Divya Mehra Image courtesy of the artist and Night Gallery. Photo: Nik Massey and Marten Elder
Frieze have unveiled the line-up for the 2021 edition of Frieze Sculpture, one of London’s largest exhibitions of outdoor sculpture, which is free to the public. Taking place from 14 September through to 31 October 2021, the acclaimed public art initiative places significant works by leading international artists throughout The Regent’s Park’s English Gardens. The exhibition coincides with the return of Frieze London and Frieze Masters, 13 – 17 October 2021, marking an important moment for the city’s creative community as it emerges from the global pandemic. Frieze is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank for the 18th consecutive year, continuing a shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Tatiana Wolska, “Untitled – Module 1”, 2019, Cut and thermo-welded plastic bottles, 400 x 175 x 105 cm (Courtesy the artist, Irène Laub Gallery and L’Etrangère
Curated for the ninth year by Clare Lilley (Director of Programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park), the 2021 edition features Rasheed Araeen, Daniel Arsham, Anthony Caro, Gisela Colón, José Pedro Croft, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Stoyan Dechev, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Divya Mehra, Annie Morris, Isamu Noguchi, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Solange Pessoa, Vanessa da Silva, Tatiana Wolska, Rose Wylie and Yunizar.
© Counterspace
In addition, Serpentine will present Counterspace Fragment of Serpentine Pavilion 2021, marking the first-time a public institution has participated in Frieze Sculpture.
This year’s selection of works addresses themes including architecture, geopolitical power structures and environmental concerns. Jorge Otero-Pailos’ Biosignature Preservation and Isamu Noguchi’s Play Sculpture pertain to civic navigation, while sculptures by Ibrahim El-Salahi, Vanessa da Silva, Divya Mehra and Counterspace centre on issues related to displacement. Daniel Arsham’s Bronze Eroded Melpomene presents remnants of a post-apocalyptic fictional archaeology and Stoyan Dechev’s Event Horizon calls on a mythical past to speak of an endangered future, while a sense of the personal-primordial is evident in Yunizar’s Induk Monster (Mother Monster) and the soapstone sculptures from Solange Pessoa’s Skull series. Finally, Tatiana Wolska and Ibrahim El-Salahi touch on concerns relating to nature and the environment. The exhibition will also foreground colour, with a high chromatic register seen in sculptures by Rose Wylie, José Pedro Croft and Carlos Cruz-Diez, alongside works by Rasheed Araeen, Gisela Colón and Annie Morris that extend minimal and abstract sculptural vocabularies.
‘Each Frieze Sculpture installation brings such a different picture of sculptural practice and it’s heartening that this year is especially global, including artists who herald from South America, South and North Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan, the USA and Canada, and from across Europe. Although the artists span three generations, I see exciting sculptural conversations across time and geography and while many sculptures here relate to social and environmental concerns, there is much-heightened colour and dextrous handling of material, resulting in an overall sense that is celebratory. As we learn to live with the pandemic and emerge into public spaces, Frieze Sculpture 2021 allows people to come together in safety and with pleasure and is a tonic for the mind, body and soul.’
Clare Lilley
Frieze Sculpture is accompanied by a free audio tour by Clare Lilley, available on Frieze.com. The exhibition will have a virtual presence on the Frieze London and Frieze Masters Online Viewing Room, 13 – 17 October 2021, enabling audiences from across the globe to engage with the works.
For the fourth consecutive year, Mtec continue their support of young galleries and emerging artists by offering a bursary to put towards their participation in Frieze Sculpture. The 2021 Mtec Bursary has been awarded to l’étrangère and Irène Laub, presenting Untitled (module 1 and 2), 2019 by Tatiana Wolska.
