designboom's guide to london’s frieze art week 2024

designboom guide to frieze london and frieze masters 2024

Frieze London is set to return for its 2024 edition from October 9 to 13, bringing with it a bold new design and a refreshed curatorial direction at Frieze Masters. Held in The Regent’s Park, both fairs will emphasize artists and the spirit of discovery. This year, Frieze London will unveil an innovative floor plan designed by A Studio Between, enhancing the visibility of its curated sections, including Artist-to-Artist and the themed section, Smoke. Visitors will also encounter two stands showcasing solo artist presentations, selected annually by the Frieze London committee, ensuring new voices gain increased visibility each year. Meanwhile, at Frieze Masters, a new artist-centered approach will debut, featuring an expanded Studio section and a refined floor plan by Annabelle Selldorf. This design encourages visitors to make connections between objects and artworks from different eras and locations.

From Yayoi Kusama to Tracey Emin, to Olafur Eliasson and Es Delvin. and from Gagosian and Tate Modern to White Cube and Hauser & Wirth, designboom is rounding up a curated selection of Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024’s most anticipated artists, galleries, and exhibitions popping in and out of the fair this October in London. Read on to see what this year’s edition has in store.

Yoshitomo Nara, Ennui Head, 2020 | image courtesy of Frieze

Frieze Sculpture

Frieze Sculpture (find more here) is on view at The Regent’s Park from September 18 to October 27, running alongside the Frieze London and Frieze Masters. This year’s exhibition brings together 22 prominent international artists from five continents, featuring names such as Leonora Carrington, Theaster Gates, Zanele Muholi, and Yoshitomo Nara. With a particular emphasis on the contributions of women artists, the display highlights the diverse voices shaping contemporary sculpture today.

Curated for the second time by Fatoş Üstek (find more here), the 2024 edition is marked by a bold expansion in both scale and ambition. Üstek’s vision pushes the boundaries of what sculpture can achieve in a public setting by integrating diverse elements like sound, light, performance, painting, video, and augmented reality. Featuring 27 works—18 of which are new—the exhibition is spread throughout The Regent’s Park, inviting viewers to engage with art in unexpected ways. Üstek’s experimental approach explores themes of social and environmental consciousness, conceptual thought, and spiritual practices, creating a cohesive experience that reflects the evolving nature of sculpture in the public realm.

what: Frieze Sculpture
when: 18 September – 27 October 2024
where: The Regent’s Park, London, UK

Céline Condorelli, Tools for Imagination | image courtesy of Céline Condorelli

Hauser & Wirth present Charles Gaines solo booth

At Frieze London, Hauser & Wirth (find more here) showcases a solo exhibition by renowned American visual artist Charles Gaines. The presentation features the latest additions to Gaines’ celebrated Shadows series, first introduced in 1978. This marks his return to the theme after more than forty years. Alongside the complete set of Shadows X from 1980, the new works extend his ongoing exploration of formulas and systems that probe the connections between objective and subjective realities.

what: Charles Gaines’ solo booth by Hauser & Wirth
when: 9 – 13 October 2024
where: Frieze London, Booth D18

Charles Gaines, Shadows XIV: Aloe, Set 4, 2024 | image courtesy of Hauser & Wirth

Lehmann Maupin showcases new Billy Childish paintings

Marking the 20th anniversary of the gallery’s participation in the fair, Lehmann Maupin (find more here) returns to Frieze London. The gallery showcases a solo exhibition of new paintings by British artist Billy Childish (find more here). Childish is also present at the booth on select days throughout the event, offering visitors a unique opportunity to see him paint live on-site.

what: Billy Childish solo presentation by Lehmann Maupin
when: 9 – 13 October 2024
where: Frieze London, The Regent’s Park, Stand C13

BILLY CHILDISH, self-portrait with tree, 2017 | image courtesy of Lehmann Maupin

BMW GROUP CULTURE AT FRIEZE LONDON

In conjunction with Frieze London, BMW (find more here) unveils a new mural titled Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (I am because you are by Esther Mahlangu (find more here) at the Serpentine Galleries (find more here). This year, BMW’s presence at the fair revolves around the artistic contributions of the Ndebele artist who was the first woman to create a BMW Art Car in 1991. Additionally, a new publication featuring a conversation with the artist is presented during Frieze week, ahead of its official release later this autumn. Published by Thames & Hudson and authored by Thomas Girst, Azu Nwagbogu, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the book offers unique insights into Mahlangu’s work and creative process.

Continuing their longstanding partnership, BMW and Frieze also collaborate to present Frieze Music in London. This initiative, which explores the intersection of music and the arts to foster dynamic dialogues, offers artists the opportunity to create distinctive performances. Originally launched during the first Frieze Los Angeles in 2019, Frieze Music has previously featured an eclectic mix of musicians, including Moses Sumney, Caroline Polachek, Nilüfer Yanya, and Loyle Carner. 

what: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (I am because you are) by Esther Mahlangu
when: 9 – 13 October 2024
where: Serpentine North Gallery, Hyde Park, London

what: Frieze Music London 2024
when: 10 October 2024
where: The Regent’s Park, London, UK

image courtesy of BMW Group

installations and exhibitions beyond the fair

Es Devlin unveils congregation in St Mary Le Strand Church

Es Devlin (find more here) presents her latest installation, Congregation, featuring fifty portraits of displaced individuals who have been forced to leave their homelands due to wars and conflicts. Created in collaboration with the UK for UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the installation showcases collective drawings that reflect its title, Congregation.

