Your London 2019 Must Do List

In London for Frieze this week? Don’t miss the must-do fairs, shows, restaurants, hotels, and shops!

Frieze London
Galleries: 160
VIP Preview: Wednesday, October 2, 11am
October 3–6, 2019
The 17th edition of Frieze London brings together more than 160 galleries from 36 countries. With new sections and curated programming, the fair at The Regent’s Park is the most international to date. Director Victoria Siddall oversees a globally focused program. Cosmin Costinas of Para Site curates a new themed section, “Woven,” featuring eight solo presentations with artists including Chitra Ganesh, Angela Su, and Pacita Abad. Diana Campbell Betancourt of Samdani Art Foundation and the Dhaka Art Summit is behind LIVE and the Frieze Art Award. Whitechapel’s Lydia Yee and Frieze Studio’s Matthew McLean have co-programmed Frieze Talks. The fair’s Focus section, highlighting emerging galleries, will feature new participants like Company, Tiwani Contemporary, and Wilding Cran Gallery. Among the returning galleries are Gavin Brown’s enterprise, Gagosian, Greene Naftali, Xavier Hufkens, Pace Gallery, White Cube, David Zwirner, and others. New additions to the main section include Sikkema Jenkins, Alexander Gray Associates, Gió Marconi, Gallery Baton, Galeria Nara Roesler, and Chi-Wen.

Frieze Masters
Galleries: 134
VIP Preview: Wednesday, October 2, 11am
October 3–6, 2019
The eighth edition of Frieze Masters returns to The Regent’s Park, offering new perspectives between historical and contemporary art. Within the Annabelle Selldorf–designed structure, director Victoria Siddall and Frieze Masters artistic director Nathan Clements-Gillespie have put together an unparalleled program. Returning galleries include Dickinson, Hauser & Wirth, Marlborough, Massimo De Carlo, and Skarstedt. New for 2019 are Galerie Perrotin, Lisson Gallery, Mai 36 Galerie, and more. Presentations from Sycomore Ancient Art, Ariadne Galleries, and Galerie Chenel round out an expertise on ancient art, alongside Early Modern and Old Masters specialists like Sam Fogg, Stair Sainty Gallery, Agnews, and Trinity Fine Art. A major highlight this year is Spotlight, curated by the Drawing Center’s Laura Hoptman, showcasing artists like Gordon Parks, Howardena Pindell, Maruja Mallo, Bruno Munari, and more. Sir Norman Rosenthal co-curates Collections with Amin Jaffer, connecting eastern and western art and objects. Don’t miss solo booths by Rachel Whiteread from Luhring Augustine and Nam June Paik from Gallery Hyundai.

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
Galleries: 45
October 3–6, 2019
PREVIEW: Wednesday, October 2, 6 PM
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, open to the public October 3–6 at Somerset House, brings together 45 galleries from 19 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North America. The international fair celebrates its seventh London edition, welcoming first-timers at its London edition like Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, Guns & Rain, The Hole, Nil Gallery, Mindy Solomon Gallery, and more. Returning galleries include Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, James Cohan, October Gallery, SMAC, Vigo Gallery, WHATIFTHEWORLD, and Yossi Milo Gallery. Work by over 140 artists will be presented, including nine solo exhibitions, like Louisa Marajo from espace d’art contemporain 14°N 61°W, Alexandria Smith from Galleria Anna Marra, Godfried Donkor from Gallery 1957, and Anton Kannemeyer from HUBERTY & BREYNE GALLERY. The fair will also feature Mary Sibande’s first solo show in the U.K., “I Came Apart at the Seams,” with photographic and sculptural work. Kerryn Greenberg, head of international collection exhibitions at Tate, curates the 1-54 FORUM program of talks, screenings, and events, for the first time.

Frieze Sculpture
The Regent’s Park
This year’s edition of Frieze Sculpture opened at The Regent’s Park over the summer in July, and is on view through the end of the fairs Frieze London and Frieze Masters. October 6 will be your last chance to see outdoor sculpture from more than 20 international artists including Tom Sachs, Bettina Pousttchi, Lucy Skaer, Emily Young, Tai-Jung Um, Bill Woodrow, and Jodie Carey. Director of programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park Clare Lilley selected the presented works, in collaboration with leading international galleries, to best interact with the landscape of the stunning English Gardens. Said Jo Stella-Sawicka, artistic director of Frieze London, “Thanks to Clare Lilley’s curatorial vision, Frieze Sculpture has always been exceptionally ambitious, and this year’s display will feature master of Pop Art, Robert Indiana, with a work which is also Frieze’s largest exhibited sculpture to date; alongside contemporary artists from the UK and all over the world such as Huma Bhabha and Tracey Emin. We’re also thrilled to build on our support for younger galleries and artists through the Mtec Bursary.”

