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Out and about at Frieze London

London, UK

The behemoth that is Frieze London (on through 13 October) can often feel like an assault on the senses, not only due to the phenomenal amount of art, but the throngs of collectors, curators, gallerists and artists that descend upon the Regents Park tent every October. While the heady days of truly experimental projects seem to be a thing of the past (over the years we have encountered a bubbling volcano, a soup kitchen, a manicure bar and a line of ‘counterfeit’ handbags) there are still plenty of gems to be found, both in solo booths and tucked away in larger group showings. In keeping with the current vogue, some of the most exciting work comes in the form of craft-inflected practices, though a the allure of painting still holds strong

Charlotte Edey at Ginny on Frederick

Every precious panel in Charlotte Edey’s solo presentation feels like a surreal, architectural vignette, hewn from materials including white jade, silk, organza and barley twist. Encountering these delicate, dream-like mixed media pieces feels like a real treat, with each underpinned by a methodical and time- consuming deference towards craft. Two stained glass pieces frame the booth, as if creating a threshold to another world far beyond the frenetic crowds in the tent, allowing for something akin to a moment of pause.

Kinke Kooi at Adams and Ollman

These delightful, sickly sweet works on paper by Kinke Kooi feel like a glistening gem tucked in the corner of Adams and Ollman’s group showing. In fact, two of the pieces are bedecked with found jewellery, which serve as inspiration for the acrylic and pencil motifs that surround them. There are nods to both the microorganism and botanical too, particularly in the largest of the four works: Under the Surface (2024) where petals and stamens appear in a tangle of sketched pearls.

Clare Woods and Caroline Walker at Stephen Friedman

A dual showing from Clare Woods and Caroline Walker at Stephen Friedman is a testament to why the great wave of contemporary figurative painting shows no sign of abating. Walker’s joyous canvases focus on images drawn from her child’s nursery. Although the source material was photographed in London over a year ago, the artist set about producing these works – which range from diminutive to enormous – from her new studio in Scotland. Woods uses aluminium as her preferred painting surface, which allows her pigments to glide in a manner that feels perpetually slippery. Her depictions of verdant floral arrangements are astonishingly vibrant in person and have more than a hint of the Dutch still life about them.

Xiyadie at Blindspot Gallery

Xiyadie’s career didn’t have the most orthodox beginnings. Formerly a farmer, he began making paper cuts to grapple with his queer identity, infusing this age-old craft with both autobiographical and folkloric motifs. At Blindspot’s booth, his enormous image of two courtiers sharing a peach is a feat of handcut snipping, and is adorned with water-based dyes that pop against a background of black velvet. Smaller pieces, such as Pot (2000s) are more sexually explicit, calling to mind the phalluses that decorate Ancient Greek and Roman ceramics.

Karla Ekaterine Canesco at Murmurs

As part of the ‘Smoke’ curated section of the fair, which this year focuses on ceramics, Murmurs gallery is presenting a series of wonderfully frightening sculptures by Karla Ekaterinburg Canesco.  Her pieces are inspired by the Xoloitzcuintle, an indigenous and hairless Mexican dog that was brought to near extinction by colonial Spanish rule. Her alluringly nightmarish totems feature roughly hewn clay (which she mixes herself), metallic glazes and pieces of metal, all of which relay canine shapes including teeth, paws and a disturbingly lifelike skull, which appears to have its jaws bound shut.