The art at Frieze London is not just confined to white tents for the eyes of pass-holders only—each year it breaks out into the surrounding Regent’s Park for Frieze Sculpture.
This year’s edition boasts 30 large-scale pieces of public art by 22 artists, including Yinka Shonibare, Louise Nevelson, Tomás Saraceno, and Hank Willis Thomas, under the acclaimed curatorial eye of Fatoş Üstek, who was previously director of the Liverpool Biennial.
Visitors may now be used to seeing striking public monuments among the trees at London’s yearly autumnal art world get together, but this year Üstek has set out to introduce an “expanded” idea of sculpture with elements of performance, painting, and sound. These will challenge assumptions about the boundaries of the medium, and foreground its underappreciated possibilities for movement, multi-sensory experience and ephemerality.
Ghada Amer, My Body My Choice (2022) at Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind, courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze.
“I curated the displays as an exhibition, bringing artworks in close relation to one another, implementing narratives along the sight lines that resonate poetic, imaginative, humorous, and political undertones,” she told Artnet News. “We have a rich selection of artworks that come from western and non-western traditions of making art. Our coexistence with let it be other people, animate, and inanimate beings—are brought to attention.”
Üstek has also invited a cohort of younger artists to make their very first major public artwork, and commissioned others to make site-responsive works that play with Regent’s Park’s historical context and the concept of the English Garden.
“I reflected on the post-pandemic condition of the public realm and the changing nature of our experiences of artworks,” she said.” Hence, I curated a journey for all, embroidered with details, embedded within the silence of the park. I encourage all visitors to open themselves to the works and don’t shy away from asking questions.”
A public programme of performances, tours and artists talks have been organized to accompany the public artworks, and visitors can also access Üstek’s free audio guide on frieze.com. A special map with activities was also produced for London Sculpture week, which ends this Sunday.
Tony Matelli, Sleepwalker (2014) at Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind, courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze.
Catharine Czudej, Man Kneeling with Flowers (2022) and Josh Smith, Friend (2023) at Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind, courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze.
Hank Willis Thomas, All Power to All People (2017) at Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind, courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze.
Louise Nevelson, Model for Celebration II (1976) at Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind, courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze.
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