The Modern Institute explores otherworldly narratives at Frieze London 2023
The Modern Institute is showcasing the work of artists Rachel Eulena Williams, Jim Lambie and Andrew Sim and more

Among the artists showing work at The Modern Institute’s Frieze London 2023 booth are Rachel Eulena Williams, who creates lyrical assemblages of material and colour using sculptural elements that she weaves, threads or glues together, and Alberta Whittle, who addresses the legacies of the slave trade, colonialism and institutional racism – two new paintings on show take inspiration from Caribbean Gothic narratives and have an otherworldly quality that whispers of ghosts, hauntings, madness and monsters.
The gallery is also showing pieces by Jim Lambie – who often uses ubiquitous objects that nod to nightlife, punk and subcultural music’s material history, from record covers and clothes to mirrors and safety pins – as well as works by Hayley Tompkins, who paints on ordinary things, from mallets and sunglasses to chairs, in a fluid, mosaic-like style, using vibrant colours to energise the mundane, asking us to look and look again at the objects we wear, grasp, sit on.
Jesse Wine, ERANU...UVAVU!!!, 2023
There are new pastel-on-canvases by Andrew Sim, who presents new variations on their signature motifs, such as werewolves and horses, mixing the archetypal with the autobiographical, the queer and folkloric. These motifs originate from Sim’s personal experience following a long period of gestation and thought, both making a lasting impact on the artist. As such, they are often repeated, twinned and reconfigured to create a series of connections and synchronicities either within or across works. Sim began painting horses in 2020 while on residency at the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy. This was a liberating time for Sim, giving them space to reflect on their gender presentation. A calmness is echoed in the imagery of the horses. They are serene, poised and elegant; they appear peaceful and unaware of any audience. For Sim, they have become symbolic of a meditative and metamorphic period.
Anne Collier, Woman Crying #19, 2021
Sim’s work will also be presented by The Modern Institute in a solo exhibition during Frieze as part of the gallery’s ‘Beyond the Modern Institute’ series, at 1-4 Walker’s Court, Soho. Founded by Toby Webster in Glasgow in 1997, the gallery works with 45 internationally established and emerging artists, including Martin Boyce, Cathy Wilkes, Anne Collier and Jeremy Deller, and currently represents four Turner Prize winners, as well as three nominees.
The Modern Institute will be at Booth D3 at Frieze London from 11-15 October, frieze.com, themoderninstitute.com
Gregor Wright, Sunglasses After Dark, 2023
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Anne Soward joined the Wallpaper* team as Production Editor back in 2005, fresh from a three-year stint working in Sydney at Vogue Entertaining & Travel. She prepares all content for print to ensure every story adheres to Wallpaper’s superlative editorial standards. When not dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, she dreams about real estate.
-
Michael Rider’s joyful Celine debut: ‘I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on’
Presented today in Celine’s Paris HQ, the designer’s astute debut balanced the house’s recent legacy with a fresh, contemporary vision which nodded to his American roots
-
The Richard Mille x Brough Superior RMB01 is a motorcycle with an exceptional aesthetic pedigree
The RMB01 is what happens when horological obsession meets two-wheeled excellence: a Franco-Swiss racing motorcycle that brings out the best in both brands
-
Six modern bathroom ideas for spaces big and small
Here are our best bathroom designs for 2026: colours, curves and a calming ambience are making a splash this season, with tactile and textured surfaces to elevate your shower room
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world
‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal images
Wozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
-
Vincent Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer are in rich and intimate dialogue at the Royal Academy of Arts
German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. When their work is viewed together, a rich relationship is revealed
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The Courtauld
New exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
Get lost in Megan Rooney’s abstract, emotional paintings
The artist finds worlds in yellow and blue at Thaddaeus Ropac London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
It was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi Yates
London has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best
-
Alexandra Metcalf creates an unsettling Victorian world in London
Alexandra Metcalf turns The Perimeter into a alternate world in exhibition, 'Gaaaaaaasp'