Public Sculpture, Frieze Week & A Virtual Fair: Frieze London & Frieze Masters 2020

Frieze today reveals their plans for the upcoming edition of Frieze Viewing Room and Frieze Week in London in October. 

Over 200 of the world’s leading galleries to participate online in the second edition of Frieze Viewing Room, bringing together work ranging from the ancient era to today’s emerging and established artists. Frieze Week programming both throughout London and online to include Frieze Sculpture, LIVE, Frieze Talks and major museum shows across the city. As a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this new hybrid model combines the global online reach of Frieze Viewing Room with a commitment to the creative spirit of London.

Frieze Viewing Room

With over 200 participating galleries from Frieze London and Frieze Masters, the second edition of Frieze Viewing Room will benefit from major new developments to the user experience. The app and web- based platform will be live from 9 to 16 of October, with invitation-only preview days on 7 to 8 October, and present an extraordinary cross- section of artwork originally intended to be shown at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2020. Registration opens soon. Once you have registered, you will be able to access the Waiting Room to start planning your visit by browsing the list of all participating galleries and saving your favourites.

Following the platform’s successful launch in May, which saw visitors from 156 countries, Frieze Viewing Room has been developed to feature new functionality, including live chat and social media sharing, alongside the popular ‘sign the book’ and augmented reality (AR) capabilities. The digital venture will also showcase special gallery sections in line with the fairs’ physical iterations, including:

• Focus, the Frieze London section, supporting the participation of galleries aged 15 years or younger and providing a platform for young talent.
• Possessions, Frieze London’s new themed section curated by Zoé Whitley (Director, Chisenhale Gallery, London) and centred around the power of spirituality in the art of our time
• Spotlight, the critically acclaimed section of Frieze Masters’ dedicated to solo presentations by pioneering artists of the 20th century, curated by Laura Hoptman (Executive Director, The Drawing Center, New York)

Frieze Week

The Frieze Week programme will launch Monday 5 October, taking place both across London and online and is set to feature leading artists, collectors and curators across a wide range of exhibitions, talks and events.

• Museum Shows: An online guide to participating galleries, museums and partner organisations throughout the city will be published on Frieze.com with highlights including exhibitions such as Bruce Nauman at Tate Modern, as well as a new video commission for the Frieze Artist Award, 2020.
• Frieze Sculpture: The celebrated public art initiative returns to London’s Regent’s Park, installing monumental works by leading international artists throughout the English Gardens. Taking place from October 5 – 18, Frieze Sculpture 2020 will feature works selected by Clare Lilley (Director of Programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park), participating artists include Lubaina Himid, Richard Long and Rebecca Warren, among others. The works included in Frieze Sculpture will also have a virtual presence on the Frieze Viewing Room platform, enabling audiences across the globe to view and interact with the works online.
• LIVE: Frieze London’s showcase for Live art will be curated by Victor Wang (王宗孚) (Artistic Director and Chief Curator of M WOODS Museum, Beijing). For the first time LIVE will take place at 9 Cork Street, where Wang, alongside a group of artists, will establish a temporary institute of sound and performance art inaugurated as the Institute of Melodic Healing, during Frieze Week. The LIVE programme will include a series of live and online performances by artists and guests specially selected by the Institute.
• Frieze Talks: The fair’s acclaimed series of panel discussions, conversations and keynote lectures overseen by Dr. Nicholas Cullinan (Director of the National Portrait Gallery). A frequent participator in Frieze Talks, 2020 marks the first time Cullinan has curated the programme with highlights including a conversation with the luminary artist, writer and director John Akomfrah.
• The Frieze BBC Radio 3 Debate: For the third year running Frieze will collaborate with BBC Radio 3 to present a debate focused on Museums in 21st Century, moderated by Anne McElvoy (Journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking). The debate will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking at 10pm BST on Thursday 8 October and then available worldwide as a BBC Arts & Ideas podcast.

Museum & Artist Funds

• The Frieze Tate Fund, supported by Endeavor, returns for its 18th year, continuing the fair’s longstanding relationship with collecting institutions across the UK.
• The Contemporary Art Society will be holding a breakfast discussion on 9 October on the vital role museums and galleries continue to play in their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Held at Cromwell Place, with a panel that includes museum directors, artists and collectors, this event celebrates the success of the Contemporary Art Society’s Rapid Response Fund, in partnership with Frieze, which supports both artists and museums across the UK during the current crisis.
• Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Prize at Frieze: Now in its third year, the prize offers an invaluable platform to an emerging artist, presenting the winner with the opportunity to realise their first solo exhibition at the esteemed London institution.

Further Information

A full list of participating galleries, further information and programming highlights will be available in the upcoming weeks.

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