Frieze Sculpture, London’s biggest free display of outdoor art returns to Regents Park this year, opening to the public from 14th September until 31st October, showcasing some of the best art from internationally renowned artists.
The international contemporary arts fair will be curated for the ninth year by the Director of Programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Clare Lilley. The exhibition, as usual, will run alongside the other Frieze events, Frieze London and Frieze Masters. This marks a key moment for the London creative community as the capital continues to move on from the dark days of lockdown during the global pandemic. Other London events such as LAPADA and PAD have though been cancelled due to the difficulty of travelling, meaning that there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the arts event world.
For the fourth year in a row, Mtec continue to express their support for young and upcoming artists and sculptures by offering a bursary to portray their involvement within Frieze Sculpture. This year’s bursary has been granted to l’étrangère and Irène Laub, presenting Untitled (module 1 and 2), 2019, by Tatiana Wolska.
Counterspace
The public will be able to discover artwork by some of the world’s leading artists. There will be pieces by Rasheed Araeen, Daniel Arsham, Anthony Caro, Gisela Colón, José Pedro Croft, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Stoyan Dechev, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Divya Mehra, Annie Morris, Isamu Noguchi, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Solange Pessoa, Vanessa da Silva, Tatiana Wolska, Rose Wylie and Yunizar.
Additionally, there will also be a piece from Serpentine known as Counterspace, which will mark the first time a public institution has taken part in Frieze Sculpture.
The acclaimed public art initiative will feature pieces relating to the theme of geopolitical power structures, architecture and environmental concerns.
Artist Jorge Otero-Pailos’ Biosignature Preservation and Isamu Noguchi’s Play Sculpture concern civic navigation, whilst artwork by Vanessa da Silva, Divya Mehra and Ibrahim El-Salahi as well as the mentioned Counterspace tower will focus on the issues of displacement.
Unearthed Bronze Eroded Melpomene created by distinguished American artist, Daniel Arsham conveys the remnants of a post-apocalyptic fictional archaeology while Event Horizon, designed by Bulgarian sculpture Stoyan Dechev, emphasises the mythical past to indicate an endangered and fragile future. However, the soapstone sculptures from the skull series by Solange Pessoa, in addition to the piece, Induk Monster, by Indonesian artist, Yunizar, both show the connection between the personal and the primordial.
Regarding the issues on nature and the environment in general, pieces have been emphasised from artists such as Tatiana Wolska and Ibrahim El Salahi.
The exhibition will also forefront the power of colour, including sculptures by artists including Rose Wylie, Carlos Cruz-Diez and José Pedro Croft, in company with works by Annie Morris, Rasheed Araeen and Gisela Colón.
Curator, Clare Lilley, when talking about the works on show in the exhibition, said: “Each Frieze Sculpture installation brings such a different picture of sculptural practice and it’s heartening that this year is especially global, including artists who herald from South America, South and North Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan, the USA and Canada, and from across Europe. Although the artists span three generations, I see exciting sculptural conversations across time and geography and while many sculptures here relate to social and environmental concerns, there is much heightened colour and dextrous handling of material, resulting in an overall sense that is celebratory. As we learn to live with the pandemic and emerge into public spaces, Frieze Sculpture 2021 allows people to come together in safety and with pleasure and is a tonic for the mind, body and soul.”
For more information about Frieze Sculpture, click here.
Frieze London
Some of the world’s leading galleries are set to come together for the return of Frieze London from 13th October until 15th October. The 2021 edition will include works by talented artists Sadie Coles HQ, Hauser & Wirth, Xavier Hufkens, Taka Ishii Gallery, Karma, Kukje Gallery, Matthew Marks Gallery, Mendes Wood DM, Maureen Paley, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Stevenson and David Zwirner.
Once again, the focal point of Frieze London will be discovery, adopting a new section, Unworlding, curated by Frenchman Cedric Fauq. This will comprise of pieces from artists across the world focusing on the idea of the undoing of the world as we know it. This will feature a major piece by Nora Turato, a significant piece by Natacha Donzé, and a video installation by N’daye Kouagou.
The fair will also showcase editions, presenting works from some of the world’s leading publishers of editioned work, by artists which include Yinka Shonibare (Cristea Roberts), Georg Baselitz (Knust Kunz) and Do Ho Suh (STPI).
Frieze Masters
On the other side of the park, Frieze Masters will be showcasing together six millennia of art – from Old Master paintings to luminaries from the 20th century – creating an area of unmissable art history for the British public to feast on.
This fair will give prominence to major galleries such as Acquavella Galleries, Colnaghi, Marian Goodman Gallery and Johnny Van Haeften amongst others.
A new section will be introduced into the fair known as Stand Out, curated by Director of Fitzwilliam Museum, Luke Syson. This will bring together art from across the different centuries that are celebrated works of sculpture and design. The idea of Stand Out is to look further from hierarchical distinctions between the different pieces and reconsider the pieces often described as ‘decorative’ or ‘functional’ and instead showcasing the conceptual brilliance the works.
