October is for the art world what September is for the fashion industry. Later in the month, Paris hosts its iconic Art Basel, following Zurich’s International Art Fair, and this week is London’s turn. Every year, the second week of the month is responsible for taking art enthusiasts to the city in full speed, as Frieze’s massive tent takes over Regent’s Park and the city’s cultural scene is bustling with the best in exhibitions, performances, art fairs, and cool-crowd-prone events. So if you’re around for the celebrations, here’s our list of must-sees from the 9th until the 13th of October.

Since 2003, Frieze has made London’s October the busiest season for art enthusiasts. With a massive tent taking over Regent’s Park in the West, it serves as both a meeting point and a catalyst for up-and-coming artists and well-established industry names — as well as a time for museums, galleries, and industry presentations to showcase what’s next to a host of A-listers landing in British soles for the event. While Frieze is known for its contemporary focus, Frieze Masters—its not-so-modern sister—takes the spotlight as the place where historical art meets contemporary practice, presenting pieces from before the 2000s.

Frieze may earn its reputation as one of the hottest events in the city during the busy weekend, but for collectors hunting the next big thing, the collateral fairs around town are where the true hidden gems lie. One of the biggest of its kind, FOCUS London, nestled in the iconic Saatchi Gallery, is a key destination. Founded in 2017, FOCUS is an international art fair offering diverse, rising artists a platform to bring their unique visions to life, bridging the gap between physical and digital art. A highlight of the 2024 edition is Markus Klinko’s partnership with Auroboros. Celebrating the renowned photographer’s 30th career anniversary and his continuous dedication to documenting the pop culture world through his distinct lens, this collaboration presents a selection of digitally dressed portraits of Kim Kardashian, Usher, and rising music star KO.

As the Los Angeles-based artist’s first solo exhibition in the UK, Halsey Emajendat’s emajendat is officially open at Serpentine South Gallery. Merging her signature colourful style, vignette pieces, and immersive sculptural work with inspirations from the exhibition’s Kensington Gardens surroundings, she presents a “funk garden,” inviting viewers to walk around a psychedelic world of her imagination. Between the collaged floors and bespoke wallpaper, you’ll find oversized manicured hands cupping water from a real fountain, sand dunes with faces peeking out, billboards and shop signs, and iconography connected to Black and queer icons and architecture. As is true with all her work, Halsey incorporates found objects, music sources, and layered graphics to present her lens of the changing environment around her. emajendat is open now through 2 March.

One of the largest collections of David Hockney graphics in the world is now open to the public here in London! Titled Living in Colour, the exhibit consists of over 150 works from the past six decades, showcasing the renowned British artist’s impressive career trajectory from the 1960s onwards — and, congruently, the changing world around him throughout the years. A master of colour and form, he has captured the environments around him through bold and playful pieces, from his iconic pool images to portraits of his friends, and landscapes. Between his pioneering work in photographic collage to his recent experimental iPad drawings, the collection highlights his consistent drive for experimentation and advancement, celebrating his profound influence from the 1960s to the present day. Speaking on this, Paul Green, President and founder of Halcyon shared: “It is a privilege to put on an exhibition dedicated to one of the most important British artists of the 20th Century – someone who made his mark in the 60s and is still just as relevant today. This is a unique opportunity to tell his story and make his work accessible to a wide audience.”

This weekend, head to the Women in Art Fair at London’s Mall Galleries to see the curated works of leading historic and contemporary female artists. A new initiative dedicated to shortening the gender gap within the industry, WIAF offers artists, curators, and galleries a global platform on which to show their work and share ideas surrounding gender, sexuality, and culture. During Frieze, they’re taking over all three gallery spaces at Mall Galleries to highlight 20th/21st Century female artists as well as their emerging counterparts. For the spotlight section of the fair, six international female artists present work on the theme of Women’s Cycles, exploring womanhood through their unique lens and artistic mediums.