Where to See Stellar Design at Frieze L.A.

Kicking off this week is the second edition of Frieze Los Angeles (Feb. 17–20), which debuted in 2019 and was the last major art fair to take place before the pandemic ground in-person events to a screeching halt. Joining stalwart editions in New York and London, as well as Seoul launching this September, L.A. will welcome 100 contemporary art exhibitors to the Beverly Hilton Hotel. But the wealth of satellite design shows popping up around the city are worth paying attention to. Check out our top picks below, and stay tuned for our preview of must-see artworks from the fair proper coming later this week.

Blumenfield Projects: Ceramics Synthesized (Feb. 12–March 1)

The first in a newly launched series of clay-focused pop-ups, this group exhibition highlights 16 artists (Cody Hoyt, Kiyoshi Kaneshiro, Gabriella Picone) whose adventurous embrace of ceramics helps express their innermost identities while reinterpreting traditional motifs. As a whole, the works serve as a reminder of the limitless potential of ceramics by blurring the lines between craft, design, and contemporary art.

Raina Lee: Homeworld at Stroll Garden (Feb. 12–April 2)

The local ceramicist’s hand-formed vessels, which draw influence from ancient traditions and the Chinese antique reproductions from childhood, often bear “disturbing” glazes. Lee experiments with dozens of glazes to learn how the lustrous colors, unearthly textures, and alluring imperfections can harness visceral feelings. For this show, Lee’s first solo exhibition, she debuts larger-scale works with eye-catching textures that embody her fascination with “materials and how they don’t often get along.”

Sized: Vessels (Feb. 16–27)

From vases and planters to furniture, vessels have always been a form of poetic function. That notion comes into full view at Sized’s new space in Hollywood, called Sized.Studio, which will play host to more than 100 vessels holding objects, florals, and even people and space. Fai Khadra, for example, drilled a crater into the studio’s second-level concrete floor, while Sogetsu L.A. director Ravi GuneWardena and deputy director Tory J. Lowitz are showcasing a site-specific ikebana sculpture that infuses their personality into the 700-year-old Japanese floral orchestration practice.

Tiwa Select x Farago: Everyday Rituals (Feb. 17–22)

To celebrate the reopening of photographer Max Farago’s eponymous gallery downtown, he’s teaming with tastemaker Alex Tieghi-Walker, the founder of local gallery and online platform Tiwa Select. Presiding within a former theater building is an array of works across media by artists—Jim McDowell, Mary Ann Pettway, and Peter Shire among them—from atypical backgrounds who’ve spent decades perfecting their craft.

The Future Perfect: Momentary Pause (Feb. 17–March 18)

Quiet contemplation is the theme of this ambitious group show at Casa Perfect Los Angeles, an historic 1971 residence in a picturesque Beverly Hills neighborhood now occupied by the roving design gallery. Each object speaks to its maker’s material-based practice, from ethereal Halo light sculptures by rising star Bradley L. Bowers to local sculptor Olivia Cognet’s brutalist-inspired bas relief infused with femininity.