Look Out For These 5 Exhibitions During Frieze Week
Frieze Week marks a highlight in the cultural calendar, featuring Frieze fairs in London, New York, and Los Angeles, alongside gallery and museum exhibitions, institution show openings, and other cultural events. It’s a celebration of the Frieze Art Fairs and the concurrent happenings across the city.
London truly shines during Frieze Week each autumn, drawing art enthusiasts from around the globe. This season, the emphasis is on solo exhibitions, spotlighting both emerging talents and seasoned artists. Here are five exhibitions to look forward to during Frieze Week:
- “Presence” by Claudette Johnson (September 29, 2023 – January 14, 2024)
Standing Figure with African Masks, 2018, Image courtesy of Tate.
Claudette Johnson, a pivotal figure in the Black British Arts Movement, presents her first solo exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery. Her work raises essential questions about the role of Black artists within the British art establishment. Johnson’s large-scale drawings capture friends, family, and herself, using pose, gaze, color, and scale to convey a soft yet powerful impact.
- “Hiroshi Sugimoto” (October 11, 2023 – January 7, 2024)
Lightning Fields 225, 2009, Image courtesy of Sugimoto Studio.
Japanese artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, known for his photography, is exhibiting at the Hayward Gallery. His photographs encompass lifelike wax figurines, modernist architecture, lightning, old-school cinemas, seascapes, and serene Buddha statues adorning a 12th-century temple in Kyoto.
- El Anatsui’s Hyundai Commission (October 10, 2023—April 14, 2024)
Image courtesy of Ofoe Amegavie
The annual Hyundai commission at the Tate Modern is one of Frieze Week’s most anticipated events. The commission remains a well-kept secret until its grand unveiling during the bustling week in October. Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, renowned for his shimmering artworks made from recycled materials, is set to transform the Turbine Hall.
- “Frank Walter: Artist, Gardener, Radical” (October 4, 2023 – February 25, 2024)
Man Climbing a Coconut Palm and View of Red Canoe and Boat in Harbour, Undated, Image courtesy of Frank Walter Family and Kenneth M. Milton Fine Art.
The Garden Museum hosts an exhibition of over 100 paintings and sculptures by Antiguan artist Frank Walter. These later works delve into Walter’s environmental and social activism, alongside his historic role as the first Black man to manage a sugar plantation in Antigua. His political manifestos advocated for progressive policies, including police training and support for small farms and fisheries.
- “Soft Ground” by Trevor Yeung (September 28, 2023 – December 18, 2023)
“Soft ground” research image, 2022–23, Image courtesy of the artist.
Trevor Yeung’s first solo show in the U.K., “Soft Ground,” immerses visitors in the world of London’s gay cruising areas, inspired by his residency at the Delfina Foundation. The dimly lit gallery space unveils the social and emotional complexities of this hidden cultural phenomenon, engaging all the senses with scents, sounds, and visual art that transport you into this unique experience.
