Best art exhibitions, London: Frieze Week Edition 2018

Frieze, Frieze Masters & Frieze Sculpture 2018, Regent's Park

The biggest contemporary art fair in the world returns to London's Regent's Park this October. Frieze London is the main event of Frieze Week, so don the heels, splash the cash (on a glass of champagne) and waltz around like an art connoisseur for a day or two.

Yayoi Kusama, Victoria Miro London

Dots, infinity nets, pumpkins and more: Yayoi Kusama returns to Victoria Miro London this October for a major new retrospective. Demand is expected to be high, so you need to reserve free tickets in advance. Pre-book Yayoi Kusama exhibition tickets here.

In The Company Of, TJ Boulting Gallery

Curated by Katy Hessel of celebrated Instagram account @thegreatwomenartists and TJ Boulting gallery, In the Company Of showcases three historic female artists: Barbara Hepworth, Lee Miller and Alice Neel alongside twelve groundbreaking contemporary female artists including Juno Calypso and Masie Cousins.

This much-anticipated exhibition underlines the ongoing relationship between historic and contemporary artists today. Following the huge success of Hessel's Great Women Artists exhibition last year, we are extremely excited about this Frieze Week opening.

Hannah Wilke, Alison Jacques Gallery

Galleries make a point of showcasing their best work during Frieze Week. But the choice can be overwhelming. If you have time to visit just one gallery exhibition, make it this solo exhibition of work by multi-disciplinary American artist Hannah Wilke.

Spanning three decades of the artist's career, this exhibition presents a cross-collection of her most famous work, including a series of paintings from the 60s that have never been exhibited before. Wilke's multidisciplinary oeuvre was intimately bound to her body, and 'her practice exemplified a powerfully gendered critique not only of society but also of art'.

Strange Days: Memories of the Future, 180 The Strand

Explore the work of radical contemporary videographers and filmmakers in an exciting new immersive exhibition curated by creative powerhouse The Store X Vinyl Factory in collaboration with Italian curator Massimiliano Gioni and Edlis Neeson, Artistic Director at NYC's New Museum. Highlights include John Akomfrah's epic three-screen Vertigo Sea, and Pipilotti Rist's 4th Floor to Mildness, where visitors lie on beds gazing up at underwater imagery projected onto amorphous screens. The cavernous subterranean spaces at 180 The Strand provide a fitting backdrop for the haunting installations and with a total of eleven hours of film between twenty-one artists, there is something here for all video lovers.

Art Fair London: PAD, London, 2018

The first week of October sees galleries, museums and art fairs fling open their doors and welcome the flocks of collectors, curators and art enthusiasts who descend on the capital for Frieze London. The renowned art and design fair PAD London will once again be pitching its famous black tent in chic Berkeley Square, Mayfair, for the occasion.

Firmdale Art Walks, Ham Yard Hotel

During the busiest week in the art world calendar, find out how to start an art collection, hang new purchases and liven up your living space with Firmdale Hotel's 'Art Walk Series'. Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to hear more about the Firmdale Group Owner and Design Director, Kit Kemp’s beautifully curated art collection, before visiting a curated edit of Soho and Mayfair’s most prestigious galleries, all led by Curator, Olivia Paterson.

Firmdale Art Walks start at 10.30am and will last approximately 2.5 hours. The Art Walk is £99 per person, which includes the walking tour and a three-course lunch or afternoon tea.

21st Century Women, Unit London, Mayfair

In celebration of the Suffragette centenary and Frieze Week, Unit London Mayfair presents a group exhibition of emerging and contemporary female artists, including Jenny Saville and Charlotte Colbert. Curated by guest curators Fru Tholstrup and Jane Neal, 21st Century Women presents a diverse body of work that explores the role of women in both art and society over the last 100 years.

Life Drawing with Venetia Berry, Mortimer House

London-based artist Venetia Berry paints the nude female figure through an abstracted lens, simplifying the form using delicate indefinite lines. With her colourful dreamlike figures, she aims to reverse the male gaze, challenging the typical creation of the archetypal sexualised nude.

Now you can learn from Berry herself during a special artist-led Frieze Week Life Drawing class, co-hosted by Partnership Editions and Mortimer House. At the end of each session Venetia will select her favourite sketch to take permanent residence within Mortimer House. All levels welcome and all materials will be provided.

£35 per person (Spaces limited to 15 per session)* Materials and welcome drink included in the cost of the ticket price. Tickets via http://www.partnershipeditions.com/events/

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House

Tear yourself away from the Frieze Week frenzy and head down to Somerset House this October, as 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair – Europe’s largest and most prestigious African arts festival – returns for its sixth year.