7 off-piste shows to see during Frieze week
Ahead of Frieze London art fair, we select the best off-site shows with making at their heart
Frieze, one of the biggest events on the art calendar, returns for its London edition on 13 October. While the art fair's main hub is located at Regent's Park, elsewhere galleries take advantage of the art world descending on the capital by putting on a number of satellite shows across the city. Here are the must-see shows for craft lovers.
Making It
This exhibition at Waddington Custot on Cork Street pays homage to pioneer female sculptors who came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. Among the impressive line-up is Françoise Grossen, known for her braided and knotted rope textile works, and Mildred Thompson, whose impressive career spanned painting and sculpture, printmaking, and woodwork.
Delta, by Françoise Grossenby, using dyed and natural manila rope and wire. Photo courtesy of Genevieve Hanson
Desire Lines, by Liza Lou
Lehmann Maupin gallery has selected 10 works to illustrate the career of American artist Liza Lou at its show in Cromwell Place, South Kensington, including her seminal sculpture of a room, made entirely of glass beads, which took five years to complete.
Gestures from the Awakened Mind, by Kimathi Mafafo
Visitors to Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery's London Bridge space can escape to vibrant landscapes, via South African artist Kimathi Mafafo’s latest collection of textiles. Each scene is based on her own experiences but was created in collaboration with other artists as a way of fostering communication.
In Search of Self Love III, by Kimathi Mafafo, using embroidery on fabric
Craving Colour
Aiming to provide us with a much-needed injection of joy, Pangolin London brings together the works of artists prioritising bold hues in Craving Colour. Expect to see electric blue ceramics by Merete Rasmussen, and abstract metalwork by Jeff Lowe in the King's Cross gallery.
1 September to 16 October, Pangolin London
Today But Not Today, by Lindsey Mendick and Paloma Proudfoot
Under their collective label, ‘Proudick’, Paloma Proudfoot and Lindsey Mendick return to Peckham’s Hannah Barry gallery to showcase a room full of ceramic work, sculpture, painting and stained glass in what they describe as being an 'immersive display of teenage nostalgia and self-discovery'. Expect cosmic forms, mannequins dressed as 00’s celebrities, and a fortune teller’s hand that looms over the entire gallery space.
May Your Life Have Passion, by Lindsey Mendick, made from stained glass
Survey II
Woven works by Angharad Williams feature in the London stop-off of Survey II – Jerwood Arts’ touring exhibition that presents new commissions by ten up-and-coming artists, each selected by a group of 30 leading practitioners. It takes over Jerwood Arts' space in Southwark.
1 October to 11 December, Jerwood Arts
Landscapes, by Susan Hefuna
Susan Hefuna is known for her drawings of buildings and cityscapes, but for her latest work – on show at Pi Artworks in Fitzrovia, she turned her attention to the Swiss Alps, using a combination of paper, ink and thread to create her interpretation of an experience in the region.







