Frieze Santa Monica

Santa Monica is honored to host this year’s Frieze Los Angeles at Santa Monica Airport. Join for this global arts fair — set to be the largest ever in Los Angeles — where more than 120 galleries from over 22 countries across the world will be on display. Spark creativity, mingle with world-class artists, and explore a little bit of Santa Monica’s greater arts & culture scene under the warm, SoCal sun.

Frieze is the world’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art, dedicated to artists, galleries, collectors and art lovers alike. Frieze comprises three publications, frieze magazine, Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week; four international art fairs, Frieze London, Frieze LA, Frieze New York, Frieze Seoul and Frieze Masters; No.9 Cork Street, a permanent gallery space in the heart of London; regular talks and summits, led by frieze editors; and frieze.com – the definitive resource for contemporary art and culture. Frieze is part of the IMG network.

Frieze produces art fairs and events all over the world with marque art fairs taking place in London, Los Angeles, New York, and Seoul. The art fairs provide access to artists and art work from around the globe inviting conversation and exploration of new and classic artistic themes and trends. In 2023, Frieze will take place at Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger by the Santa Monica Airport as well as at several other airport spaces and west side galleries. There will also be special Frieze Week programming across the city .

18th Street Arts Center

Explore Santa Monica artistry throughout Frieze Week, with performances by Ranu Mukherjee at 18th Street’s Propeller Gallery between February 16-19, an exterior Glider Wall vinyl mural featuring Kenneth Tam and curated by January Parkos Arnall at Airport Hangar, and impact videos and artwork on display at 18th Street’s Kitchen Lab. Frieze VIPs are also invited to a Studio Visit with Suzanne Lacy at 18th Street’s Olympic Campus and an Exhibition tour with artist Ranu Mukherjee at the Airport Gallery (spaces are limited).

Bergamot Station Arts Center

On February 18 from 5 – 8 p.m., over 20+ galleries and cultural venues at Bergamot Station Arts Center will open their doors for an evening of gallery receptions, curator-led walk throughs, live performances, and farm-to-table food and refreshments from Le Great Outdoor and cocktails at Early Birdie G’s Happy Hour. Immerse yourself in our culturally rich event and enjoy expertly curated exhibitions with opening receptions at Richard Heller Gallery, William Turner Gallery, Skidmore Contemporary Art Gallery, CoproGallery, BG Gallery, and Craig Krull Gallery, insightful artist talks at Galerie XII and a live performance by transgender artist Pilar at our non-profit arts center, Building Bridges Art Exchange. Additional programming includes artist and curator walkthroughs at Lois Lambert Gallery, Speedy Gallery and live comedy shows at LA Time’s recommended comedy club, The Crow.

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier Merry-Go-Round will be getting a temporary artistic makeover. In 1955, Los Angeles curator Walter Hopps presented “Action” on the carousel by wrapping it in fabric and covering it with paintings by Sonia Gechtoff, Craig Kauffman, Jay DeFeo and Richard Diebenkorn. His work also incorporated sounds of jazz and John Cage. In an homage to Hopps, Jonathan Hepfer, artistic director of Monday Evening Concerts, will devis a music program at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16. The program will bring together notable visual artists and musicians to perform Cage’s “Speech.”

Santa Monica Art Museum

The new Santa Monica Art Museum will host various programming for Frieze week, ranging from panel discussions on NFTs and immersive art to the opening of the museum’s first regional exhibition “Looking West” — which is followed by a reception and after-party.

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In 2022, Frieze Los Angeles featured a virtual artwork that could only be experienced by standing at the western end of the Santa Monica Pier. Originally commissioned by Aorist for Faena Art for Miami Art Week 2021, Mushroom Cloud by Nancy Baker Cahill was moved to the coastline of Los Angeles, coinciding with Frieze LA in mid-February 2022. Slightly altered, the artwork hopes viewers draw their attention to two climate issues affecting the West Coast: rising sea levels and frequent wildfires. The art piece also encourages direct action, by inviting the viewers to use augmented reality (AR) to draw different kinds of clouds in the sky. The project included video captures of the installation minted and offered for sale as an NFT, sculptures inspired by the clouds and Proximities, an NFT video addressing the same environmental issues of flooding and fires.