From 13 to 17 October, Frieze will officially take over Regent’s Park once more. Of course, I can’t wait to scout out artists in the booths at Frieze London. First on my hit list: Victoria Miro’s floral-themed display (featuring María Berrío’s collaged paintings and Inka Essenhigh’s futuristic blooms, along with pieces by Chantal Joffe and Celia Paul); Casey Kaplan Gallery’s solo presentation of up-and-coming British painter Ella Walker; and Stephen Friedman’s curation of works by Austin favourite Deborah Roberts, whose exuberant collage-paintings depict the joy of Black youth. Just as exciting, though, is the line-up at Frieze Masters, a smaller version of the fair on the Camden side of the park, where you can find Old Master jewels as well as works by overlooked greats. Of particular interest this year? The Janet Sobel display at Gallery of Everything’s stand – according to scholars, Sobel may well have inspired Jackson Pollock’s famous drip-painting technique. Beyond NW1, galleries across London will be putting on exhibitions that more than deserve a visit. Read on for all of the highlights to bookmark.
What to see around London:
Start in W1, with a visit to Kenyan-born, US-based Wangari Mathenge’s installation at Pippy Houldsworth’s Heddon Street space. Wangari’s all-consuming figurative paintings are all about bringing together diaspora communities, with their subjects longing for a past life.
Over at Massimo de Carlo is NY-based painter Jordan Casteel’s first UK solo exhibition, There is a Season. An oasis of bold colour, gestural brushstrokes and rich patterning, Casteel’s paintings capture the fleeting and very real moments of life, relationships, and humanity.
