By Arun Kakar, Veena McCoole and Casey Lesser
If the murmurs around the openings and parties across London this week are to be believed, this year’s Frieze London and Frieze Masters arrive at a crucial moment for the city’s art market. With the impending Art Basel Paris a stubborn talking point among dealers and visitors alike, and broader conversations around the state of the city’s art scene providing an uneasy backdrop to the fair, expectations leading up to its VIP day were almost as murky as the gray skies of Regent’s Park on Wednesday morning.
It was likely a relief to those in attendance, then, that the fair’s opening day seemed to paint a picture that was less “doom porn” and more “return to form.” With throngs of VIPs and associated art world insiders gathering throughout the park well before the fair’s 11 a.m. opening on Wednesday, both Frieze London and Frieze Masters remained busy and buzzy throughout a day that was as ripe for celebrity hunting as it was for artwork perusing: The likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Ford, FKA twigs, and Emma Raducanu were among the A-listers spotted across the aisles.
“This week has been a welcome reminder of the energy that is unique to London and the enduring strengths of the city’s art scene,” said dealer Thaddaeus Ropac. “I’ve said it before, but the extraordinary arts ecosystem in London is an enduring draw for artists and collectors alike.”
As it has been since 2012, Frieze is split into two main tents: the contemporary art–focused Frieze London at the southern tip of Regent’s Park, and Frieze Masters at the northern end, covering a broader span of art history. Some 270 galleries from 47 countries are convened across the two venues, which are estimated (quite modestly) to be a 14-minute walk apart (shuttle buses and Lime bikes are available). The total number of galleries this year, however, marks a slight reduction from last year’s edition, and includes some notable absences such as David Kordansky, Matthew Marks, and Pilar Corrias. (All three, it should be noted, are participating in Art Basel Paris next week.)
This year’s edition of the fair—its 21st in London—debuts a “groundbreaking new floorplan” for Frieze London. Rather than the phalanx of mega-galleries that visitors have come to expect as they enter, this year’s edition positions several more emerging names, such as New York’s 47 Canal and Mumbai’s Experimenter, at the front of the fair. Its Focus section, dedicated to young galleries, is also given more prominent real estate not far from the entrance.
“The redesigned geography of our space reflects the diversity of participating galleries, from the new and radical to the most established names, emphasizing the connections between these different perspectives and Frieze’s role in fostering creative dialogues,” said fair director Eva Langret. Indeed, those looking to make a beeline to mega-galleries such as Gagosian, David Zwirner, and Hauser & Wirth will now have to trek to the final part of the tent—not that this seemed to deter the thrumming herds during the fair’s opening minutes.
Frieze London has also added a new section to the concourse, Smoke, organized by Hammer Museum curator Pablo José Ramírez. Comprising eight galleries, the section is dedicated to ceramic works by artists who explore diasporic and indigenous histories.
Returning curated sections this year include Artist-to-Artist, where six renowned names have selected solo presentations by new voices. And at Frieze Masters, renowned art historian Sheena Wagstaff returns to curate the Studio section for its second year, with solo booths from late-career artists that explore the “creative connection between present.” Also returning to Masters is Spotlight, which hosts solo presentations of “both overlooked artists and lesser-known works” from the 20th century.
The great Yinka Shonibare is something of a hero for fellow Nigerian artist Nengi Omuku. So it was a total joy for the younger artist to learn that Shonibare had nominated her to present new work in Frieze’s Artist-to-Artist section. Presented by Kasmin and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, Omuku presents three of her increasingly admired oil paintings on sanyan—a traditional fabric woven by the Yoruba people. “I’m aware that I’m bringing together Western and West African heritage,” Omuku, who is based between Lagos and London, has said. “I really enjoy being in the middle. It helps me have a broader view of the world.”
This presentation of three new paintings coincides with the artist’s first solo show at Kasmin in New York and follows her first solo institutional exhibition this year, at Hastings Contemporary and Arnolfini. The trio of works combine the serenity and unrest she felt during a residency in the stunning environs of Perugia, Italy, this past summer. “I did walks every single day, and at the same time, I was having flashbacks of different wars and conflicts that were happening all over the world,” Omuku told Artsy. “I couldn’t deal with the paradox, the polar opposites of having so much beauty in the world, as well as chaos.”
These resulting landscapes, in warm pastels with jolts of vivid color, are embedded with people in moments of repose, walking or resting, but also moments of turmoil. Rabble Rouser (2024), for example, shows a vision that Omuku had of people fighting while gazing at vines. “I was trying to deconstruct the chaos of the world through painting, and also to sort of save my mind because it’s hard to process,” she explained.
The trio of works, which float gracefully from the ceiling, are priced from $50,000–$90,000 per piece and had sold out promptly on VIP day.
