Ok, strap in lads, it’s that time of the year again. Diaries on the brink of implosion? Events clashing like symbols? Or maybe you have no plans yet… In any case, calm down, Plaster has you sorted for what to see, where to eat, drink, shop, and listen to this week… and where to hide when it all gets too much. 

We know you didn’t ask, but you’re getting it anyway. 

See (in town)

The best of the best art happening in London during Frieze Week

Leo Costelloe, ‘Kitchen’, Neven Gallery at The Shop at Sadie Coles HQ

Until 1st November 2025 at 62 Kingly St, London W1B 5QN

Leo Costelloe’s exhibition ‘Kitchen’ draws on notions of domesticity, gender and queer identity. It’s a must see this week. If you like Meret Oppenheim and Chantal Ackerman, then you’ll want to perform a heist at this show.

Joshua Leon, ‘Grapewatching’, South Parade

Until 15th November 2025 at Griffin House, 79 Saffron Hill, London EC1R 5BU

Sensitive, caring, human work. That makes the show sound soppy, but it isn’t! Our favourite is the purple photograph of Leon’s mother’s kitchen. The gallery space is amazing and it’s near Leather Lane, where there’s a great poster shop called Bamalama. Go on a Wednesday and speak to Leigh.

Victor Man, ‘The Absence That We Are’, David Zwirner

Until 31st October 2025 at 24 Grafton St, London W1S 4EZ

This is Man’s first show with David Zwirner since the announcement of his representation with the gallery last year.

Bob Thompson, ‘Measure of My Song’, Maximillian William

Until 13th December 2025 at 47 Mortimer St, London W1W 8HJ

Maximillian William is presenting a selection of Thompson’s paintings, many of which haven’t been displayed publicly in at least two decades.

Rebecca Ackroyd, ‘The Privy Window’, Ginny on Frederick

Until 25th October 2025 99 Charterhouse St, Barbican, London EC1M 6HR

We’re all pretty excited about Ackroyd’s first London show in 10 years, particularly after her standout exhibition in Venice 2024. Expect deeply personal slide projections and curious wax figurines.

Karimah Ashadu, ‘Tendered’, Camden Art Centre

Until 22nd March 2026 at Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Rd, London NW3 6DG

Body builders, modern masculinity and patriarchy in West Africa.

Hollywood Superstar Review, ‘Salon’

15th October – 19th October at 61 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PJ

We love an anonymous art critic Insta, which is why we’re particularly excited to go to the opening of Hollywood Superstar Review’s exhibition ‘Salon’ in collaboration with Chess Club and Gnossienne Gallery.

Arthur Jafa, ‘GLAS NEGUS SUPREME’, Sadie Coles HQ

Until 20th December 2025 at 62 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QN

After his show at Conditions in Croydon with Mark Leckey, Arthur Jafa‘s show at Sadie Coles is the top of our list.

Wolfgang Tillmans, ‘Build From Here’, Maureen Paley, Herald Street

Until 20th October 2025 at 4 Herald St, London E2 6JT

Tillmans’ ‘Build From Here’ opens at Maureen Paley’s new Herald St gallery – once the artist’s London studio – and spans all three of the gallery’s East London spaces. Featuring new media first shown at the Centre Pompidou earlier this year, the show turns everyday scenarios into striking explorations of making and looking.

Kuzanai-Violet Hwami, ‘Incantations’, Victoria Miro

Until 1st November 2025 at 16 Wharf Rd, London N1 7RW

Kudzanai-Violet Hwami’s new show features bold new paintings, large photographic wall vinyls, and her first-ever bronze sculptures. Mixing personal photographs with found images, Hwami explores how we shape identity in our image-saturated world.

Stan Douglas, ‘Birth of a Nation’ and ‘The Enemy of All Mankind’, Victoria Miro

Until 1st November 2025 at 16 Wharf Rd, London N1 7RW

The European debut of Douglas’ multi-channel video installation is presented alongside a new photo series, The Enemy of All Mankind: Nine Scenes from John Gay’s Polly. Douglas reimagines history, taking on themes of race, class and identity.

Kristy Chan, ‘To Autumn’, Plaster HQ

14th October – 7th November 2025 at 20 Great Chapel St, London W1F 8FW

‘To Autumn’ is an exhibition of new paintings by abstract artist Kristy Chan in the upstairs gallery space of Plaster’s Soho HQ. The paintings are influenced by the artist’s contemplative walks around the UK.

