Frieze London fringe: toilet cakes, penny combs and a £1 claw machine
The toilets at Frieze London have art you are told not to take. London-based artist Gray Wielebinski has created custom black and maroon deodorising cakes for the fair's loos, sweet-scented blocks that sit in the urinals. The fair, London's autumn contemporary art fair, runs from 14 to 18 October 2026 at The Regent's Park, according to Frieze.
The works are titled Production. Each cake carries a security tag, the small anti-theft device shops clip to clothing, a detail reported by The Art Newspaper.
Away from the fairground, two artists have slipped their own work into a shop. Richard Wentworth and Andy Holden have staged what was described as an infiltration of Fisher Antiques, the long-running antiques shop in Bloomsbury in central London.
Visitors will need small change. Wentworth has placed a bowl of plastic tail combs, the fine-toothed styling tools, on sale for a penny each. Shoppers must pay with actual 1p coins.
There is another low-cost thrill across town. Artist Savannah Harris has installed a fairground-style claw machine, the glass box where you steer a grabber to win a prize, at Minor Attractions, the alternative art fair held in the Newman hotel in Fitzrovia. A go costs £1.
Frieze week began with a pub quiz. The Mount Street Festival quiz took place at the Audley pub in Mayfair, which is owned by the gallery Hauser & Wirth, with performer David Hoyle as host.
Hoyle set a fashion round. Contestants had to identify his drawn likenesses of designers Vivienne Westwood, Rick Owens and Rei Kawakubo. Hoyle is due to exhibit in a major public London institution in 2027.
Central London is also getting a free seaside detour. Art of London, the group that promotes the West End's art and culture, and the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly have launched a free immersive Riviera experience across Piccadilly and Mayfair for Frieze week.
The larger-than-life installations feature coastal scenes linked to painters Raoul Dufy and Andre Derain. There is also a tableau inspired by International Klein Blue, the deep ultramarine pigment developed by French artist Yves Klein, alongside a curated Riviera-inspired playlist.
The week stretches beyond the tent. Frieze Sculpture, the free outdoor display in Regent's Park, runs from 16 September to 1 November 2026, while Frieze has also announced a Frieze x ICA Artists' Film Programme to screen during Frieze Week.
What makes this stand out is the price range. From a penny comb to a £1 grabber game to a free photo stop, the week's sidelines are built for anyone wandering by. No ticket, no paddle, no hushed salesroom needed.