Mark Bradford: Cerberus
Hauser & Wirth
Neighborhood: Mayfair
October 2–December 21
Mark Bradford’s first presentation with Hauser & Wirth, “Cerberus,” features new works extending throughout the entirety of the gallery’s spaces. Inspired by a fascination with ancient mythology, the show is dedicated to places difficult and in-between, where conflicts arise—like the entryway to Hades. By combining tales from ancient mythology with events from more recent history, Bradford incorporates layered elements in both his physical works and concepts, exploring sociopolitical themes (such as the distribution of power within societal structures) through pieces that are created by forming and stripping away strata of pigmented paper.

Hyundai Commission: Kara Walker
Tate Modern
Neighborhood: South Bank
October 2, 2019–April 5, 2020
Commissioned for Tate Modern’s annual Hyundai Commission, Kara Walker will create a site-specific installation, to be revealed in the museum’s Turbine Hall on October 2. Known for her candid and fearless explorations of race, gender, sexuality, and violence, the practice of the New York–based artist ranges through multiple mediums, including drawings, prints, murals, shadow puppets, projections, large-scale installations, and more. Walker has worked on projects like a musical installation for the Prospect.4 triennial in New Orleans, entitled The Katastwóf Karavan, and A Subtlety—a 10-by-23-meter sculpture of a Sphynx-like woman made of sugar, which she built in Brooklyn’s abandoned Domino Sugar Refinery.

Mona Hatoum
White Cube
Neighborhood: Bermondsey
September 12–November 3
Mona Hatoum’s exhibition at White Cube features a series of new and recent installation, sculpture, and works on paper. Subjects like mobility, confinement, the architecture of surveillance, and systems of confinement, are addressed using a wide range of materials like steel, brick, rubble, glass, and concrete, adding a poetic charge to her exploration of minimal forms like the grid and sphere. On view are works like the major installation Remains to be Seen (in which Hatoum transforms industrial building materials into a suspended cube), the globe-like structure Orbital, and a curtain woven of human hair, entitled Hair Mesh.

ACE HOTEL LONDON
Shoreditch
Whitewaller recommends: Checking the events calendar to see when Night Light, the rooftop bar, is open.
Ace Hotel London incorporates a wide range of design influences, from the clean modernism of the Bauhaus to U.K. punk, and each of the 258 guest rooms feels like a friend’s Shoreditch apartment. The hotel also includes Hoi Polloi restaurant, a bustling lobby with outposts from various businesses, The Rooftop & Terrace, and Miranda—the performance and arts space in the basement.

BLAKES HOTEL
Chelsea
Whitewaller recommends: Enjoying seasonal Mediterranean-inspired dishes at Blakes Restaurant.
Known as the world’s first luxury boutique hotel, Blakes Hotel boasts 44 rooms and suites, and offers guests popular all-day dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Designed by Anouska Hempel, the hotel is also home to Blakes Restaurant, an exclusive lounge and club called Blakes Below, and the tranquil Blakes Courtyard.

BERNERS TAVERN
Fitzrovia
Whitewaller recommends: Ordering afternoon tea.
Located within The London EDITION, Berners Tavern serves seasonal, contemporary British cuisine under the culinary genius of Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton. Marrying historical charm with modern sophistication, the restaurant offers all-day dining with a menu of seasonal dishes that feature the very best produce that the British Isles offer.

ROKA
Mayfair
Whitewaller recommends: Asking for the chef’s recommendation to pair with a glass of Ruinart.
Following the success of Zuma London, Rainer Becker opened ROKA Charlotte Street in 2004 to celebrate robatayaki cuisine. Executive Chef Hamish Brown has been serving guests a contemporary Japanese menu in stunning restaurants located in Aldwych, Canary Wharf, and Mayfair.

WOLF & BADGER
King’s Cross, Coal Drops Yard
Whitewaller recommends: Not overlooking the lighting, stationery, fragrance, and hair-care sections.
Since its inception in 2010, Wolf & Badger, founded by brothers Henry and George Graham, has been offering a curated selection of unique, independent fashion, jewelry, accessory, homeware, and beauty brands. Now home to over 800 of the world’s top designers and artisans, the store is also known for its ethically and environmentally conscious selection.

MILK CONCEPT BOUTIQUE
Garden Walk
Whitewaller recommends: Grabbing a sumptuous candle by Mad et Len for a gift.
With both internationally recognized designers and emerging talents, Milk Concept Boutique is an appointment-only showroom, presenting an exquisite range of offerings like home objects by Fornasetti and Glas Italia, and jewelry collections by designer Simon Harrison.