The installation will be displayed inside St Mary Le Strand Church in London from October 4 to 9, 2024, coinciding with Frieze London 2024. In a conversation with designboom before the unveiling, Devlin shares insights into the project and its significance.

what: Congregation
when: 4 – 9 October 2024
where: St Mary Le Strand Church, London, UK

Mike Kelley major exhibition at Tate Modern

During Frieze London, Tate Modern (find more here) presents the first major UK exhibition of American artist Mike Kelley (find more here). Spanning his career from the late 1970s to 2012, the exhibition highlights Kelley’s diverse body of work, which includes drawing, collage, performance, found objects, and video. It features some of his most iconic pieces, such as his ‘craft’ sculptures made from textiles and plush toys, as well as complex multimedia installations like Day Is Done. Drawing on references from popular and underground culture, literature, and philosophy, Kelley explores how the roles we play in society are entangled with historical facts and imaginary characters from the films and images we consume. 

what: Mike Kelley – Ghost and Spirit
when: 3 October 2024 – 9 March 2025
where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London, UK

image courtesy of Tate Modern

Yayoi Kusama infinity mirror room lands at Victoria Miro

Victoria Miro (find more here) presents the Yayoi Kusama: EVERY DAY I PRAY FOR LOVE exhibition, which features new paintings and sculptures by the artist, along with the debut of Infinity Mirrored Room – Beauty Described by a Spherical Heart, 2024. The work explores the interplay between two seminal elements within Kusama’s practice, the sphere and reflective immersive space.

what: Yayoi Kusama: EVERY DAY I PRAY FOR LOVE
when: 25 September – 2 November 2024
where: 16 Wharf Road, London

Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room – Beauty Described by a Spherical Heart, 2024 | image c9ourtesy of Victoria Miro

Gagosian presents Anna Weyant’s first London exhibition

Gagosian (find more here) will present Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves?, the first London exhibition by Anna Weyant (find more here) opening on October 8, 2024, at the Davies Street gallery. In this new series, Weyant blends autobiographical elements with the symbolic humor and refined technique that characterized her earlier exhibitions in New York and Paris.

Weyant’s meticulously detailed figure paintings and portraits subtly reveal the unease beneath her subjects’ poised appearances, while her still-life compositions transform everyday objects into scenes that feel both surreal and unsettling. The six new paintings in this exhibition continue to explore themes of distance and isolation, creating a reflective and atmospheric mood.

what: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves?
when: October 8 – December 20, 2024
where: Gagosian, Davies Street, London

Anna Weyant, Girl in Window, 2024 | image courtesy of Gagosian

George Rouy solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth

George Rouy’s debut solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth London (find more here), titled The Bleed, Part I, showcases new works exploring themes of collective mass, movement, and human existence. The second chapter, The Bleed, Part II, will open at Hauser & Wirth in Los Angeles in February 2025. The distinctive style of George Rouy (find more here), featuring human figures marked by desire, alienation, and crisis, addresses the emotional extremes of our time and examines identity in the modern world.

The term ‘the bleed,’ used by Rouy, describes the interaction between figures and their surrounding space, where boundaries blur and merge. His paintings reflect these tensions and harmonies, both between individuals and within groups, creating a dynamic visual narrative.

what: The Bleed, Part I
when: 7 October – 21 December 2024
where: Hauser & Wirth London, 24 Savile Row Offices

Tracey Emin’s ‘i followed you to the end’ at white cube

Coinciding with Frieze London, White Cube (find more here) presents, ‘I followed you to the end’, a major solo exhibition by Tracey Emin. Spanning the entirety of the Bermondsey gallery, the exhibition features new paintings and a monumental bronze sculpture that journey through love and loss, mortality and rebirth. 

what: I followed you to the end
when: 19 September – 10 November 2024
where: White Cube, Bermondsey, London

image courtesy of White Cube

VIV Arts presents immersive installation by Julian Charrière

VIV Arts (find more here), an art and technology platform supporting experiential artists and collectors, will officially launch on October 8, 2024, with Controlled Burn, an immersive installation by French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière (find more here). Supported by Bank Julius Baer’s NEXT Initiative, the exhibition will be open to the public from October 9 to 12.

Founded by Carlota Dochao Naveira and Oliva Sartogo, both formerly of Superblue by Pace Gallery, VIV Arts aims to help artists in the experiential art sector by offering a platform to sell limited-edition artworks. Proceeds from these sales fund the creation of new art experiences, enabling collectors to support innovative projects while maintaining a tangible connection to the artwork.

what: Controlled Burn 
when: 9 – 12 October 2024
where: The Welsh Chapel, 136 Shaftesbury Avenue, London

Julian Charrière, Controlled Burn | image courtesy of VIV Arts

HOFA Gallery and PhilLipsx present Spaces exhibition

HOFA Gallery (find more here) and PhillipsX (find more here) launch SPACES, the inaugural selling exhibition in HOFA’s curated digital realities series at Phillips in London. The exhibition will feature 10 works by eight global artists who blend digital innovation with artistic expression, including Sougwen Chung, Emily Xie, Refik Anadol, Krista Kim, Ana María Caballero, Shirin Abedinirad, Random International, and Joseph Klibansky. SPACES explores the evolving relationship between technology and contemporary art, challenging perceptions of digital and physical creation through immersive works that integrate AI and digital techniques.

what: SPACES 
when: 3 – 10 October, 2024
where: Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London, UK

image courtesy of HOFA Gallery