London Art Frieze Walk

On Sunday 15th October 2023, twelve of us met outside Great Portland Street station at 10.30am; one more joined us a little later.  Although it was a bit cold, it was a beautiful sunny morning and lovely to be outside.  

We crossed Marylebone Road, passed Park Square and entered the south-east corner of Regent's Park at Gandalf Corner. The Frieze Sculptures - an annual event that is London's largest free display of outdoor art - are dotted around The English Gardens, with 20 works of art on display.

We didn't try to follow them in number order but we did visit every piece that was there - the grin of the Cheshire Cat that was hanging from a tree near to the entrance into Frieze Art Fair's temporary building, a billowing, colourful fibreglass creation that was reminiscent of a sheet in the wind, a bird bath with an ear in the top, red resin 'letter' planters (spelling out My Body, My Choice) that were filled with succulents, green ceramic swans decorated with hard boiled eggs, a multi-coloured spaceship that represented African and Caribbean heritage, two painted cactus spikes that somehow referenced disorder in India, a sleepwalking man (very realistic!!), a chain of gold-coloured blocks, each embossed with different words, that were draped over three stone mushrooms, a red box for which you need to scan a QR code to see what is 'virtually' on top, a balloon man (actually made of metal) holding flowers, a Grim Reaper figure entitled 'Friend', an attractive sculpture of a person with a tree for a head, holding a cat whilst standing on a pile of books (that was described as being a self portrait of the artist) and more.

We spent almost two hours looking at all the sculptures - definitely an interesting mix, that provoked plenty of conversation and laughter - then crossed Chester Road and on to The Broad Walk. After a brief loo stop, we had a short walk around the central part of Regent's Park, visited Queen Mary's Rose Garden (a few still in bloom) and then headed towards Baker Street station via the Bandstand and the Boating Lake where we saw multiple Egyptian geese, a heron and a few swans with cygnets. No-one was boating though.

In the Wetherspoons by the station, we managed to get three tables next to each other that seated all 13 of us together. After a pleasant, leisurely lunch, we all headed off in our separate directions. 

  Jill S.   16th October 2023