Why Regent’s Park is the Perfect Backdrop for Frieze?
The beautiful greenery of Regent’s Park in London is once again the setting for Frieze Sculpture, an outdoor exhibition dedicated to outdoor sculptures and installations. Its 12th edition is being held from September 18th to October 27th, coincidng with Frieze London and Frieze Masters, UK’s largest and most celebrated art fairs.
Regent’s Park is one of the Royal Parks of London, and it is located between the administrative London boroughs of Westminster and Camden, near the areas of Marylebone and Primrose Hill. Renowned American author and poet Sylvia Plath lived close to Regent’s Park and described it as a ‘wonderland’.
It is no surprise that Frieze has chosen the location of Regent’s Park’s historic English Gardens as its backdrop. Frieze Sculpture often presents works that dialogue with the natural landscape and the well-trimmed lawns, expanding on the idea and definition of sculpture. This year, Frieze Sculpture is curated by independent curator and author Fatoş Üstek, featuring 22 leading international artists, including Leonora Carrington, Theaster Gates, Yoshitomo Nara and much more.
In the words of Üstek, “this year’s Frieze Sculpture features daring and experimental artistic approaches. It also carves a place for playful encounters, socially and environmentally conscious themes, as well as conceptual and spiritual practices that expand the notion of public sculpture”.
Among the selected works, the large-scale text sculpture I Don’t Have Another Land (2022) by Nathan Coley, for instance, uses phrases or words from conversations, books, news reports, or found text. The phrase used for this piece was discovered by the artist as a piece of graffiti on a wall in Jerusalem in the early 2000s.
Another highlight is Leonora Carrington’s The Dancer (2011). The pioneering surrealist frequently incorporated the figure of The Dancer in her paintings, and this late bronze sculpture reflects the artist’s interest in explorations of mythical creatures and symbolism. Carrington began working on sculptures in 1994, primarily creating bronze cast sculptures, as seen in The Dancer (2011), which seamlessly blends with the vibrant surroundings of Regent’s Park’s.
Ennui Head (2020) is a sculpture by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara and is part of a series of hand-carved works. Inspired by the French word “ennui”, which means boredom or dissatisfaction, the work reflects Nara’s broader practice, which includes a range of paintings, drawings, and sculptures depicting humorous figures and adolescent-like portraits, drawing on Japanese pop culture and influences.
Caroline Fucci for London Art Walk
September 2024