The obligatory ten highlights from Frieze list we all have to do once the dust has settled, it has become a bit of a things now, we’re already being asked where it is now that that dust or whatever it was has settled. The vast vast (vast) white tent is probably down by now, the whole damn global art fair circus has already moved on, “oh darling, Frieze is so last week, will you be in Paris”, the press releases about all the sales and the money and who sold what have already landed in out in box and we are still trying to hide our cynical smiles and still just thing about the art, just the art, think only of the art. We do write one of these list every year….
Was that line of blue and white traffic cones the best bit of art, if only someone had made a film and declared it art, what a fine line it was, what a fine line we walk. Were Helen Chadwick‘s glorious Piss Flowers the best thing? Do we really need a best thing? No, not really, we’ll do it anyway. Those Piss Flowers were beautiful but they were from the 90s and you could argue they should have been in Frieze Masters, personally I think they were perfectly placed right where they were rather than being consigned to history, not yet. And we’re not going to include Frieze Masters in this, that’s not really what Organ is about, well neither in a monstrosity like Frieze you might say (and you might well be right, we do need to know though, we do to know though and there was good art)
We have said it so many times already, we were cherry picking, there was lots and lots of underwhelming art, there was bad art and we’re not talking about Albert Oehlen’s “bad” paintings, I’m still rather uncommitted about those six big paintings that Gagosian were showing in their big dog booth, six paintings that are probably heading for the same storage unit that those dreadful Hirst jizz paintings that Gagosian were showing a few years back. The claim is all six sold on the first morning, what does that actually mean though?. Enough of this, we were there for the good art, we spent hours searching it out, there’s 12,000 words on these pages, mostly about the good art…
There is always something. Previous years have resulted in at least a little bit of raving and drooling over something or someone; Sterling Ruby‘s yellows that time, the glorious blackness of Lee Bae in 2024, Lauren Halsey‘s attitude last year, Deborah Roberts in 2021, there is always something. This year? Well there were good pieces, there was good art, maybe not the big noise of past years? Maybe not that Lee Bae wow moment of the power of Deborah Roberts, but there were things, artists, quieter this year, pieces of art, artists quietly beckoning, showing us their edges. I’m not sure that this list is in any particular order, here it is…
1: Squeak Carnwath – New York’s Jane Lombard Gallery and those paintings and the edges of those paintings of Squeak Carnwath; “Jane Lombard Gallery is pleased to participate in the 2026 edition of Frieze London with a multigenerational presentation of new and recent works by Jane Bustin, Squeak Carnwath, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Michael Rakowitz, Howard Smith, and Sawangwongse Yawnghwe. Tracing temporality, this presentation looks at repetition as a means to explore how the past is remembered, revisited, and transformed…”
– As I do keep saying, we are cherry picking here and well, I was staring to flag until a Squeak Carnwath painting called for attention, and then another of Squeak Carnwath’s paintings called out. Really the paintings tell you what you need to know without my words, the paintings and the edges of the paintings, I do adore those edges and the edge they give those paintings – “Squeak Carnwath (born 1947) is an acclaimed American contemporary painter, printmaker, and arts educator widely recognised as a foundational voice in West Coast art. Based in Oakland, California, since 1970, she serves as a Professor Emerita of Art at the University of California, Berkeley. Carnwath’s distinctive style seamlessly fuses elements of 1970s New Image painting, Conceptual Art, and Process Art”. Here’s another #43SecondFilm
– They really did call out, come here they said, they said lots of things, or suggest them, and those edges, love those layers and layers of oil paint, the knife work, love the playing of the textures with the suggestions of the text, the hints of secrets, the seemingly improvisational appearance, the physical nature of the working of that paint, the energy (and the power of those edges, I love those edges). One of those little punch the air moments a few hours into the fair (well not an actual punching of the air, it happened in my head but you know what I mean, yes, of course there’s good art waiting in here, how could there not be, how much of it is being looked at is a different question, most people seem to be looking at their phones)
2: Márcia Falcão’s paintings and the fleshiness of them, the darkness, it does all feel like we are viewing things on her terms, the humanity feel powerful, defiantly complex, an empathy with her subjects, a telling, a good start to what will be a long day and almost certainly way too much art to take everything in (although that is the aim). That one particular piece of hers… “Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel presents a solo booth by Márcia Falcão at Frieze London 2026. The presentation advances the artist’s investigation of the body while positioning painting itself… …born and raised in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Falcão addresses the embodied social realities of women – particularly Black women – whose lives unfold in Brazil’s urban peripheries…” That one particular piece of hers, although you can work out which one…
3: Amanda Moström – Do like East London’s Rose Easton Gallery, this has been said around here before, I like that I don’t always get what the East London Gallery are actually doing, that they sometimes infuriate, I do like their graphics; “Rose Easton is pleased to return to Frieze London with Bikini Bottom, a solo presentation of new works by Amanda Moström…” – The Swedish artist is rather unconventional, as unconventional as the gallery itself, you do kind of wonder what went on in the booth before it opened, those Amanda Moström undertones are intriguingly real, another touch of humanity, what’s hiding in that photo album on the floor?
