HEADER IMAGE Joy Gregory, Stockwell Siren from the series ‘Celebrity Blonde’, 2001, performance © Joy Gregory
Frieze London has become a cornerstone of the UK’s contemporary art calendar: a packed schedule of exhibitions, openings, and high-profile events. But for many, the price of entry remains a barrier. Despite its prominence, Frieze doesn’t offer the same level of access to all art lovers, with costly tickets and exclusive spaces limiting who gets to take part. Fortunately, there’s a growing network of artist-led and grassroots exhibitions offering free or low-cost alternatives — spaces that prioritise accessibility and community over spectacle.
This week, discover a range of exhibitions that prove great art doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
Minor Attractions at The Mandrake
14th – 18th October | FREE RSVP
In step with London’s cultural undercurrents, Minor Attractions returns for its third edition The Mandrake. Blending contemporary art with performance and nightlife, the fair is becoming a catalyst in the city’s emerging scene while carving its place on the international stage.
This year, Minor Attractions expands to 65 galleries across 15 hotel rooms with a programme spanning film, sound, and performance. Alongside returning London galleries, they welcome newcomers from Europe, Mexico City, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and Los Angeles, making 2025 the most diverse edition yet. This exhibition space is open to all and free to RSVP on The Mandrake website.
The Photographers Gallery
10th October – 22nd February | Ticket prices less than £8.50
Tucked away in the heart of Soho, The Photographers’ Gallery provides a serene escape from the city’s constant rush, where these thoughtful exhibitions invite quiet reflection. The landmark exhibitions are Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary and Zofia Rydet: Sociological Record which explore the intersections of the political and the personal – with deep and timely subject matters that resonate across both shows.
A landmark retrospective surveying more than 20 of Mikhailov’s most important series, spanning five decades. From conceptual experiments to raw documentation of post-Soviet life, Mikhailov’s work captures both the humour and the hardship of a society in transition.
Ryder’s Sociological Record is one of the great undertakings of twentieth-century photography, set out to document the interiors of every type of Polish household. Beginning in 1978, she produced nearly 20,000 negatives, creating an extraordinary portrait of everyday life in Communist-era Poland.
The gallery is also hosting a small archival display to celebrate 100 years of the photobooth as 2025 marks 100 years since the invention of the photobooth in New York. A game-changer for the world of photography, photobooths became an everyday sight in cities around the world. There will be an analogue booth at the Gallery for everyone to create their own selfie souvenir and a live feed to see the unique mechanics of the booth in action.
Frieze Sculpture 2025 in Regent’s Park
17th September – 2nd November| FREE ENTRY
Frieze sculpture is a much celebrated public art initiative that coincides with Frieze London and Frieze Masters, which take place concurrently in Regent’s Park, bringing together 14 captivating large-scale sculptures by acclaimed international artists like Reena Sani Kallet, Grace Schwindt, and Andy Holden.
Set against the stunning greenery of the outdoor space, this year’s theme, ‘In the Shadows’, invites you to explore thought-provoking ideas of absence, ancestry, and ecological change through art and culture. This immersive display offers a perfect blend of nature and creativity and is a great way to involve yourself in Frieze week for free!
Deb Covell – Quicksilver at MOCA London
28th September – 26th October | FREE ENTRY
Quicksilver displays Deb Covell’s works that blur painting and sculpture by layering acrylic paint on clear plastic sheets, then removing the backing so only the paint “skin” remains. Covell’s works aren’t so much painted as they are sculpted from pure paint, she peels dried layers of silver acrylic off plastic sheets and transforms them into draping, glistening, gravity-defying forms.
Imagine metallic skins suspended mid-air, rippling like fabric and catching the light like chrome. Some lean against walls with quiet elegance, while others hang like futuristic, alien-like remnants. They still retain their painterly properties but push the boundaries of painting by dematerialising support; the works are in a state of “becoming” — non‑fixed, suspended, caught between dimensions.
Covell’s practice is also a quiet rebellion: no canvas, no stretcher, just the raw stuff of painting doing its own thing. Both immersive and sensual, the work feels alive, and the space is a quiet place to reflect away from the otherwise chaotic crowds during this busy week.
Where the Wind Takes Us, Daniel Arteaga solo exhibition at Fitzrovia Gallery
15th – 18th October | FREE ENTRY
Marking Daniel’s debut solo exhibition, Where The Wind Takes Us celebrates Daniel’s practice, which sits at the intersection of painting and photography. Deeply rooted in cultural heritage, Daniel draws on his childhood memories of traditional Colombian Tajada Kites. This body of work translates the flight, rhythm and play of kites into layered, gestural paintings that evoke movement, light, and transformation.
