How to Spend a Day at Frieze Los Angeles
From a performance of Senegalese drumming to an artist’s egg hunt and immersive solo projects, get the most from your visit to this year’s fair
From a performance of Senegalese drumming to an artist’s egg hunt and immersive solo projects, get the most from your visit to this year’s fair
Frieze Los Angeles is returning to Santa Monica Airport for 2025, with a wealth of things to see and do – not just art from the leading galleries of Los Angeles, the US and the rest of the world, but a compelling curated programme of onsite projects and performances, reviving food and drink from some of LA’s best eateries and a whole Frieze Week’s worth of outstanding exhibitions across the city. Here’s how to make the most of your visit.
Inside the Fair
Begin your day at Frieze Los Angeles by diving into the 95+ local and international galleries gathered at Santa Monica Airport from 20 – 23 February. Art world milestones at the 2025 fair include the US debut of LA legend Chris Burden’s Nomadic Folly (2001), a haven of sensuous textiles and Turkish-Armenian music (Gagosian). Kay WalkingStick’s first West Coast exhibition in 40 years at Hales features the Cherokee painter’s rarely seen earth-toned abstractions from the 1970s and ’80s, and the first US presentation of Japanese-Brazilian Megumi Yuasa at Ortuzar and Gomide&Co highlights his radical approach to ceramics. There are also new lithographs by Jim Jarmusch, coinciding with the artist-filmmaker’s first solo show in Los Angeles, at James Fuentes’s Melrose space.
Head over to the Focus section to discover works by emerging voices, such as Athena LaTocha’s large-scale works on paper that offer a timely vision of forests consumed by wildfire, created using burned wood, soil and rocks (Babst Gallery); February James’s painted explorations of finding faith during times of upheaval (Superposition Gallery); and Kate Meissner’s David Lynch-inspired reflections on the psychological effects of surveillance (Lyles & King).
If you’re at the fair on Saturday, catch Massamba Diop, master of the Senegalese talking drum, and famous for his performance on the Grammy and Oscar-winning score for the movie Black Panther. He’s performing at Frieze on Saturday 22 February at 2pm.
To discover Frieze’s expanded 2025 community-led programme, head to AMBOS’s (Art Made Between Opposite Sides) space within the fair for its installation of ceramic works by artists in a trauma-informed programme for refugees and asylum seekers, and visit the Black Trustee Alliance’s audiovisual installation Land Memories that captures the legacy of Altadena in the wake of the Eaton Fire.
Also not to be missed is Galleries Together. In recognition of the key role galleries play in the rebuilding of the city’s cultural ecosystem, Victoria Miro has opened its stand at Frieze Los Angeles to participating galleries to sell works in aid of the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund.
Eating and Drinking
When hunger calls, head outside to discover a selection of LA’s favourite restaurants, including Kismet Rotisserie, Ayara Thai, Roberta’s and more.
Across Santa Monica Airport
Near the food and beverage area outside the entrance to the fair, look to the city’s creative future with LA artist Lauren Halsey’s Summaeverythang space. At 12 midday on Friday, the project will host a conversation with the architect Barbara Bestor, looking into the innovative design and purpose behind the future Summaeverythang Community Center.
Then explore the projects situated throughout airport campus and adjoining athletic fields, curated by Art Production Fund under the title ‘Inside Out’. All are free for the public to attend.
Catch one of the daily guided tours of NOMAD, Dominique Moody’s mobile artist residence built from salvaged materials, which addresses themes of housing insecurity and displacement. NOMAD was constructed in Altadena, an area significantly affected by the Eaton fire.
NOMAD House tours run Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11am – 2pm, 3 – 7pm; Sunday 11am – 2pm, 3 – 6pm.
Throughout the campus, LA artist Ozzie Juarez has recreated murals and architectural fragments inspired by his neighbourhood in South Central Los Angeles. Experience one of Juarez’s daily swap meets, where the artist takes on the role of vendor, giving out a curated selection of stamped and numbered ready-made objects.
Swap meets happen Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 12 – 2pm and 4 – 6pm, while supplies last.
Find the central campus pathway animated by Joel Gaitan’s installation, complete with terracotta-style roofing and a plant-laden balcony, and the entrance marked by Greg Ito’s large-scale inflatable sculpture of a golden alarm clock crowned with vibrant orange blossoms, a symbol of growth and hope.
Keep a look out for Claire Chambless’s golden eggs, which are hidden by the artist each morning across public areas of the fair campus, containing miniature sculptures for visitors to find and keep.
Head to the central soccer field to experience Jackie Amézquita’s large-scale interactive painting, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the work’s reinterpretation of migration data graphs as a dynamic social gathering space.
With artwork and projects demanding your attention at every turn, don’t forget to look skyward to catch a glimpse of Madeline Hollander’s ‘choreographed’ flights above the airfield.
Beyond the Fair
When the rest of Los Angeles beckons, hit one of the best institutional shows in town, including Alice Coltrane at The Hammer, Joseph Beuys at the Broad and María Magdalena Campos-Pons at the Getty. And celebrate Black History Month across Frieze Week gallery shows at Parker Gallery, Karma, Vielmetter Los Angeles and more.
On your travels across city, spot Coco Fusco’s ‘Only in Darkness’ public billboards and digital screens. Fusco uses striking skywriting as a means of inviting viewers to reckon with societal and environmental challenges.
Get ready for Frieze LA
Get excited about your visit to the fair in advance by browsing the Frieze Viewing Room. Watch LA artist Lita Albuquerque explain her fascination with the colour blue ahead of encountering her new ultramarine boulder on the fair campus. Plus, go behind the scenes with artists making new work for Frieze LA.
Further Information
Frieze Los Angeles, 20 – 23 February 2025, Santa Monica Airport.
Frieze is proud to support the LA Arts Community Fire Fund, led by the J. Paul Getty Trust. In addition to Frieze’s contribution, 10% of the value of all newly purchased tickets is being donated to the fund.
To keep up to date on all the latest news from Frieze, sign up to the newsletter at frieze.com, and follow @friezeofficial on Instagram and Frieze Official on Facebook.
Frieze Los Angeles is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank, continuing its legacy of celebrating artistic excellence on an international scale.
Main image: Frieze Los Angeles. Photo by Casey Kelbaugh. Courtesy Casey Kelbaugh and Frieze
