EXHIBITIONS
Frieze London is one of the most important events in the art calendar. Under artistic director Eva Langret, it’s powered by women – meet the people who will set the agenda at this year’s 20th-anniversary exhibition
VANESSA RAW
After studying fine art at Loughborough University, Vanessa Raw, 39, trained as a triathlete, eventually becoming one of the country’s best competitors and representing Great Britain at the World Cup. Now, she’s gone back to her roots. Using vibrant expressionism to turn the male gaze on its head, her paintings of nude women in mythical landscapes present a new perspective on female sexuality – one that is, crucially, not controlled by men. The artist is clearly doing something right: this year, Raw was selected by Tracey Emin for Frieze’s new Artist-to-Artist initiative, which invites eight household names to nominate others for solo exhibitions at the fair. Not bad for a plan-B career.
DEBORAH ANZINGER
Plants, mirrors and braiding hair all feature regularly in Deborah Anzinger’s multimedia sculptures and paintings, which assess what it means to be othered by gender and race. Her work is all rooted in her experience of growing up in Jamaica, where both the land and the people have been exploited for centuries. After getting her PhD in Chicago, the 45-year-old artist moved back to her homeland. The Kingston studio she set up, New Local Space, supports creatives working in the area, and she has become internationally acclaimed. Next up: a show at Frieze in the Artist-to-Artist programme, chosen by Simone Leigh, the first Black woman to represent the US at the Venice Biennale.
JOSÈFA NTJAM
Not one to be bound by convention, this French multidisciplinary creative is guided by a range of interests that span science to African mythology. She merges sculpture, photomontage, film and performance for a fresh take on Afrofuturism – think otherworldly installations featuring neon ponds, psychedelic collages that layer biological imagery with photos of her ancestors and immersive exhibitions fusing every element of Ntjam’s practice, with spoken-word performances by the artist. The eclectic-but-considered mix has earned the 31-year-old a spot as LVMH Métiers d’Art’s 2023 artist in residence. See her work presented in Frieze’s Focus section.
VERA MOLNÁR
When it comes to digital artwork, Vera Mol
