TALIA CHETRIT
Frieze has tapped Ruba Katrib, curator of SculptureCenter in New York, to be a curatorial advisor for the Focus section at its annual London fair, which runs October 5 through 8 this year. Katrib, who has organized superb shows in recent years with Cosima von Bonin, Aki Sasamoto, Anthea Hamilton, and Erika Verzutti, will work alongside the curator of another esteemed kunsthalle, Fabian Schöneich, who is at Portikus in Frankfurt.
The Focus section, which is reserved for galleries ages 12 and under (no teenagers, in other words), “showcases ambitious artist presentations by the world’s most relevant and exciting emerging galleries,” to use Frieze’s words. Previous advisors on the section include Cecilia Alemani (who is currently director of High Line Art in New York), Daniel Baumann (the director of the Kunsthalle Zurich), and Sarah McCrory (the Glasgow International head who was just hired to run a new contemporary art gallery at Goldsmiths in London).
Katrib, who is involved with the 2018 Carnegie International in Pittsburgh as one of five Companions, said in a statement, “I tend to begin my journey through Frieze London in the Focus section. I’m eager to see who’s there and what they’ve brought, knowing that the galleries in Focus can be counted on to bring lesser-known artists, new work, and exciting ideas—they consistently work hard to convey a fresh approach.”