Julian Hoeber, Twins #1 (Execution Changes #44, #45), 2011. Courtesy of Blum & Poe.
It’s London’s turn in the great art fair cycle, and Frieze and its satellites have descended upon the British city for the eleventh year. The Carmody Groarke-designed pavilion will be even roomier this year, with wider aisles to suit visitor’s comfort and optimize the art-viewing experience. Along with the expected roster of top galleries, the fair welcomes some new seasoned faces like Blum & Poe, Marian Goodman and Maccarone. As expected, the powers behind Frieze have a world class line up of special exhibitions, film and a sculpture park curated by Clare Lilley, Director of Programs at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, that will pair contemporary and historical pieces, giving a well-rounded presentation of modern masters like Judy Chicago, Jaume Plensa and Rachel Whiteread.
Judy Chicago, Rearrangeable Rainbow Blocks, 1965. Courtesy of Riflemaker.
Nicola Lees of the Frieze Foundation will put her newly-appointed curatorial imprint on the fair, curating both Frieze Projects and Frieze Film, for which she partners with Victoria Brooks of EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. This year, Frieze Projects has commissioned site specific pieces by Andreas Angelidakis, Gerry Bibby, Rivane Neueunschwander, Ken Okiishi, Angelo Plessas, Lili Reynaud-Dewar and Josepf Strau, while Frieze Film has commissioned works by Petra Cortright, Peter Gidal, Patricia Lennox-Boyd, Oraib Toukan and Erika Vogt, made during a residency at EMPAC.
Petra Cortright, vvebcam, 2007, avi file, webcam video, 1:42 min. Courtesy of Frieze.
For the collector seeking the art historical, Frieze Masters will return, with highlighted works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Murillo, Velazquez, and modern masters like Bacon, Calder, Guston, Picasso and Pollock. There is also an incredible Masters Talks program planned with contemporary artists John Currin and Catherine Opie, whose work references the historic, whether in subject or technique, alongside conversations between the Victoria and Albert’s Director Martin Roth and Beatriz Milhazes, and the Kunsthustorisches Museums’ Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Jasper Sharp with Richard Wright.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger, L’Auberge St. Michel, 1619. Courtesy of De Jonckheere.
Philip Guston, Untitled (Shoe), 1968. Courtesy of McKEee Gallery.
This year Frieze will also bring its influences into the retail realm, with a partnership with fair sponsor Alexander McQueen. During the fair, the London retail stores (Bond Street and Saville Row) will feature contemporary art curated by Sadie Coles, once again merging art and fashion like the late designer did so expertly.
The exciting week will kick off on October 17, with special combination discounts for art lovers visiting both the Frieze and Frieze Masters Fairs. And once you have had your fill at the main fair here is a selection of satellite fairs to visit, guaranteeing something for everyone, including cutting edge contemporary, street art, video art , African art, artist multiples and design.
Sunday Art Fair. Courtesy of Sunday Art Fair.
The edgy satellite fair features only 20 galleries, with an emphasis on the best of emerging art. The feel is like a large group show, without the stereotypical booths that define an art fair (exhibitors are instead separated by tape on the floor). This year’s participants include New York’s White Columns and London’s Studio Voltaire, with a fair sponsor of ICA.
Still from Annika Larsson's Animal in 14 movements, 2012, video, 41 minutes. Courtesy of Moving Image.
The unique fair returns to the Bargehouse to celebrate video art, including 30 single-channel videos, video sculptures and large video installations. The fair brings the issues surrounding the collecting video art to the forefront, even offering the “AV Bar,” a sort of take on the Mac Store’s Genius Bar, to answer collectors’ questions about displaying and caring for video art. This year curators, Kyle Chayka and Marina Galerpina, will indulge the self-portrait craze, with the National #Selfie Portrait Gallery, featuring short form “selfies” from 16 emerging video artists from the EU and the US.
Moniker Fair. Courtesy of Moniker Fair.
For its fourth year, the street and urban art fair will be shacking up with The Other Fair at the iconic Old Truman Brewery. Expect works by recognizable urban artists like Banksy, The London Police, D Face, Greg La Marche, Shepard Fairey and Pure Evil, plus special installations.
Delphine Lebourgeois, Deesse VIII Photo de Classe. Limited edition of 3 Giclee print finished by hand with pencils and inks. Courtesy of The Other Fair.
Also at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, The Other Fair offers collectors a chance to scoop up works by over 100 unrepresented artists. The fair fosters artists year round by offering free seminars and workshops to help them enter the art market and connect talent with buyers.
Stephen Hobbs, Pop-up Book, 2013, silkscreen book, Courtesy of David Krut Projects, Johannesburg, Cape Town & New York.
Collectors of prints, editions and multiples can find all they are looking for at the fourth edition of Multiplied. With an emphasis on art priced for every budget to bring art to everyone, Multiplied extends this mission with its charity affiliate, Vital Arts, which brings art, music and performance to hospital patients. The fair, located at Christie’s auction house in South Kensington, is free to the public and will feature live printmaking workshops and an exhibition by Graduate students of the Royal College of Art’s Print Department.
Cameron Platter. Courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery.
New to Frieze Week this year, 1:54 is the first contemporary African Art Fair and brings together 17 carefully curated galleries, accompanied by an educational and artistic program curated by Koyo Kouch. 1:54 will also offer lectures, film screenings and talks, such as Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with Godfried Donkor, Christine Eyene in conversation with Senam Okudzeto, as well as a discussion on building an African collection of contemporary art. The 1:54 fair aims to educate visitors on the importance, context and market of African art.
PAD London. Courtesy of PAD London.
The PAD fair is designed to ask art collectors and enthusiasts to relate fine art to the same context as design, decorative arts, photography and tribal arts, encouraging visitors to use each of these elements to find their aesthetic voice by building comprehensive collections that touch on each genre. The eclectic fair offers pieces steeped in history, museum quality art works, notable photography and design furniture of the highest caliber, all set in an all encompassing, boutique style atmosphere.