The traveling circus of the art market has touched down in London for Frieze, and as fairs, gallery openings, and satellite fairs pop up all around the city, many local businesses are taking the opportunity to get in on the action.

In Covent Garden, near the National Gallery and the British Museum, the Middle Eight Hotel has erected a veritable art exhibition within its lobby, incorporating work by 11 different artists under the theme “Urban Oasis.” Its been organized by Kate Fensterstock, the founder of the Artscope International art consultancy.

Hotel art shows have a long history, of course. The modern-day Armory Show began as a hotel fair, and the tradition is upheld by the Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles, as well as Minor Attractions, just down the street from Middle Eight at the Mandrake Hotel, where Fensterstock helps produce an artist-in-residence program. “My business overall is to create cultural centers, and infuse hospitality centers with a very immersive way to bring art to life,” she said.

Guests entering Middle Eight are met with a lively installation by Frankie Boyle that is composed of several neon tubes wrapped in white fabric, which intermingle with a driftwood sculpture already owned by the hotel. The colors of the tubes change in accordance with the time of day, based on how human’s circadian rhythms respond to sunlight. “It creates a soothing effect for weary travelers,” Fensterstock said of the work, which is titled Biophilia. At about 10 a.m., the tubes oscillate between royal blue and a soothing deep purple.

In a study area upstairs, framed pieces by artists such as Ptolemy Mann, Arthur Cohen, Orlanda Broom, Francine Tint, and Cayetano Sanz de Santamaría are on view, each exploring the theme of “humanity and nature, and how the two coexist,” according to Fensterstock. 

Many of these artists are graduates of the Royal College of Art in London, and are either mid-career or just gaining some traction. That means that the works are for sale at accessible prices, ranging from £1,250 to £8,000 ($1,630–$10,500). “Urban Oasis” opened on October 4, and will be on view through mid-November, when a new selection of work will be installed under the same curatorial theme.

“We created an experience for people that can really feel immersed in the space, and for people without the access or knowledge to know how to buy from a gallery,” Fensterstock said.

“The curation is about feeling accessible,” she added, “but not dumbed down.”