Frieze London’s historic 20th edition will see a bevy of local and international talent descend on Regent’s Park once again from 11 to 15 October. Happily, powerhouse director Eva Langret has made it her mission to ensure this year’s edition reflects “London’s art scene now” in all its kaleidoscopic diversity – including launching an Artist-to-Artist scheme, with eight world-renowned artists shining a light on lesser known but equally brilliant creatives at the fair. In honour of Black History Month, Vogue rounds up some of the most powerful Black art to see – and shop – both in Regent’s Park and London’s most prestigious galleries.
In Regent’s Park
Deborah Anzinger proposed by Simone Leigh – Untitled Transmutations, presented by Nicola Vassell Gallery
Born and raised in Jamaica, 45-year-old Deborah Anzinger is the founder of New Local Space, an artist residency and studio in Kingston; has her PhD in Immunology and Microbiology; and is wholeheartedly committed to telling the stories of the Global South. Untitled Transmutations consists entirely of works made using pigments derived from local cookshop charcoal in Jamaica, highlighting both the natural resource’s appropriation and lack of protection on the island.
Leilah Babirye, presented by Stephen Friedman Gallery
Brooklyn-based artist Leilah Babirye was forced to flee her native Uganda after a local newspaper publicly outed her in 2015. For her first presentation at Frieze London, held in the Stephen Friedman booth, she’s transformed everyday materials such as wood and clay into sculptures that highlight issues relating to LGBTQIA+ identity and human rights, both in her native country and abroad.
Barbara Chase-Riboud – Standing Black Women of Venice, presented by Hauser & Wirth
Eighty-one-year-old Barbara Chase-Riboud is something of a fixture at Frieze. This year, Hauser & Wirth – who began representing the artist earlier this year – will present three sculptures from the octogenarian’s Standing Black Women of Venice series, each of which is named after an ancient female poet, along with six works of paper embroidered with silk thread.
Danielle McKinney, presented by Marianne Boesky Gallery
Danielle McKinney’s presentation in Marianne Boesky Gallery’s booth won’t just mark the artist’s Frieze debut, it will mark her first solo exhibition in the UK, as well. The Jersey-based painter’s stunning oil portraits capture women alone in moments of leisure and rest, whether smoking, reading or napping.
Cece Philips, presented by Peres Projects
In the Peres Projects booth, Londoner Cece Philips will showcase her vivid, provocative paintings, which depict the nightlife of the British capital’s suburbs, exploring and reimagining how women of colour exist in these spaces.
In galleries across London
Igshaan Adams at Thomas Dane Gallery
South African artist Igshaan Adams will showcase a new body of intricate woven sculptures at Thomas Dane Gallery. Drawing upon his experiences of growing up in a small township in Cape Town, Adams’s work interrogates racial, sexual and religious boundaries with materials including beads, shells, glass, rope and wire.
Wangari Mathenge at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
This new series from Wangari Mathenge – who left her career as a lawyer to pursue her art – looks at the plight of domestic workers in Kenya, particularly the young women who leave rural communities for the city in search of work. As part of the series, Mathenge invited 20 domestic workers to her studio in Nairobi to partake in empowering workshops and discussions about spirituality, finances, education and feminism.
