Eliana Willis

It’s Frieze Week, and while the Frieze London and Frieze Masters fairs are conspicuously absent this year, that doesn’t mean there is no reason to visit Regent’s Park.
Art-hungry audiences can take an outdoor, socially distanced stroll in the lush park that typically hosts the fairs to see the 12 ambitious sculptures that comprise Frieze’s open-air sculpture display. Highlights include new commissions from Patrick Goddard, Kalliopi Lemos, and Arne Quinze, as well as Lubaina Himid’s five reclaimed doorways, which she originally created in 2019 for the High Line in New York.
“Amid all the challenges,” says Clare Lilley, Frieze Sculpture curator and director of program at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, “it is uplifting to see artists and galleries respond so enthusiastically to Frieze Sculpture. Rarely have our public spaces been quite so important for our mental and physical well-being, and this exhibition shines a light on sculpture in the open air, creating a place of inspiration and enjoyment where people can come together safely for conversation and exchange.”
The works on view this year explore vital and topical themes from civil rights to ecology to the role of the artist in changing the status quo. For those not able to be on the ground in London, you can see them here.
Frieze Sculpture is on view October 5 through 18 in the English Gardens at Regent’s Park.
Fabio Lattanzi Antinori, Ad Keywords (2020). Pi Artworks, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Rebecca Warren, Aurelius (2017 – 2019). Galerie Max Hetzler, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Kalliopi Lemos, The Plait (2020). Gazelli Art House, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Gianpietro Carlesso, Torre di Saba (2009). Ronchini, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Richard Long, Circle for Sally (2016). Lisson Gallery, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Eric Fischl, Torso (2010). Skarstedt, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Sarah Lucas, Sandwich (2011 – 2020). Sadie Coles HQ, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

David Altmejd, Untitled 1 (Bronze Bodybuilders) (2015). White Cube, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Patrick Goddard, Humans-Animals-Monsters (2020). Seventeen Gallery, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Lubaina Himid, Five Conversations (2019). Hollybush Gardens, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Commissioned by High Line Art, presented by Friends of the High Line and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Arne Quinze, Lupine Tower (2020). Maruani Mercier Gallery, Frieze Sculpture 2020. Photo by Stephen White. Courtesy of Stephen White/Frieze.

Follow artnet News on Facebook:Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward. More

It’s October, and that means it’s Frieze Week in London. As usual, galleries around the city are showcasing the best of their rosters, despite the very unusual circumstances of 2020.
Back in July, it was announced that the physical Frieze fairs would be cancelled. By now, it seems almost unimaginable that holding a large event inside an unventilated white tent ever seemed like a good idea. But while the concourse in Regent’s Park was a convenient place to bump into the who’s who of the art world, London’s vibrant art scene always really happened outside of the circus tent anyway.
This week, booze-fueled festivities such as gallery openings and swanky dinners are out; face masks are in. And with many galleries requiring visitors to book slots for exhibitions in advance, art lovers will have to be strategic about their approach.
Here are our picks for what to make room for in the schedule.

“Laure Prouvost: Re-dit-en-un-in-learning CENTER” at Lisson GalleryOctober 6–November 7, 2020
Laure Prouvost’s THIS MEANS LOVE, (2019-2020) © Laure Prouvost, courtesy Lisson Gallery.

The French artist will transform the gallery into a “mock-pedagogical, health-focused institutional setting,” inviting viewers to learn and un-learn a new lexicon and visual language created by Prouvost.
To schedule a visit, click here.

“Rashid Johnson: Waves” at Hauser & WirthOctober 6–December 23
Rashid Johnson, The Broken Five(2020). Photo by Martin Parsekian.

New paintings and ceramic tile mosaics by the American artist will fill both of the mega-gallery’s London spaces. The work responds to anxiety and escapism, themes that recur in Johnson’s oeuvre but are also very relevant to the socio-political climate of 2020.
Tickets to see the exhibition must be booked online in advance, here.

“Helen Cammock: I Decided I Want to Walk”Through October 17
Installation view, Helen Cammock, “I Decided I Want to Walk,” Kate MacGarry, 2020, courtesy the artist and Kate MacGarry, London. Photo by Angus Mill.

The Turner Prize-winner’s debut exhibition at the gallery includes Cammock’s most recent film, They Call It Idlewild. Drawing on the work of poets and philosophers from Audre Lorde to Jonathan Crary, the film ruminates on the politics of idleness and who gets to be lazy in a time when the spiraling demands for hyper-productivity are being pulled into question.
The gallery encourages but does not require visitors to book in advance, as just five people will be admitted at one time.

