGGUO 2185” AT SADIE COLES
The title for this exhibition takes its name from the utopian science fiction novel by Liu Cixin, written in 1989. “Zhongguo 2185” features the work of ten young Chinese artists, addressing the shifting cultural contexts of China through the thematics of Liu Cixin’s novel.
8. ROBERT LONGO AT THADDAEUS ROPAC
“Let the Frame of Things Disjoint” includes more than 20 new charcoal works by Robert Longo. The title comes from Macbeth’s famous line, and the show is influenced by the current volatile climate. The artist mixes contemporary and historical images of power, protest, and politics.
9. HERNAN BAS AT VICTORIA MIRO
New paintings from Hernan Bas capture life at the University of Cambridge. In 2016 the Detroit-based artist spent time doing research in residence at Jesus College Cambridge where he became interested in the famed Night Climbers of Cambridge.
10. 1:54
Contemporary African Art Fair returns to Somerset House for its fifth London edition. Hailing from Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Europe are 42 galleries, bringing the work of more than 130 artists. Nearly half—18, to be exact—are from Africa
11. THE SERPENTINE MARATHON 2017
The Serpentine Marathon 2017 “Guest, Ghost, Host: Machine” brings together over 50 participants including artists, scientists, engineers, poets, and more. This year’s series looks to the future and artificial intelligence and art over 12 hours of debate at London’s City Hall.
12. GEUMHYUNG JEONG LIVE PERFORMANCE
In association with Geumhyung Jeong’s exhibition at Delfina Foundation, “Private Collection” (on view through November 11), Tate Modern will present 7 ways, a live performance by Jeong in The Tanks, on October 3 at 5:30p.m. and October 5 at 7:00p.m.