Minor Attractions, The Mandrake

14th October – 18th October 2025 at 20-21 Newman St, London W1T 1PG

Minor Attractions is back from 14th-18th October, taking over The Mandrake for five days of art, film, sound, and performance.

Jasmine Gregory, ‘Audacity Unlimited’, Soft Opening

18th October – 15th November 2025 at 6 Minerva St, London E2 9EH

Jasmine Gregory slices through the glossy façade of luxury culture, repurposing its aesthetics to expose the emotional and structural cracks lurking below. 

Wayne Thiebaud, ‘American Still Life’, The Courtauld Gallery

Until 18th January 2026 at Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN

At The Courtauld, ‘American Still Life’ offers a luminous antidote to Frieze’s chaos. While the fair pumps out Instagram bait, Thiebaud’s cakes, lipsticks and gumball machines offer something slower: precise but playful, nostalgic yet deeply formal. A masterclass in colour, light and restraint.

Joyce Joumaa, ‘Prologue’, Brunette Coleman

Until 1st November 2025 at 42 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8NW

Joyce Joumaa’s video installation revisits the landing of U.S. Marines on Lebanon’s shores in July 1958 and what later became known as the “Lebanon Crisis.” Joumaa’s use of irony exposes western media’s glorification of Lebanese-American history as she revisits the images circulated by Life Magazine and other publications throughout the Cold War.

Eva Helene Pade, ‘Søgelys’, Thaddaeus Ropac

14th October – 22nd November 2025 at Ely House, 37 Dover Street, London W1S 4NJ

When the art jargon at the fair gets too much, run, don’t walk, to Thaddaeus Ropac and seek comfort in Eva Helene Pade’s abstraction. Her paintings “work in a realm for which language doesn’t exist” and cannot be “put into words”… Sweet relief.

Ed Ruscha, Gagosian

14th October – 19th December 2025 at 17–19 Davies Street, London W1K 3DE

Ten new textural works on raw linen from the iconic Ed Ruscha.

‘Freeze’, Incubator + RP

16th October 2025 at 2 Arundel St, Temple, London WC2R 3DA

Reference Point is hosting ‘Freeze’, a mini tent with some stellar art curated by Angelica Jopling.

See (Frieze Fair)

The best booths and happenings inside the Big White Tent in Regent’s Park

Diez Gallery showing Rasoul Ashtary

One of Amsterdam’s leading galleries, we can’t wait to see Rasoul Ashtary’s new presentation.

Alex Margo Arden at Ginny on Frederick

Having recently been nominated for the Sky Arts Award, Alex is on an upward spiral and we can’t wait to see her Frieze presentation. One to watch!

Toby Cato at Harlesden High Street

Toby Cato is the next on Harlesden High Street’s impressive list of programming. We can’t wait to see!

Jan Gatewood at Rose Easton

Jan Gatewood’s solo booth features mixed media drawings made with local children from his LA neighborhood and reworked images from other artworks. At the centre sits Smoke Signals – a giant teddy bear inspired by a screenshot of rapper Offset posing by a Jordan Wolfson sculpture at a previous Frieze. Set on a green carpet matching Offset’s sneakers, the piece plays with ideas of fame, beauty and the art fair as both spectacle and creative playground.

Christelle Oyiri at Gathering

Paris-based artist and DJ (who spins decks under the pseudonym CRYSTALLMESS) Christelle Oyiri has it all: she radically melds film, performance, and sculpture, taking you to places of alternate temporalities and alienation. Loyal to pop and youth culture, within and outside the African diaspora, we can’t wait to see what she brings to Gathering’s Frieze booth.

Gray Wielebinski at Nicoletti

In Frieze London’s Focus section, the London-based American artist is presenting a new series of works inspired by fairground shooting booths, where glossy resin gun-grip sculptures sit on an infinity-shaped table, a nod to America’s endless loop of gun culture and school shootings. Nearby, panels made from body armour tiles blur the line between target, shield, and portal. Mixing play with menace, Wielebinski exposes how violence is glamorised and built into the myths of power.

Marianne Fahmy and Yasmine El Meleegy Gypsum Gallery

Interdisciplinary goodies are in store for us at the Gypsum booth. Amongst the stack of talented artists can be found Marianne Fahmy who combines fabulized cartographical works and archived objects to fabricate new social political landscapes.

