In the Regent’s Park, it’s a year of anniversaries. It’s ten years since Frieze Masters first opened up new vistas on global art history in its jewel-like Annabelle Selldorf-designed environs; ten years since the free, public display of Frieze Sculpture began transforming the English Gardens by way of striking outdoor sculptures; and, on a personal note, ten years since I took my first, temporary job at Frieze as a project assistant. To reflect this, this issue of the magazine tries to look back, to look forward. So, Jonathan Nunn asks what we can learn from restaurants that seem to be caught in time warps (p. 12); James Cahill reflects on some modern resonances of Roman bronzes (p. 18); Dal Chodha meets Walid al Damirji, whose clothes give new life to historic cloths (p. 46); and Sandhini Poddar explains how the ancient notion of ‘Indra’s Net’ has shaped her curated section at Frieze London (p. 24). On the cover: Marton Perlaki’s exquisite blue bubbles. Symbols of transience and fleeting joys for painters from Chardin to Thomas Couture to Millais, Perlaki’s bubbles seem just about ready to pop. Life is long, but it comes at you fast.
—Matthew McLean, Editor and Creative Lead, Frieze Studios