“Tavares Strachan: In Plain Sight” at Marian Goodman GalleryThrough October 24
Tavares Strachan, detail of EIGHTEEN NINETY(2020). Photo by Lewis Ronald.

For his first major UK solo exhibition, Strachan has created an unforgettable immersive experience. Backdropped and enhanced by new and existing painting and sculptural work, the captivating 45-minute journey involves a theatrical and operatic performance inspired by the artist’s research into marginalized historical figures such as the African American explorer Matthew Henson, the first person to reach the North Pole.
Tickets for the exhibition must be booked online in advance.

“Oliver Beer: Oma” at Thaddaeus Ropac, Ely HouseThrough October 24, 2020
Installation view, Oliver Beer, “Oma,” Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London. © Oliver Beer. Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London • Paris • Salzburg. Photo: Eva Herzog

This deeply personal exhibition looks at the influence and knowledge passed between generations in families. Beer, who often mines his own family history in his work, delves into the story of his grandmother, who began composing music late in her life.
There is no time-slot needed to visit, but visitors numbers will be controlled. Oliver Beer will also be offering small, in-person tours Friday, October 9 at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. Tickets to this are free of cost, but must be booked via the gallery’s website.

“Gillian Wearing: Lockdown” at Maureen PaleyThrough October 25

Gillian Wearing, Untitled (lockdown portrait) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Maureen Paley.

In a series of self-portraits created during lockdown, Wearing perfectly captures moments of malaise and melancholy, quietude, contemplation, and occasionally, contentment. Another timely addition to her oeuvre is the sculpture Mask, Masked, a title alluding to the theoretical masks we don to fashion identities as well as the literal face shields keeping us safe.
Online via the gallery website for 15-minute appointment viewings.

“Anne Tallentire: As happens” at Hollybush GardensThrough October 31
Anne Tallentire, Area (2020). Installation view, “As happens,” Hollybush Gardens, London, 2020. Photo by Andy Keate.

In this show of new work, Tallentire continues her ongoing interrogation of the invisible social systems that create conditions of precariousness and contingency.
No more than 6 people will be admitted to the gallery at once, you can book your slot online. The artist will also be in conversation with the writer Chris Fite-Wassilak over Zoom on Tuesday, October 13, at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. New York), and you can RSVP directly with the gallery.

“Danh Vo: Chicxulub” at White Cube, BermondseyThrough November 2, 2020
Danh Vo “Chicxulub,” White Cube Bermondsey. © the artist. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis).

Vo has brought nature inside the gallery. Trees and plants reference the setting where the artist made this body of work, his studio and farm in East Germany. In this large show, Vo continues his examination of Catholicism, global branding, and flora.  
To schedule a visit, click here. You may also take a video walkthrough tour of the show.

“Sung Tieu: What is your |x|?” at EmalinThrough November 7, 2020
Installation view, Sung Tieu, What is your |x|?, Emalin, London. © Sung Tieu. Courtesy of the artist and Emalin, London Photography: Plastiques

For her first solo exhibition with Emalin, the Berlin-based artist has built a gallery inside the gallery, resembling a cross between a prison, a bank vault, and a site of a dream. The works, all on sheets of cut stainless steel, speak to Tieu’s research into psychologies and their potential for manipulation.
There is no time-slot needed to visit, but visitor numbers will be controlled.

“Nathaniel Mary Quinn” at GagosianThrough November 21

Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Lunch (2020). © Nathaniel Mary Quinn, courtesy of Gagosian.

Quinn’s first solo show at Gagosian’s London outpost presents the artist’s shape-shifting portraits rendered in luscious charcoal, gouache, and oil paint. The compositions, which appear collaged, are informed by flashes of the artist’s own memories and encounters.
You can schedule an appointment via the gallery website.

“Dana Schutz: Shadow of a Cloud Moving Slowly” at Thomas DaneThrough December 19

Installation view, “Dana Schutz: Shadow of a Cloud Moving Slowly” at Thomas Dane Gallery.