Group presentation at Edel Assanti

Stellar lineup: Farley Aguilar, Agata Bogacka, Gordon Cheung, Thornton Dial, Marcin Dudek, Sorel Etrog, Lonnie Holley, Julianknxx, Simon Lehner, Si On, Vinca Petersen and Sheida Soleimani.

Glen Pudvine at Xxijra Hii

Caravaggio with a modern twist. Visit Glen Pudvine’s existential, mythological and not so serious nude universe at Xxijra Hii’s booth.

Ebun Sodipo at Soft Opening

​​Soft Opening presents new work from Edun Sodipo that doesn’t ask permission. Working across film, sculpture, and text, Sodipo unpacks trans identity, memory, and the messy politics of being seen. Blending archival imagery with speculative storytelling, it feels both intimate and political.

Lara Fluxà at Bombon Projects

Barcelona-based Bombon Projects brings Lara Fluxà’s alchemical installations to Frieze, using glass, liquid, and organic matter suspended in an uneasy balance.

Anastasia Pavlou at Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels brings Anastasia Pavlou to Frieze with work that treats texture like it has a pulse. Her layered painting and sculptural surfaces hover between abstraction and figuration, evoking memory, touch and the traces the bodies leave behind.

Eat

For impressing visiting art friends or squeezing in a lil Frieze Week date

Tollingtons Fish Bar, Finsbury Park

172 Tollington Park, London N4 3AJ

The eatery where the olive oil makes love to you and the fish reads you a bedtime story. Great for sharing plates with your Frieze companion after a day of non-stop art action. I would recommend the sardines and getting lots and lots of extra bread to mop up sauces and oils.

Michiko Sushino, Queen’s Park

74 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NU

As Remy from Ratatouille famously said, “If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff”. And boy, do they got the good stuff. Serious sushi scenes and lovely staff await you at this modern sushi parlour opened by legendary fashion designer Michiko Koshino.

Maison François, St James’s

34 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1Y 6DF

I thought this was just a wanky way of saying ‘French House’ until I spotted it leaving White Cube one day.

The Mayflower, Rotherhithe

117 Rotherhithe St, London SE16 4NF

One of the oldest pubs in London. It feels a little like visiting the Victorian section of Madame Tussauds but cheaper. Oh, and they do GREAT GRUB.

Junction Supermarket, Dalston Lane

25 Dalston Ln, London E8 3DF

This off-license has a literal DJ who plays there every Friday and livestreams on TikTok. We recommend the carbonara instant noodles.

Silo, Hackney Wick

The white building, Unit 7 1st Floor, c/o CRATE Bar, Unit 7 Queen’s Yard, London E9 5EN

It’s spenny, but it’s also the world’s first zero-waste restaurant where each course is a new Michelin-starred discovery.

Le Petit Citron, Brook Green

98-100 Shepherds Bush Rd, London W6 7PD

A cute, family-run French restaurant serving a blue cheeseburger that will cauterise your tastebuds, in a nice way.

Apollo Banana Leaf, Tooting

190 Tooting High St, London SW17 0SF

This BYOB Sri Lankan and South Indian curry house flies under the radar, especially if you don’t live in the best part of London, which is obviously South (note: contested by other Plaster members). Order the saag paneer and aubergine curry. It’s reasonably priced so expect to leave with your stomach bulging.

Il Sovrano, Tulse Hill

33 Tulse Hill, London SW2 2TJ

This is a great spot for an Italian sandwich and a sweet treat ahead of a weekend walk in Brockwell Park. Their avocado, olive and onion sarnie is a knockout, but will definitely leave your breath honking for the rest of the day.

Maries Thai Cafe, Lower Marsh

90 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7AB

Serving English breakfast by day and Thai food by night.

Sumi, Notting Hill

157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS

Japanese food done properly. Great sushi, minimalist space, no gimmicks. The kind of place you’ll come back to.

Cambio De Tercio, Earl’s Court

163 Old Brompton Rd, London SW5 0LJ

Cambio De Tercio is a long-standing favourite for authentic Spanish tapas and exceptional wine. If you’ve got time, the same crew runs two other spots on the same road. Worth the detour.

The Tiroler Hut, Queensway

27 Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UA

With waiters in lederhosen, oompah music and seriously good schnitzel, you can literally escape Frieze for a meal in Austria!

Honest Falafel Stand, Soho

Shaftesbury Court, 47 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1BL

5 stars on Google Maps. Quick, fresh falafel for a quick pick-me-up on your way to Plaster HQ.