While the works are mostly abstract, there’s a quiet desire for recognisable forms hidden within the layers of paint, sometimes they appear, only to fade away again. Daniel’s early art was based on panoramic photography, turning landscapes into painted scenes. Now, his new work is more instinctive and driven by process, focusing on touch, movement, and the present moment.
This exhibition is hosted by Hot Sheet, a London-based curatorial platform supporting emerging artists, specifically through the unique lens of the expanded field of photography – exploring how photographic processes can be dismantled, reconstructed, and situated across various media, from sculpture and installation to painting, digital, and text-based work.
Peter Doig: House of Music at Serpentine South Gallery
10 October 2025 – 8 February 2026 | FREE entry
House of Music is a unique, immersive exhibition where painting and sound come together in powerful ways. Celebrated artist Peter Doig transforms the gallery into a space for deep listening, featuring his evocative artworks alongside music played through a rare 1920s Western Electric sound system. Inspired by Caribbean culture, sound systems, and cinema, Doig’s paintings depict scenes of listening, dancing, and community. Many of the works shown were created during his years living in Trinidad, where music, cinema, and communal listening are part of everyday life.
His paintings are rich with atmosphere and layered meaning: figures caught mid-dance, people gathered around speakers, musicians deep in performance, or lone listeners absorbed in sound. These aren’t just depictions, they feel like memories unfolding in real time, often bathed in a dreamy, cinematic light. Doig’s work blurs the line between the real and the imagined, weaving together personal history, Caribbean folklore, and fragments of global pop culture. The colours are lush, the brushwork expressive, and the mood often sits somewhere between celebration and melancholy.
With weekly live listening sessions curated by artists like Brian Eno, Ed Ruscha, and Duval Timothy, no two visits are the same, making House of Music not just an exhibition, but an experience.
Dan Oracle at Brixton Village
13th October – 31st October, open Thursdays–Sundays from 6pm | FREE entry
This Black History Month, Brixton Village presents Dan Oracle – an immersive oracular installation by multidisciplinary artist and curator Ana Beatriz Almeida. Rooted in sacred ancestral knowledge, this exhibition unfolds through powerful performances, rituals, and sonic landscapes, transforming Market Row into a living ceremonial space for reflection, connection, and spiritual dialogue.
At the heart of the installation lies a rich tapestry of diasporic traditions, drawing from the cosmologies of the Fon people of Benin, Yoruba spiritual systems of Nigeria, and Afro-Brazilian Indigenous rituals such as Candomblé and Umbanda, Dan Oracle explores how oracular knowledge transcends borders – carried through bodies, stories, and sound across generations.
This installation is not just a visual experience but an educational journey into ancestral wisdom. Through rhythm, dance, divination, and invocation, Dan Oracle invites audiences to witness and engage with the sacred technologies of the African and Afro-Brazilian spiritual continuum. Almeida collaborates with a formidable collective of artists and spiritual practitioners, each bringing their own lineage, movement language, and interpretation of oracular tradition.
Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey at Whitechapel Gallery
8th October – 1st March 2026 | £15 standard entry
Catching Flies with Honey is the first major retrospective of Joy Gregory, a groundbreaking UK artist and winner of the Freelands Award. The show spans over 40 years and features more than 250 works, including photography, film, installations, and textiles, highlighting her innovative approach.
Since the 1980s, Gregory has been a key figure in contemporary photography, exploring themes like identity, race, gender, history, and beauty standards. Her work often challenges typical representations by highlighting underrepresented voices and perspectives, especially relating to Black British experience and cultural memory. She uses a variety of techniques—from old Victorian processes to modern digital media—to push the boundaries of photography. Her work is both visually captivating and thoughtful, encouraging reflection on power, representation, and cultural memory. The exhibition’s title comes from a saying her mother used, reflecting Gregory’s gentle but powerful way of addressing social issues through art.
Echo Soho at Artist’s House
16th – 19th October | Tickets start from £12.50
Echo Soho, a new art fair founded by and for female-led galleries, will debut in London’s Soho from 16–19 October 2025, showcasing twelve pioneering galleries and collectives with strong contemporary art programs rooted in resourcefulness, representation, and resonance. Highlights include site-specific installations, bold new works, and curated group presentations by House of Bandits, AWITA, Pipeline, and others, featuring artists exploring identity, memory, and materiality. The fair also includes awards from Soho House and Cass Art, a curated booth by AWITA supporting a research bursary, and public programming such as workshops, performances, and an exclusive preview at Soho House.
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