For her inaugural solo show in London with gallery veteran Thomas Dane, Schutz’s new paintings and sculptures are populated with bedraggled, goblin-like characters who fill the space with their contorted physicality and obvious psychological turmoil.
No early booking available, social distancing enforced upon entry; no groups allowed.
Follow artnet News on Facebook:Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward. More

There are approximately 240,000 carrots—and an unquantified number of potatoes—sitting outside of London’s Goldsmiths College. The massive pile of root vegetables, weighing in at 31 tons, is an art project, on view as part of the school’s annual MFA exhibition.
The performance component of the site-specific work by Rafael Pérez Evans, titled Grounding (2020), took place on Tuesday, when a large red tractor-trailer dumped the carrots on the ground in an orange tidal wave that swept through the college courtyard.
Evans, who grew up in a family of farmers in Spain, was inspired by a protest tactic popular among farmers, particularly in France, called dumping. To protest cratering produce prices, farmers will pile up carrots or potatoes in the street, the vegetables becoming a physical roadblock and serving as a highly visible reminder of farmers’ oft-ignored labor. It’s a practice that has intrigued the artist since childhood.
“On one occasion when I was quite young I remember people being very angry and upset as the cost of lemons had been devalued to such an extreme that it was costing the farmers money to sell their stock,” Evans told Artnet News in an email. “This issue made many farmers dump, in protest, tons of lemons, creating a sort of sea of yellow. This I guess was the first moment in which I became aware of the power of how governmental devaluation and international trade affected farmers.”

[embedded content]

Staging Grounding in London is Evans’s way of reminding viewers of where their food comes from, and to consider the relationship our cities have with rural farmers. The work’s title comes from the therapeutic technique of grounding, or reconnecting with the earth and its electrical energy.
“In the city, we are not very connected to the processes of how the things we consume are produced, under which circumstances and conditions,” Evans explained. “Looking into peasant culture, ecology, farming, and the soil is a way to reorient my compass into finding other ways of relating which perhaps aren’t so detached from land, plants and foods.”
Soon after the work’s installation, photos and videos began circulating on social media, to the extreme confusion of many. But Goldsmiths was quick to explain the art connection when Times of London journalist George Greenwood—who is now describing himself as an “accidental carrot correspondent”—took to Twitter to investigate the “carrot conundrum.”

The artwork has drawn some criticism for contributing to global food loss, with a group of four Goldsmiths students launching an Instagram account, @goldsmithscarrots, to protest “this incredibly wasteful art piece.”
“Lewisham is one of the poorest boroughs in London and this mass dumping of carrots at Goldsmiths is beyond insensitive,” the group wrote. “It’s a massive slap in the face.”
Evans says he actually wants Grounding, which is accompanied by a sign warning that the carrots are “not for human consumption,” to highlight the existing waste in food production systems.

Evans went to a bulk animal feed provider to purchase the vegetables, which have been rejected by UK supermarkets and judged to be “animal grade” carrots. When the exhibition ends next week, the carrots will be donated to farms to feed livestock, as originally intended.
“How can carrots that look perfectly fit but not be fit for human consumption and supermarkets but okay for animals is part of the question in the work,” he explained. “The issues around waste are very important.”

But the students behind @goldsmithscarrots aren’t taking Evans’s word for it. They have been busy collecting, peeling, and grating the carrot pile to make vegan carrot cake and carrot soup. The group, which estimated yesterday that it had only used .3 percent of the carrots so far, is holding daily bake sales next to the artwork and donating the proceeds—reportedly nearly £700 ($900) over the first two days—to local food banks.
For his part, Evans is “very happy that more artists are responding and creating new artworks, and dialogues around the questions that the piece ignites.”
The initial performance was livestreamed on Facebook and can be watched here. In-person visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for the exhibition’s final day, which is open until 7 p.m.
See more photos of Grounding below.
Rafael Pérez Evans, Grounding (2020) at Goldsmiths College, London. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Rafael Pérez Evans, Grounding (2020) at Goldsmiths College, London. Photo courtesy of the artist.

View this post on Instagram

So many lush ones🥕🥕make carrot soup, carrot cake, carrot crisps, carrot juice, carrot chutney, carrot cookies, carrot stews etc. Make for and share with your friends, neighbours, crushes, pets, mice in your accommodation, cleaners and security on campus, all your community 🥕🥰sharing is caring (be covid safe and put measures in place)- @ratwrists
A post shared by WE ARE NOT THE CARROT ARTIST (@goldsmithscarrots) on Sep 30, 2020 at 3:55pm PDT

“MFA Exhibition” is on view at Goldsmiths College, Ben Pimlott Building, St. James’s, New Cross, London SE14 6NH, October 2–October 6, 2020.
Follow artnet News on Facebook:Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward. More