Daquise, South Kensington

20 Thurloe St, South Kensington, London SW7 2LT

Fantastic old school polish in South Kensington. It’s been there since the 1940s and is still brilliant.

Speedboat Bar at The Electric, Portobello Road

191 Portobello Rd, London W11 2ED

Easier to get a seat and not as blow-your-head-off spicy as the Soho spot.

Drink

To thaw the brain-Frieze

Ellie’s Bar, Dalston

428 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA

Charlie XCX’s bar of choice for her wedding reception – ’nuff said.

Ancestrel Wines, Forest Hill

9 Stanstead Rd, London SE23 1HG

If you’re the kind of person who hates natural wine because you think it tastes like someone farted apple juice into your mouth, then you need to come here. They have a great selection of drinks that could convert any natty sceptic. Their toilet is also great for taking sultry selfies in.

The Lady Mildmay, Newington Green

92 Mildmay Park, London N1 4PR

Very wholesome and classy pub vibes. This is the kind of place you’d spot a Paul Mescal-type reading alone in the corner with a Negroni. You can decide whether or not that’s a good thing.

Latino Hits, Dalston

14 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XN

I don’t think anyone has ever had a bad night here. Insanely limey but delicious 2 for £9 cocktails, loud reggaeton and sticky floors. It’s kind of perfect.

Le Beaujolais, Litchfield St

25 Litchfield St, London WC2H 9NJ

Busy French wine bar that’s been around since 1972, go for the buzzy atmosphere and great wine choices.

The Ship, Wardour St

116 Wardour St, London W1F 0TT

Some heavy guitar music and a pint will drown out any Frieze worries.

Lower Wine Bar & Bottleshop, Lower Marsh

19 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RJ

This wine bar is such a treat and on such a great little street too.

The Magic Garden, Battersea

231 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 4LG

A pub with a touch of the surreal, The Magic Garden actually lives up to its name. Order a pint, settle in, and let the magic happen.

Angie’s Free House, Maida Hill

33-35 Woodfield Pl, Maida Hill, London W9 2BJ

Confirmed to be the best Guinness in London by a real Dubliner who claims this is the only pub in London like home, Angie’s is a great backstreet spot for some peace and pints.

The Ship, New Cavendish St

134 New Cavendish St, London W1W 6YB

A beautiful old pub, has everything and more for a lovely afternoon.

Goodbye Horses, De Beauvoir

21 Halliford St, London N1 3HB

Tired? Gasping for a sip of that sweet, sweet grape nectar? Possibly a small nibble of cheese too? Well, my mousey friend, come wet your whiskers at Islington’s finest Wine bar tucked on the corner of Halliford Street.

The Eagle, Farringdon

159 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3AL

One of the OG gastropubs. Serves a ruthless steak sandwich and an equally mean ginger beer. Round the corner from record store / radio den Kindred.

The Coopers Arms, Kilburn

164 Kilburn High Rd, London NW6 4JD

Great Guinness from a bartender who could not give less of a shit, perfect.

Shop

Because if there’s any week of the year that calls for retail therapy, it’s Frieze

The Old Cinema, Chiswick

160 Chiswick High Rd., Chiswick, London W4 1PR

An absolute rabbit warren of an antique shop specialising in art deco and midcentury delights. It’s somewhere to sit and rest your weary, Frieze-worn ankles with no questions asked.

Keith Coventry’s takeover at the Plaster Store

20 Great Chapel Street, London W1F 8FW

Obviously we’re biased, but c’mon, where else can you buy new, wearable artworks from one of the greatest British artists? Y-fronts, oversized T-shirts, alice bands – it’s all provocative and all up for grabs at the Plaster Store (20 Great Chapel Street) from 14th October

Serotonin Vintage, Brick Lane

194 Brick Ln, 194, London E1 6SA

Life’s a catwalk, baby. If there’s anywhere that’s worth blowing half of your month’s wages at instantly after payday, it’s Serotonin.

The Sylvanian Families pop-up in Selfridges

400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB

Yeah, yeah, we know, overconsumption, capitalism, blah blah blah. Sometimes you just need to buy a tiny rabbit in a dress to get through the week. The pop-up is open until mid-November.

Remass, Brick Lane

202 Brick Ln, London E1 6SA

It is another vintage clothing store in Brick Lane, but don’t roll your eyes just yet – this place has an enormous (and colour-coded) selection of second-hand clothing that won’t break the bank.

