Part Two, the second part of this whatever it is, a swallow dive? A something or other into the bits we wish to cherry pick from this year’s Frieze London. If you missed Part One may we politely suggest you go back and start there? We ended the first part with that intriguing mountain of books that Tom Hardwick-Allen has piled in the corner, I don’t know if it was anything more than a fifteen minute thing – and on we go with that parachute that I.W. Payne has left on the floor of 243 Luz & Co.‘s booth, something that is something to do with some kind of Sexotheque flavoured juxtaposition (or something like that).
On to Galarina (really?!) and where’s that lens based artist from that show at No Parking’s big warehouse over in Leytonstone? You know the one, Photographs of Photographs. Actually this Gallerina is a gallery now based (since early 2026) in central London; the gallery was originally founded in 2022 by curators Mischa Lustin and Niina Ulfsak as an “experimental bedroom-apartment gallery” in Homerton before moving to its permanent Guilford Street location this year and there they are avoiding eye contact behind their stylish glass front at Frieze London in true gallerina style with artist Ewa Poniatowska and more piles of books or magazines or whatever the pavement slabs were sandwiching, oh and a flower in vase and a desk. Were any of those books by James Cahill? Smitten with themselves? No parking or cynically smiling? On we go…
On we go, and there’s a painting of a goldfish, or is it a photo? Photorealism? In all honesty who cares? Well besides the woman pointing her phone at it and telling her friend how nice it is and to misquote the rather wonderful Peter Prendergast; “if someone says you painting is nice then rip it up”.
Oh and there’s some bikes chained to a.. and there’s an owl, no that comes later….
We did say back in Part One that we could easily just write a couple of thousands words about all the bad art, the unassuming uninspiring disconnecting artlessness of so so much of it, or that we could just assume you know there was going to be a lot of not really worth a mention art and let’s just get on with the cherry picking. All the way from Vienna with a painting of a fish? Really? Why? The Ryan Huggins installation and paintings are a nice idea via London’s self-styled a.Squire Gallery…
and on we go, on past that feral metaverse spider thing that people seem excited to play on. Oh and there’s those bikes chained to a.. and there’s that owl, we’ve got to that owl bit now…
and on on on to the rather irritating will-they-bother-to-open-today East London gallery that hides all signless and bible black, all aloof and too-cool-to-tell-you behind that oriental supermarket in East London; Carlos/Ishikawa, when you do catch them open usually have something rather interesting to offer, actually there’s been some excellently unpredictable shows up the Mile End Road in their space in recent times and their presentation of Self Portrait No.91 by Issy Woods here at Frieze is almost a relief when we reach it, as are their red walls of Maxwell Alexandre paintings on pardo paper or free hanging linen but together between 2024 and 2026 (and of which there are more currently to be found in the aforementioned East London space, the Brazilian artist’s latest solo show here in the UK)
We’ve made it to the Artist-To-Artist section without throwing anything at any owls or anything; now this particular section has, in the past couple of years or so, well since the first time in 2023, has been rather rewarding. Seven artists selected by seven rather respected artists, seven passionate advocates, the word of an artist tends to come with a little more attached to it. There’s some rather earthy Jota Mombaça paintings and pieces over there (selected by Otobong Nkanga and presented by Jaqueline Martins Gallery of San Paulo and Brussels)
And over there London’s Bolanle Contemporary are presenting some immediately alluring joy, some work from Eilen Itzel do Espírito Santo (selected by Firelei Báez) and you know what, I am going to be criminally lazy and let the gallery tell you; “Eilen Itzel do Espírito Santo’s practice explores how individuals across the African diaspora and Latin America seek joy, purpose and destiny within and beyond colonial histories. Working across painting, drawing, installation and sculpture, she brings figuration and abstraction into close relation, creating spaces that move between the physical and spiritual. Through recurring figures, symbols and saturated colour, her works trace community, ancestry and destiny through a visual language that is both intuitive and coded, rooted in communal memory and spiritual knowledge. Selected by Firelei Báez for Frieze London’s Artist to Artist section, do Espírito Santo unveils a new body of work developed specifically for the fair. Centred on creation, the presentation considers spiritual and artistic acts of making alongside the physical labour of the womb. The works are connected to the Oriṣa Obatala, the Yoruba deity of creation, with whom the artist holds a particular relationship….” and what more needs to be added? A triumph, a joy, and a lot lot more beside, which I think is a good place to and Part Two and work up to Part Three, I really (really) like the life that flows from those big Eilen Itzel do Espírito Santo paintings… (sw)
And that concludes Part Two, there is more though, lots (lots) more, this is going to be long, this is going to five or six parts, this Frieze piece has only just got starting, more in a moment…
Frieze London is on until 18th October 2026 at The Regent’s Park, London
Previously
And as always, do please click on an image to see the whole thing or to run the slide show…
