Frieze London has named Ruba Katrib curatorial advisor for Frieze Focus, the section of the London fair dedicated to young and emerging galleries that have been operating for 12 years or less.
“I tend to begin my journey through Frieze London in the Focus section. I’m eager to see who’s there and what they’ve brought, knowing that the galleries in Focus can be counted on to bring lesser-known artists, new work, and exciting ideas—they consistently work hard to convey a fresh approach,” she said in a statement.
“It is with great pleasure that I’ll be able to support these endeavors to showcase the growing programs and artistic communities developing around these galleries, continuing to expand the range of artists and perspectives introduced by the fair.”
Katrib, curator at New York’s SculptureCenter, will advise in tandem with Fabian Schöneich, a curator at Portikus in Frankfurt am Main. Last year, Focus was advised by Schöneich and Jacob Proctor, curator at the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society in Chicago.
Previous curatorial advisors include Cecelia Alemani of New York’s High Line Art; Daniel Baumann of the Kunsthalle Zürich; and Sarah McCrory, outgoing director of the Glasgow International art festival and incoming director of the new contemporary art gallery at Goldsmiths college in London.
In 2016, Frieze Focus included 37 galleries, with New York’s Clearing showing Marguerite Humeau, Berlin’s Société showing Timur Si-Qin and Sean Raspet, and London’s Seventeen showing Jon Rafman. Last year also brought galleries from Taiwan and Guatemala to the fair for the first time, namely Chi-Wen Gallery and Proyectos Ultravioleta from Guatemala City, which won the 2016 Focus Stand Prize.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Ruba Katrib as a curatorial advisor to Focus. I greatly admire her work at SculptureCenter, one of New York’s most respected and experimental institutions, and I know she has the respect of galleries all over the world,” Victoria Siddall, director of Frieze Fairs, said in a statement.
Applications for Frieze 2017, which will take place from October 5 – 8, are currently open.