Kindred (everything), Farringdon

15 Mount Pleasant, London WC1X 0AR

A fantastic spot for picking up records and music merch and seeing DJs perform live radio sets.

Japan Centre, Leicester Square

35b Panton St, London SW1Y 4EA

Does what it says on tin.

Cenci Vintage, Norwood

4 Nettlefold Pl, Norwood, London SE27 0JW

If any clothes shop were to inhabit the spirit of Guillermo del Toro it would be Cenci Vintage. It’s easy to get lost in the maze of ephemera but luckily enough, the workers have an eye so sharp they can read your sizes just by looking at you (seriously).

Camden Passage Market, Islington

1 Camden Passage, London N1 8EA

You could spend a few hours rummaging through jewellery, cutlery, badges and other precious little bits and bobs.

Oxfam Bookshop, Bloomsbury Plaza

Bloomsbury Plaza, 12 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QA

Full of hidden gems.

Charlotte Street Magazines, Goodge Street

66 Charlotte St., London W1T 4QE

Glossy mags galore! We would like infinite time and resources to go through the thousands of titles packed into his tiny shop, but will settle for a quick stop by on our lunch break.

Retro Man & Woman, Notting Hill

Pembridge Rd, London W11 3HL

If you felt seen by Isla Fischer’s performance in Confessions of a Shopaholic, Retro Man & Woman are the places for you. Mixed prices and cavernous rooms filled with clothes and accessories. There is even a music exchange next door to both.

Claire de Rouen Books, Bethnal Green

260 Globe Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 0JD

When you’re not shopping for art merch at Plaster HQ, head east for one of the best art bookstores in London!

Lighthouse, Soho

48 Berwick Street, London W1F 8JD

A beautiful boutique opened by Joe Corré on Berwick Street. A 19th-century space restored to its former beauty. Not one to miss! Stocking all independent artists and makers.

Hide

Where to go when it all gets too much

Soho Square

Soho Square, London W1D 3QP

If in doubt, hide in plain sight among ‘content creators’, table tennis amateurs and pigeon shit.

IFS Cloud Cable Car, Royal Docks

27 Western Gateway, London E16 1FA

Sit back and enjoy 15 mins of respite with an aerial view of rippling brown water, industrial wastelands and aggressive gentrification. Plus, it’s not skiving because there are bang average Anish Kapoor and Damien Hirst sculptures to see en route.

Power nap at The Groucho Club

45 Dean St, London W1D 4QB

You’re running on literal vapes… luckily, The Groucho Club has teamed up with Bompas & Parr for The Nap Room: a bedroom transformed into a “dream laboratory”. From 16th -19th October, visitors can book an hour-long passage into the subconscious by selecting from a ‘menu’ of visions by artists Larry Achiampong, Jamiu Agboke, Danny Fox, Tai Shani, Gavin Turk and Michaela Yearwood-Dan.

IKEA, Oxford Street

214 Oxford St, London W1C 1DA

No one can find you here! You’ll be lucky not to lose yourself.

Wellcome Library, Euston Road

183 Euston Rd., London NW1 2BE

Lots of comfy seats and cushions to disappear into, the perfect place for full hermit-mode.

The Vault, Soho

3 Greek St, London W1D 4NX

Tucked behind a bookcase beneath Milroy’s of Soho whisky bar, The Vault is the kind of place you want to keep to yourself. Low lighting, serious cocktails, and live music every Monday.

ICA bookshop

ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH

Great for eavesdropping and hiding behind all manner of niche cultural lit. Great beer and coffee within reach.

Ikeda, Bond St

30 Brook St, London W1K 5DJ

Best Japanese in town. Relaxed and worlds away from the world outside.

Rovr, Soho

14 Richmond Buildings, London W1D 3HQ

Great coffee and great records below.

Passyunk Avenue, Fitzrovia

80 Cleveland St, London W1T 6NE

You could stay here forever. If any of us go missing, this is where we’ll be: an American dive bar that’s also very close to Frieze.

Prada Mode London

Town Hall, Bidborough Street, WC1H 9AU

Prada Mode returns with a major collaboration with artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset. The Audience, an immersive meditation on spectatorship in the age of image overload, hyperconnectivity, and attention deficit. Count us in!

Phoenix Gardens

21 Stacey St, London WC2H 8DG

The perfect spot in Soho for a brief moment of greenery and quiet.

Listen

We’ve curated a Frieze Week playlist to get your blood pumping