frieze #262

Over 34 years, Frieze has developed from outsider indie to the leading magazine for contemporary art and culture, and during that time has spawned art fairs in London, New York and Los Angeles. It provides international art coverage, criticism and analysis, and promises (if not always delivers) jargon-free language.

This October 2026 issue is loosely themed around ‘play’, devoted to imperfection and taking time to experiment in the creative process. ‘We chose this theme after noticing how many artists today seem to be seeking an escape from institutions and conventions’, Andrew Durbin reflects in his editorial. Leading with a profile on American artist Lorna Simpson to mark the opening of her exhibition with Hauser & Wirth London, elsewhere Sean Burns explores the evocative paintings of Salman Toor; American novelist Lynne Tillman remembers the late multidisciplinary artist Susan Hiller ahead of an upcoming exhibition at KW in Berlin; and four creatives reflect on how Cubitt Gallery co–operative shaped their practice after the news its brick and mortar location in Islington had been forced to close.