Six trends we spotted at the biggest art fair in the UK
Published on 9 October 2024
We went to Frieze London to see what's going on in the contemporary art world. Here's what we learnt.
The spotlight is on the up-and-comers
Last year visitors were greeted by the million-dollar paintings of Damien Hirst showcased by the world’s leading commercial gallery, Gagosian. This year the fair’s layout is transformed, with some less established artists and spaces nearer the entrance – giving the fair its edge back during a period of art-market jitters.
We might be biased, but we were glad to see RA Schools graduates such as Divine Southgate-Smith and Jenkin van Zyl leading the charge.
Irony is out
The figurative work in the fair is colourful, uplifting, sometimes surreal and markedly sincere, often bordering on the sentimental. Where has the irony gone? Continuing a recent trend, personal and local stories are carriers of wider meaning – for example Danielle Dean’s watercolours of her hometown of Hemel Hempstead, at 47 Canal’s stand, which are informed by race and class politics.
Nature is creeping in
Organic matter is seeping into sculptures. There’s a forest of plants, trees and fronds across the fair – stuck to walls, acting as plinths, emerging from unlikely places. Rocks are rocking, with rough-and-ready or well-hewn hunks hanging here and there, often combined with metal. Mixed with the many lyrical landscape paintings on view, our fragile environment is never far from view.
Elsewhere Danish artist Benedikte Bjerre's eye-catching helium penguins nod to the effects of consumerism and climate collapse.
Indigenous artists are becoming more visible
This year’s Venice Biennale showcased indigenous artists like never before. At Frieze this trend continues, including star-infused bark paintings by Aboriginal artist Naminapu Maymuru-White (at Sullivan and Strumpf), two Mayan-heritage painters in dialogue (at Proyectos Ultravioleta), and a curated section, ‘Smoke’, influenced by pre-colonial ceramics.
Artists are the best tastemakers
What happens when artists turn their hand to curating? In a section called ‘Artist-to-Artist’ six artists have chosen a fellow practitioner to spotlight. Royal Academicians Hurvin Anderson, Lubaina Himid and Yinka Shonibare all gave their hot picks. The latter chose the fellow Nigerian-born artist Nengi Omuku, who mines her memories to create dream-like scenes on handwoven silk.
In uncertain times, the art world is looking for an eye-bath
While we’re inundated with difficult images in the global media, at the fair abstract art abounds. From patinated metal panels to gestural-spiritual swish-swashes to geometric murals, the abstract work is full of ideas beneath their surface but also offers an eye-bath for the addled mind in challenging times.
Frieze London and Frieze Masters are open to the public from Thursday 10 October to Sunday 13 October, in The Regent's Park, London. Book your tickets on the Frieze website.
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