London Frieze 2024: Our picks of what to see from London’s rising stars to inflatable penguins

London’s biggest art event is back: that’s right, it’s Frieze Week. And for its 21st year, the fair brings some of the biggest names to the capital for a week of exhibitions, talks and cutting-edge art.

This year, the show boasts new galleries from Senegal, Georgia, China and Korea, as well as plenty of must-see artists. From a celebration of 100 years of Surrealism to the Sculpture Trail, here’s our pick of which ones should make it onto your list.

Don’t miss fast-rising London artist Charlotte Edey’s new site-specific installation at the Ginny on Frederick booth. Featuring hanging tapestries, pastel drawings and stained glass windows, Thin Places draws us into spaces where the bodily, psychological and architectural intersect, examining memory, time and identity.

Head to Lehmann Maupin for some fascinating new art by British artist (and self described ‘radical traditionalist’) Childish. He’ll be at the booth during the fair, painting on-site and discussing his work: while he usually addresses themes of protest, addiction and his turbulent childhood in his work, this collection takes in the landscapes of South East England, portraits of his family, film scenes and dreams.

This new themed section at Frieze features ceramic works by international artists – including London based artist Lucía Pizzani – that explore diasporic and indigenous histories in the medium of clay. Highlights include Adán Vallecillo’s ongoing project about mining extractivism in Honduras at Galería Extra, and Yeni Mao and Yuri Yuan’s dual exhibition on loss and loneliness.

Inspired by her hometown of Hemel Hempstead, Dean will be showing some of her new watercolours at 47 Canal. The booth will be staged as a blend of an antiques store and a mid-century show home: a place where she reflects on her experience growing up as one of the few black children in her town, during the 1980s. The exhibition itself traces Hemel Hempstead’s past from medieval village to industrial hub and through to its post-Brexit present.

Roll up for what could easily be one of the most bizarre and entertaining exhibitions of the entire festival. Building on his previous 2017 installation, The Birds, Bjerre will be filling his space with identical, foil-coated, helium-puffed baby penguins that will bob and roll around. It’s not just a fun Insta opportunity, the work also looks at themes fo our addiction to mass consumerism as well as climate change.

Berlin-based artist Sameshima’s Numbers series goes back to the days of 1970s queer erotica, recreating some of Drummer Magazine’s rather infamous connect the dots puzzles. His take on these puzzles reframes them as a celebration of queer experiences, taking in friends, lover and memories, as well as addressing the lack of Asian representation in art and the media.

One of the nicest things to do at Frieze this year is also completely free: the Sculpture Trail. Back in Regent’s Park for its 12th year, the public art initiative will be available to visit until October 27. This year, it’s been curated by Fatoş Üstek, who has expanded it to include 22 leading international artists hailing from five continents. Their work will be placed throughout the park’s historic English Gardens. Ideal for a wander away from the hustle and bustle.

There’s plenty going on at the David Zwirner gallery this year. Steven Shearer will be debuting new paintings and works of paper in a booth designed by him – as well as work by Francis Alÿs, Katherine Bernhardt, Joe Bradley and Noah Davis. But arguably the most interesting display will be a series of paintings by Rose Wylie. Celebrating the artist’s 90th birthday, with large-scale works.

Want to know who your favourite artists’ favourite artists are? Then head along to this acclaimed section, which spotlights emerging artists and is back for another year. This year will feature works chosen by Hurvin Anderson, Lubaina Himid, Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Zineb Sedira and Yinka Shonibare, including Rob Davis (chosen by Johnson), Nengi Omuku (chosen by Shonibare) and Magda Stawarska (chosen by Himid).

A hundred years ago this October, the poet, writer and psychiatrist André Breton published the Manifeste du surréalisme, setting in motion a chain of events that led to a brand-new artistic movement. Appropriately, Frieze is marking this in a variety of ways: Frieze Masters will be focusing on previously marginalised artists like Dora Maar and Baya Mahieddine, and the Gallery Wendi Norris is putting on a group presentation of major landscape works. Including works by Leonora Carrington, Wolfgang Paalen, Marcel Jean and Bridget Tichenor; it promises to be fascinating.

This series of talks (under the theme ‘The Creative Mind’) is a chance to hear from some of the greatest artists working today, in their own words. This year’s speakers include arts minister Chris Bryant, Glenn Ligon and Barbara Walker, but our personal pick would be the artist Jeremy Deller, a Turner Prize winner and longtime supporter of Frieze. Born in 1966, his work frequently touches on mainstream British culture through the medium of paintings, posters, films and more (including a Stonehenge bouncy castle!): his decades of insight on the art world are well worth hearing.