Art Behemoths Frieze and Getty Embark on a New Global Partnership

The year-long collaboration aims to bring international attention to the upcoming edition of Pacific Standard Time, now known as PST Art.

Two of the biggest institutional players in the art world are partnering up. Frieze, which hosts five international annual art fairs, and Getty, which oversees the J. Paul Getty Museum and Getty Foundation among other programs, are set to collaborate as they celebrate the upcoming edition of Southern California arts initiative Pacific Standard Time, as announced today (August 14).

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Group of women sing while standing on rock by the sea
ikkibawiKrrr, Seaweed Story, 2022. Singing haenyeo, “sea women” divers. Still: ikkibawiKrrr

The partnership will consist of a year-long series of commissions across Seoul, London and Los Angeles, launching this September and culminating at the 2024 opening of Pacific Standard Time. The Getty Foundation recently provided $17 million in grants towards organizations participating in the arts event, which will be renamed “PST Art” and now takes place on a five-year basis.

Following previous editions examining the history of LA’s art scene and Latin American artwork, PSA Art’s Art & Science Collide edition will showcase more than 800 exhibitors exploring topics like climate change, environmental justice, artificial intelligence and Indigenous knowledge. In the run-up to its launch, Frieze and Getty “will work together on a year of activity to raise awareness of the global initiative in key international centers,” according to a statement from Frieze.

A project centering upon female divers on Jeju Island

Two of the partnership’s commissions will coincide with fairs held by Frieze, which recently expanded its U.S. reach through the acquisition of New York’s Armory Show and EXPO CHICAGO. The collaboration between Frieze and Getty will kick off at Frieze Seoul in September, which is expected to feature more than 120 international galleries with an emphasis on exhibitors from Korea. IkkibawiKrrr, a Korean collective, will present a video and interactive performance exploring a community of female divers on Jeju Island known as the “haenyeo.”

SEE ALSO: The Armory Show Announces Kyla McMillan as New Director Ahead of the 2024 Fair

ikkibawiKrrr worked closely with the haenyeo for the commission, basing the project on the community’s saying “diving is with companion.” Centering on the marine ecosystem,  sustainability and a sense of togetherness with each other and the sea, the video and performance will expand on ikkibawiKrrr’s work Seaweed Story, which will be shown at the exhibit Breath(e): Towards Climate and Social Justice at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles during PST ART.

Woman dressed in black stands behind dangling letters suspended from ceiling
Candice Lin stands in front of her installation The Glittering Cloud in 2021 at the Kunsthalle Osnabrück. Friso Gentsch/picture alliance via Getty

Meanwhile, another collaborative commission will be unveiled at Frieze London’s upcoming edition in October, which marks the art fair’s 20th anniversary. Candice Lin, a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist, will debut a new work employing traditional indigo-dying techniques in the form of large-scale kites. Drawing on Asian kite-making traditions, the presentation will feature mythological and animal imagery. A public kite workshop accompanying the piece will be co-taught with Yaeun Choi, letting visitors build and fly their own kites.

The commissions “will give far-flung audiences a glimpse of what they can expect in September 2024, when more than 50 partner organizations throughout Southern California open their exhibitions in PST Art: Art & Science Collide,” said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, in a statement to Observer. “We are delighted to establish this partnership with Frieze, contributing to its much-admired program and benefiting from its strong presence here in Los Angeles and other artistic centers around the world.”

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Art Behemoths Frieze and Getty Embark on a New Global Partnership