Seize the Frieze: Our Picks from Frieze London 2024

Surfacing ground level at Regent’s Park station on Wednesday evening, I saw flurries of vibrant trenchcoats and faces adorned with tortoiseshell glasses heading across the road to Park Square. Following behind, it soon became abundantly clear that the colour-coordinated packs were trudging through the auburn leaves to the very same place as me. Frieze.

As a first time Friezer, I’d always read about the fair or caught it fleeting by on social media. To actually visit, however, was an entirely different experience. The environment is buzzing and infectious. It’s an experience that is overwhelming in the very best possible way because, simply, there is almost too much to look at. From waddling inflatable penguins to twisting trees, I share my favourite picks from this year's kaleidoscope of creativity that we call Frieze.

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Feminism-Fuelled Espresso at IllyCaffè Lounge

A great place to power yourself up with a healthy dosage of caffeine before zipping around some paintings is the Illycaffè lounge. Every form of coffee is on offer. Even my favourite, an espresso martini, yet I felt urged to opt for the crema. Which I can only describe as a delightfully thick and creamy coffee milkshake. Of course, I could go on and on about amazing coffee offerings but there is art at play here as well. Illy have mustered up another series of beautifully designed espresso cups for Frieze London. This year, for the first time ever, collaborating with four female artists from around the world.

Binta Diaw, Simone Fittal, Monica Bonvicini and Shirin Neshat were all invited to use an Illy cup as their own ceramic canvas to communicate an important issue to them. Whether that be social, environmental, cultural or else. The results are striking, and I'm sure any espresso cup collectors would jump to add the releases into their ever-flowing kitchen cupboard. Cups are good for coffee, but don’t overlook what is printed upon them…

Available for purchase at the Illycaffè Lounge, and coming soon to illy.com

Conversations with Nature at Ruinart Art Bar

With their golden fizz at the forefront of Frieze, a must-visit is the Ruinart Art Bar. This year, presenting the exhibition conversations with nature. Perhaps it was the champagne, but disbelief struck my face when I found that the twisted trunks were trees in every aspect, other than the fact that they weren’t trees at all. Yes, these sculptures may be constructed using wood but are entirely man-made. Despite their hyper-realistic demeanour.

Created by artist, Henrique Oliveira, the contorted tree structures evoke ideas of ongoing history and recycling within Ruinart’s champagne landscape. The pages of Marcus Coates’ poetic epheremal calendar also adorn the walls as you sip at some Carte Blanche 2024. Here you can have a bit of fun finding the phase of nature allocated to your birthday. Were turtle doves calling or privet berries ripening?

Textural Talents

Texture is a creative aspect most impactful in person, and a few pieces stood out to me as textural talents. Lorenzo Vitturi’s Fractal, physically jumped out at me. Emerging from the wall with varying depths in volume and saturated colour, it’s a hard piece for eyes to skip over. Crafted using Murano glass, bamboo silk, wool, Peruvian yarn and fishing nets, this fuzzy sculpture takes the idea of mixed media to a whole new level. Another favourite are the moths on display from New York sculptor, Rebecca Manson. Displaying the levels of metamorphosis through grand sculptures of moth wings. Each differing shade within the pattern a meticulously sculpted and attached curl of clay. Lifting gently away from the backing of the piece to create a sea of delicately layered patches of colour. These textural pieces are a sight to see but, as tempting as it may be, not to touch!

Hard to Miss

My general rule of thumb when strolling around art efficiently, is to only draw my full attention to the pieces that speak to me. Whether that be beckoning with colour or meaning from across a room, or being something so bizarre that it demands for onlookers to go and find out more.

After some discussion with other guests, the piece that stopped almost everyone in their path was the penguins. A huddle of 125 helium-inflated penguins bobbing about. Brought to the table (or the floor) by Danish artist, Benedikte Bierre, to symbolise the impacts of global warming. As one of the fair’s most photographable pieces, the floaty little birds definitely got people talking. If someone didn’t ask you if you’ve seen the penguins, were you even at Frieze?