Facing up to the competition from Paris, Frieze London is doing what it does best: championing the new in contemporary art by giving its layout a major shake-up. Where the Focus section for emerging talent was once a mere afterthought, it can now be found tucked just inside the main entrance. Meanwhile, the mega-galleries have been sequestered to a capacious section at the very back, where they are joined by some midsize international names.

The redesign has been the subject on everyone’s lips. As one museum professional put it, “You have to look at all the cheap paintings before you get to see the expensive ones.”

On the record, galleries echoed this sentiment with a little more delicacy. “As younger galleries, we are the ones that need more visibility,” said Oswaldo Nicoletti, founder of Nicoletti, showing in Focus. “We can really feel [the difference] already in terms of potential collectors.”

Frieze London 2024. Photo Photo: Linda Nylind, courtesy Frieze.

“It’s been interesting for us to have a different dynamic with the people that we see annually,” said Nigel Dunkley, a director at Union Pacific, which is in the front “A” section. “Being at the other side of the tent originally and having people come there as a final destination, we always wondered when they might come. Or if.”

When you are positioned near the entrance, curious collectors and curators pass you twice: on their way in and their way out. “It’s busier for us than it has been in previous years.”

So how do the top dogs feel about giving up their prime spot? “Not looking at the same view I have looked at for 21 years is a blessing,” said Neil Wenman from Hauser & Wirth. But could the switch up impact sales? “If you bring good things, people come.”

Next door, David Zwirner praised the spacious feel of his booth but said there are two camps of opinion on the layout, revealing only that “I know some of my colleagues have had some complaints.” He also noted that, after the fair opened to VIPs at 11:00 a.m., it took a short while for people to make it further into the tent, jokingly adding that his staff “didn’t have to worry about everyone coming at once.”

This year’s map may look a little different, but some things never change. A noticeable presence throughout the fair were artists who have recently enjoyed the global spotlight at the Venice Biennale.

Kim Yun Shin, Vibration Series 2018-50) (2018). Photo courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin.

Curator Adriano Pedrosa’s selection for “Foreigners Everywhere” certainly served as inspiration. Australian gallery Sullivan + Strumpf is presenting works on tree bark by Naminapu Maymuru-White, a senior Yolnu artist from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. It has made at least two sales so far, with prices ranging between £10,000-21,000 ($13,000–$27,500). 17 panels that make up Milnyawuy (2024) were bought by Tate as part of its Frieze Tate Fund 2024.

Union Pacific has also sold two textile pieces by Egyptian artist Nour Jaouda for £25,000 ($33,000) each to the Arts Council Collection and Contemporary Art Society, which donated its piece to the Hepworth Wakefield in northern England. These works are smaller versions of mammoth pieces included in “Foreigners Everywhere.”

Additionally, Almine Rech reported significant interest in a piece by South African artist Esther Mahlangu, another Pedrosa pick. She has also just produced a large-scale mural for the Serpentine in London’s Kensington Gardens, unveiled to the public today. The smaller work offered at Frieze has a price range of $15,000–$20,000.

Other artists from the Biennale’s main exhibition include Pacita Abad at Tina Kim Gallery, Dean Sameshima at Soft Opening, and Kim Yun Shin with works priced at around £100,000 ($130,000) at Lehmann Maupin at Frieze Masters.

Lap-See Lam, Jade (Map) (2017). Photo courtesy Galerie Nordenhake.

Several galleries noted that, despite Brexit blues, London’s world class institutions still make it the preferred location to present their artists. Mahlangu at the Serpentine is one example. Another is Sonia Boyce, who won the Golden Lion at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022 and is now featured in a new exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery. She is represented at Frieze with works courtesy of Apalazzo Gallery.

The same goes for Lap-See Lam, who has followed up her solo exhibition for the Nordic Pavilion with a show at London’s Studio Voltaire. One of her sculptures is also on Galerie Nordenhake’s booth. “London is important,” said the gallery’s director Ben Loveless. “Frieze has always been so good for us, and the institutional aspect of it is key.”

Another of the more memorable national pavilions in Venice was South Korea’s Odorama Cities by Koo Jeong A. For those who missed the Biennale, a mini version of her dancing alien sculpture can be found at PKM Gallery’s booth with a price tag of £140,000 ($183,000). Happy shopping!