Frieze Announces Hybrid Format for London Fairs

With galleries and green spaces in England open to visitors but gatherings of 30 people or more banned, Frieze has decided to proceed with a combination of online and offline events in October.

The second edition of the digital Frieze Viewing Room—developed after the in-person Frieze London and Frieze Masters fairs were cancelled in July—will see presentations by over 200 galleries go live 9-16 October, with VIP preview days 7-8 October. The first edition, which replaced Frieze New York in May, saw stronger than anticipated sales.

The October event will include the sections: Focus, for galleries aged 15 years or younger; Possessions, centred around the spiritual power of contemporary art; and Spotlight, dedicated to solo presentations by 20th century artists.

According to Victoria Siddall, Global Director, Frieze Fairs, visitors to the viewing rooms ‘will find the same commitment to quality and curated content that they would expect at our fairs, and those in London will be able to experience many of the most beloved aspects of Frieze Week – from Frieze Sculpture in Regent’s Park to performance around the city to fantastic exhibitions in London’s galleries and institutions.’

Among the highlights of the Frieze Week programme, beginning October 5, are: sculptures by Lubaina Himid, Richard Long and Rebecca Warren; sound and performance works curated by M WOODS Museum Chief Curator Victor Wang at 9 Cork Street; and the Frieze BBC Radio 3 Debate, which will be broadcast at 10pm BST on Thursday 8 October.

‘I’m looking forward to a week that not only delivers commercial success, but also fires imaginations and brings people and art together, both online and offline,’ said Siddall. —[O]

Main image: Robert Indiana, ONE Through ZERO (The Ten Numbers). Waddington Custot, Frieze Sculpture, Regent's Park, London (3 July–6 October 2019). Courtesy Ocula. Photo: Charles Roussel.