3: Isiah Davis – Is that an extra one squeezed in? – There’s a lot of chains over there, if the walls weren’t so white and the lights so bright, we might think we were in a Kings Cross basement; Bronx born (1992) artist Isaiah Davis is showing via New York’s Kings Leap Gallery – “the artist presents erotic sculptures that evoke cages, safes and battering rams” – yes they did evoke, well, I guess it depends on what you want to see? Those pieces were rather erotic, bright lights and everything…
4: Pia Camil – Now in past years, this list has included things from the week, some at Flowers maybe or that big thing in Docklands that time, when did we last see anything like that in London? Where were the car park shows, are they long gone now? Where are the artists coming together and doing things? Is it just impossible now? Does the space just not exist or is it the ambition that’s missing. This year? I’m not sure there was much? I’m not sure we saw anything this year (although there is more to check out this week). Still not sure about the popping intrigue of Robin F. Williams at Cork Street’s No.9 via New York’s P·P·O·W? There was (and is, the show is on until November 22nd), there was that rather alive opening at Elizabeth Xi Bauer gallery over in Clarkenwell, a show that revealed one of many sides of Pia Camil and those paintings that really needed those frames – Pia Camil’s Bestia at Elizabeth Xi Bauer Gallery and a show that is only one of many sides that all make for a compelling whole…
5: Shannon Cartier Lucy – there was that one Shannon Cartier Lucy painting – Cincature, a piece from 2026 that was quietly hanging at the back of the Soft Opening booth. True to say we’re not the East London gallery’s biggest fans but that painting was a beautiful standout moment of a far too busy week – “that Shannon Cartier Lucy painting is delicious (Cincature 2026), Shannon Cartier Lucy painting usual are, slightly unsettling now and again, always delicious…”
6: Hasani Sahlehe – More edges of paintings. Now there are two paintings in Night Gallery‘s booth (a Los Angeles gallery) that probably don’t look like much when photographed, they are in fact wonderful, as are their edges. The work of Atlanta-based artist Hasani Sahlehe, lots of deliciously thick acrylic paint on raw canvas, beautifully considered edges, glowing blocks and stripes, colours that meet in such a crisp exciting way – clean, paint really generously laid on. I so wanted to touch them, stroke them, I very nearly asked if I could, The two pieces do look good in photographs, but nothing like how gorgeously delicious they are in real life. When you allow yourself to just stand there in front of them and shut everything else out you can really (really) enjoy that paint, the think texture of the paint, the pureness, the life that a photograph sucks out. Those two Hasani Sahlehe paintings were two glorious moments….
7: Okiki Akinfe – We are still cherry picking here, we are being picky, do really (really) like the strength of those powerful Okiki Akinfe pieces that London’s Ginny on Frederick are showing, I see what all the fuss is about now I’ve got to stand in front of it all, almost certainly the highlight of the day so far, a strong visual language, a touch of something subverted, a set of questions asked by the pieces (and the artist) that demand you stay a little longer than you will eventually spend in most booths…
7: Douglas White‘s Black Palm and well, Frieze Sculpture, now we’re on the other side of Frieze itself did kind of set the tone for Frieze London this year – Exploring Frieze Sculpture 2026 over in The Regent’s Park, London. You can do the same for free in the sunshine (or the rain) until the end of October… – there was that big black palm three though; Douglas White‘s Black Palm looked as demanding as it looked exciting, Black Palm is immediate. Let’s cut to the paste; “White (b. 1977, UK) is a sculptor renowned for his powerful use of found objects and materials, repurposing society’s remnants to create compelling and often monumental sculptures” – there are, as some us know well, always possibilities in the the objects left unwanted on out streets. The black(s) of the Palm Tree and especially the trunk are (accidentally?) beautiful, the whole thing powerful, strong, it works on a number of levels, it is a piece that immediately demands you question it, that you question the why it should be standing there (it surely is right that is should be standing here, here of all places)
“Black Palm is an outdoor sculpture rising over seven metres high, made from reclaimed tyre rubber and steel. The materials were sourced from burst truck tyres White collected along the highways of Belize during a residency in a Central American rainforest. During his stay, he observed blackened palm trees burned due to disease and the scattered remains of exploded tyres, which became a catalyst for the work” – The piece is presented by New York’s Leila Heller gallery, Douglas White’s transforming of found materials into “evocative, hybrid forms that challenge distinctions between the organic and industrial” feels strong and right now, here rather than in a white cube, his piece seems just right, it feels like it is right here, right now, a timely presence in the middle of the park only now starting to recover from Summer drought damage and the obvious scars of climate change. I really (really) like that Palm Tree for more than a few (obvious) reasons, I really don’t like what the palm Tree is about for a number of reasons, it is a powerful piece of statement, a powerful set of questions, points well made, especially standing there as part of Frieze and all that that means as well…
