Frieze Week in London is well underway. Straight from the latest edition of Whitewaller London & Paris, here’s your guide to this year’s editions of the London fairs.
FRIEZE LONDON (October 5—8)
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. The Focus section features 34 emerging galleries and is co-advised for the first time by MoMA PS1’s Ruba Katrib. A new section for 2017 is “Sex Work: Feminist Art & Radical Politics,” curated by Alison Gingeras and focusing on feminist art and radical politics, including work by Betty Tompkins, Penny Slinger, Marilyn Minter, and more. 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. The Hayward Gallery’s Ralph Rugoff curates the Frieze Talks series of conversations with artists, writers, and thinkers. Raphael Gygax (Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich) is behind Frieze Projects, supported by the LUMA Foundation and including site-specific works from Marc Bauer, Donna Kukama, MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho, Lucy + Jorge Orta, and more.
FRIEZE MASTERS (October 5—8)
For its sixth edition, Frieze Masters features more than 130 international dealers. Once again, the fair 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. Focused on solo presentations of 20th-century artists, the Spotlight Section is curated by the Blaffer Art Museum’s Toby Kamps. Specialist galleries with unique work and objects are selected by Sir Norman Rosenthal. Participating for the first time this year are galleries like Luhring Augustine, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Paul Hughes Fine Arts, Luxembourg & Dayan, Olivier Malingue, and others. Solo shows to look forward to include Tom Wesselmann by Almine Rech, Lynda Benglis by Cheim & Read and Thomas Dane, and Roberto Burle Marx with Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel. Tim Marlow of the Royal Academy of Arts curates Frieze Masters Talks.
1:54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR (October 5—8)
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, including Addis Fine Art, Barnard Gallery, Gallery 1957, SMAC Gallery, VOICE Gallery, and more. This year 11 galleries are participating for the first time, including Gallery MOMO, Ipsum Galería, Lawrie Shabibi, Perve Galeria, and others. Eight solo shows will present the work of Nidhal Chamekh, Safaa Erruas, Ahmed Keshta, Atta Kwami, Nelson Makamo, Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi, Abe Odedina, and Zineb Sedira. RAW Material Company’s Koyo Kouoh curates FORUM, a series of programming, films, and talks. Special projects include installations and exhibitions from Hassan Hajjaj, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Emeka Ogboh, and more.
SUNDAY ART FAIR (October 5—8)
The 2017 edition of the Sunday Art Fair features 25 galleries. The intimate fair is focused on young and emerging galleries and the artists they represent. Under the directorship of Thom O’Nions and Adam Thomas, exhibitors are encouraged to present solo booths or curated projects. Just a 10-minute walk from Frieze, Sunday takes place at Ambika P3 and entrance to the fair is free. Exhibitors include Future Gallery (Berlin), Johannes Vogt (New York), Ivan Gallery (Bucharest), Shulamit Nazarian (Los Angeles), Supplement (London), Carbon 12 (Dubai), and more. Once again, Sunday offers special editions for sale by Daata Editions and Nottingham Contemporary.
PAD LONDON ART + DESIGN (October 2—8)
Multidisciplinary in scope, PAD London includes presentations from 67 leading galleries and takes place in Berkeley Square. Historical, modern and contemporary design, fine art, and rare pieces from antiquity to today are on view. The fair welcomes 11 first-timers, including Anne Autegarden, Alexandre Biaggi, Ma Tei, Rossana Orlandi, Portuondo, and more. Look out for contemporary pieces by Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci at DIMOREGALLERY, and iconic works from Matthew Chambers, Élisabeth Garouste, and Martin Szekely at Mouvements Modernes. Anne Autegarden showcases rare pieces by Gio Ponti and Carlo de Carli. The PAD London Prize returns with a prestigious panel of judges and will be awarded in Best Contemporary Design, Best 20th Century Design, and Best Stand categories.