Frieze Projects

Frieze Projects
Name	Frieze Projects
Established	2003
Location	London, New York, Los Angeles
Type	Curated exhibition platform
Organizer	Frieze (magazine) / Frieze (company)

Frieze Projects Frieze Projects is a curated commissioning platform associated with the Frieze art fairs and Frieze magazine that presents site-specific, experimental, and performance-based works alongside the commercial fair context. It functions at intersections of contemporary art biennials, museums, galleries, and public sites and has engaged a wide range of practitioners, curators, and institutions across London, New York, and Los Angeles. The platform is known for commissioning emerging and established artists and for fostering dialogues between the fair environment and institutional exhibition-making.

Overview

Frieze Projects operates within the ecology of international art events such as Frieze London, Frieze New York, and Frieze Los Angeles, collaborating with curatorial figures linked to Serpentine Galleries, Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Whitney Museum of American Art. Its commissions often occupy the same temporal frame as major exhibitions like the Venice Biennale, the Documenta cycle, and the Skulptur Projekte Münster, enabling cross-references to artists represented by galleries such as Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and White Cube. The platform connects practitioners with collectors associated with institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, corporate patrons like Tate Enterprises, and philanthropic entities including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

History and Development

Frieze Projects was initiated as an editorial and commissioning endeavor tied to the founding of Frieze magazine by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, aligning with the growth of the contemporary art fair circuit in the early 2000s alongside events like Art Basel and TEFAF. Early iterations engaged curators and critics connected to Hans Ulrich Obrist, Okwui Enwezor, and Nicholas Serota, and intersected with cultural programming at venues including Southbank Centre, Barbican Centre, and Royal Academy of Arts. Over time the platform adapted to new geographies and market pressures, mirroring shifts signaled by the expansion of Zwirner Gallery spaces, the establishment of Lehmann Maupin branches, and the rise of mega-galleries such as Blue-chip galleries. Institutional partnerships evolved to include collaborations with municipal collections like The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and university-affiliated venues like Yale University Art Gallery.

Commissioning and Curation

Curators associated with the platform have included figures active in networks around MoMA PS1, Kunsthalle Basel, Centre Pompidou, Fondation Cartier, and MACBA, who commission works that engage spatial and temporal constraints of fair booths and ancillary public sites. The commissioning process often negotiates with galleries representing artists such as Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramović, Kara Walker, and Theaster Gates, while also prioritizing emerging voices linked to residency programs at institutions like Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, The Whitney Independent Study Program, and The Royal College of Art. Collaborations have intersected with curatorial practices informed by scholarship associated with Claire Bishop, Hal Foster, Jerry Saltz, Laura Hoptman, and Adam Szymczyk.

Notable Projects and Artists

Projects have featured commissions and presentations by artists with careers connected to major collections and exhibitions like Yayoi Kusama at the Tate Modern, Cindy Sherman at the Museum of Modern Art, Olafur Eliasson at the Guggenheim, and Rirkrit Tiravanija at Documenta. Other significant participants include Rachel Whiteread, Anselm Kiefer, Jenny Holzer, Tacita Dean, Kendell Geers, Pipilotti Rist, William Kentridge, Monica Bonvicini, Tino Sehgal, Dana Schutz, Zanele Muholi, Marlene Dumas, Kehinde Wiley, Wolfgang Tillmans, Ed Atkins, Hito Steyerl, Doris Salcedo, Isa Genzken, Santiago Sierra, Cornelia Parker, and Mona Hatoum. Site-specific, performance, and durational works have drawn curatorial attention similar to projects at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Fondazione Prada, Hamburger Bahnhof, K21 Ständehaus, and Hayward Gallery.

Reception and Criticism

Critical responses link commentary from reviewers and critics writing for outlets like Artforum, The Guardian, The New York Times, Artnet News, Frieze (magazine), and ArtReview. Debates often reference market dynamics associated with Christie’s and Sotheby’s sales, the ethics of fair-based programming debated alongside occupy Museums-style protests and activist interventions reminiscent of critiques leveled at institutions such as The Getty, Louvre, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Critics tied to academic and curatorial discourse, including alumni of Columbia University and University of the Arts London, have interrogated tensions between experimental commission-making and commercial imperatives articulated in forums at ICA London and Walker Art Center.

Impact on Contemporary Art Market and Institutions

Frieze Projects participates in the reconfiguration of institutional relationships through collaborations with museums like The British Museum, V&A, National Gallery of Art, and regional art centers such as Tate St Ives and Baltimore Museum of Art. Its commissions affect secondary-market valuations tracked by auction houses such as Phillips and influence gallery programming at spaces like Sadie Coles HQ and Gavin Brown's Enterprise, while feeding curatorial projects at contemporary hubs including Hammer Museum and Brooklyn Museum. The platform’s model has informed parallel initiatives at international fairs including Zona Maco, Frieze Masters, Artissima, FIAC, and Singapore Art Week, shaping collector behavior linked to foundations such as The Ford Foundation and corporate collections including HVN.

Category:Contemporary art exhibitions