8: Eilen Itzel do Espírito Santo – there was the life that was flowing from those Eilen Itzel do Espírito Santo paintings – 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…
9: Plumbline of a Dancer at Terrace Gallery – Now we’ve already said there wasn’t much that really grabbed us in the galleries and spaces this time around, it was all a little disappointing. We already asked (just up there) about where the things like that big Docklands group show that time and when did we last see anything like that in London? Where were the car park shows, are they long gone now? Where are the artists coming together and doing things? Is it just impossible now? That Docklands show, the Factory Project was five years ago now – The Factory Project is a triumphant way to get your teeth into Frieze week, an ambitiously big art show that really does lay down a challenge… – Does the space just not exist or is it the ambition that’s missing? This year? I’m not sure there was much? Certainly nor on the artist-led front (although London’s artists seem incapable of communicating other than via the vagaries of Instalvloodygram a a twenty-four hour “story” these days. There was that artist-led show at North East London unassuming (I won’t say little although it is rather small) Terrace gallery – Frieze Week Pt.4 – What has East London to offer? Not much at Soft Opening, rather a lot at Terrace Gallery, on with it all… – Terrace Gallery is a space that hides in an alley almost underneath the aforementioned railway station on the Haggerston side of Hackney…
Plumbline of a Dancer was on at Terrace Gallery while Frieze was happening, I doubt anyone connected with Frieze went, I don’t many of the swelers of East London who bought themselves those stupidly expensive Frieze tickets and then waited for the piece they bought at Frieze to be hand delivered by a gallerina, went to or ever go to Terrace or any other shows of a similar nature. Plumbline of a Dancer was a group show excellently curated by painter Johanna Melvin. The norm with artist-led group shows is you go hoping to cherry pick the highlights and leave needing to know more about an artist or two you didn’t really know much about before hand, now I did know work of most of the artists in this show, so I’m not really discovering someone new, however I think I can say I liked every single piece in this show of seventeen artists. The show itself was united, imaginatively hung, exciting, read more about it here – What has East London to offer? Rather a lot at Terrace Gallery, on with it all…
10: Nour Jaouda – Back to the Fait itself, Nour Jaouda has another big piece on the Union Pacific wall again this year, a piece that at first glance looks like textile work, it is more a textural tactile piece of work, a sculptural piece called A few winds away from the place I know – a coming together of Hand-dyed cotton textile and steel so the label tells us (and it is good to see everything in Frieze is clearly unobtrusively labelled, something the current rather annoying just-out-of-London-art-school crowd really need to take onboard with their unhelpful labels-are-so-uncool mantras. I don’t know how many artist-led group shows I’ve been to in the last couple of years where I’ve come away with no idea in terms of who’s work I might have been looking at). That Nour Jaouda piece really is a beautiful thing to just look at before you even start to think about searching it a little more deeply (I am a sucker for a hand dyed piece of cotton, especially when it looks like it might involved natural dye processes) and this isn’t the first time the artist has figured in one of these post Frieze London lists – ORGAN: Frieze Week 2024 – Five from the Fair, Lee Bae’s black abyss, Nour Jaouda’s layers, those two Chang Ling paintings, Jo Messer’s intrigue, Peter Uka’s hints and a bit of Peter Buggenhout at Holtermann Fine Art as we get going on it all…
10: Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings – there was Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings’ Night, we do have to just squeeze that one in in the ten – Frieze week – The Fair Itself (Part Four); Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings’ Night, Shannon Cartier Lucy, some pens, some Scullys on the floor, Shinro Ohtake’s book, Alvaro Barrington’s yarn and oh the price of it all… – “And that piece by artist duo Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, a piece called Night, a rather big (in more than just one way) fresco (230x170cm big, a 2026 piece) is rather delicious as well, things are (briefly) getting tasty – “Working collaboratively, Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings (b. 1991; Newcastle/London, UK; live and work in London) construct imagined social worlds that interrogate the relationship between architecture, public space, state infrastructure, gender, and queer identity. Using Fresco, a technique traditionally associated with Renaissance religious and historical painting, the artists’ explore the radical potential of dissonance, tension, and disjuncture. Their compositions emerge through collage, bringing archival images from disparate contexts together in unexpected configurations” – really love that big fresco, kind of like the Melike Kara piece next to it as well – Ode To All – oil stick, acrylic, coffee and ink on canvas, 162x122cm (2026), both pieces are presented by London’s Arcadia Missa.
11: The Line Of Blue Cones – or maybe it was those blue cones and who ever put them there and the fine line that art walks (and the film made of them? Maybe that was the best big of art during this year’s Frieze week?) See you in 2027? Probably not… (sw)
Previously
The previous times…
It does all go back beyond 2021, that’s enough though, more than enough…
