The Frieze Art Fair has come around again. Between 12 and 16 October, the fair will host nearly 170 galleries and many more events across the city. And one overwhelming theme this year is the sheer number of female artists exhibiting, curating, presenting and given a platform alongside their male peers. We’ve rounded up the ones to watch, and added a few recommendations for the week ahead.
Emma Talbot
Stretching the length of the entrance will be Emma Talbot’s 28-metre painted silk hanging garden, inspired by medieval illustrated manuscripts describing the healing properties of plants. It forms part of her show 21st Century Herbal.
Sue Fuller
Sue Fuller’s Into the Composition, at Luxembourg & Co, is the first major monograph of the late geometric abstractionist since her death in 2006. It links her string work to pioneering (and underestimated) craftswomen like Anni Albers, Sophie Tauber-Arp and Lygia Clark and examines her reliance on engineering and material science. The exhibition opens at Frieze Masters on 10 October.
Ro Robertson
Frieze Sculpture is a typically male-dominated field, but this year Ro Robertson’s rusted Drench is a highlight of the programme, curated by Yorkshire Sculpture Park director Clare Lilley.
Frieze Masters
Camille Morineau is curating the Spotlight section of Frieze Masters, and this year dedicates the show to 28 women artists, including Sonia Balassanian, Wook-Kyung Choi, Leonor Fini and spectacular Adire fabrics by renowned textile artist Nike Davies-Okundaye.
Gabriele Beveridge
A special event for Frieze 91 members in conjunction with Seventeen Gallery features experimental wall-based works in tempered glass by Gabriele Beveridge.
Nikita Gale
Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, this year’s BMW Open Work commission was given to Nikita Gale. Her 63/22 is an immersive installation exploring the relationship between sound and speed, featuring a series of Gibson Firebird electric guitars.
180 Studios
Our special friend 180 Studios has two shows running this week at their space on the Strand. Richard Mosse will show his immersive video installation Broken Spectre, filmed in the Brazilian Amazon. The art and design collective Universal Everything collaborates with Ab Rogers Architects on Lifeforms, an amalgam of generative digital works that shift with time.
Abbas Zahedi
And finally, Abbas Zahedi, winner of the Frieze Artist Award, will premiere his Titled Waiting With {Sonic Support}, modelled after a modern bus stop. It will host a series of performances, each broadcast online and to the fair itself.
