When Frieze London and Frieze Masters open on Thursday at Regent’s Park, all eyes will be on the paintings, sculptures, mixed-media installations and other works on display. The artists behind these pieces, the fair’s high-profile attendees and the glamorous parties they attend also command the limelight.
But backstage, a small army of players has an integral role in bringing to life both fairs, along with Frieze Sculpture, a free exhibition in the park’s English Gardens that runs through Nov. 1.
In an email interview, Kristell Chadé, the executive director of fairs for Frieze, said several hundred people were involved behind the scenes. “By the time we open to the public, hundreds of people who visitors never see have already been working for months,” she said.
They include construction and technical crews, security personnel, cleaning teams, caterers, shippers, art handlers, hospitality staff, ticketing and visitor services staffers and the park and site teams.
Their work can require collaboration. Chadé referenced the fair’s 2018 edition, when structural engineers, safety, scaffolding and plumbing teams, shippers and art handlers worked together to install “The Shaman” (2018), a monumental 1.3-ton bronze cast of an uprooted tree by the artist Tatiana Trouvé.
Below are profiles of four people who are largely out of public view but are essential to Frieze London. The interviews, which were conducted by phone and email, have been edited and condensed.
Logistics
Chris Sullivan, 36, is a project manager for Frieze Sculpture and a project manager at Mtec Fine Art, an art logistics company headquartered in Ware, England, that handles the transportation, installation and storage of pieces for Frieze Sculpture. This year marks his eighth time working on the show.
Sullivan’s work starts six months before the show, as he coordinates with the artists and galleries about the sculptures they are planning to display. This year, the exhibit includes 15 sculptures across 11 galleries. Once he has the complete list, Sullivan said he creates an installation plan for each piece.
He noted the “huge amount” of planning before his team arrived on site. “We have to get permission from various stakeholders such as galleries, and create installation schedules and a work plan for all of the drivers and technicians involved,” he said. “We also need to make a transport plan of what sculptures are going into each truck that we’re bringing to the park.”
Early in the project, Sullivan also works with a structural engineer to build a foundation, such as a concrete base, for every sculpture.
Installing the pieces requires an array of equipment, including forklifts, excavating machines, cranes and access platforms for working at heights
When the sculptures arrive at Regent’s Park, Sullivan collaborates with the curator of Frieze Sculpture, Fatos Ustek, to determine their exact placement. Sullivan said artists are continually using nontraditional materials for their works, including 3-D-printed concrete, which can present a “fun challenge.”
The “exceptionally tight” deadlines are another pressure point. If a sculpture is being created locally, Sullivan can inspect it before installation, but he has often picked up artworks from the airport and delivered them straight to the park. “We have to work out the exact details of the installation during the drive,” he said. “My heart is racing all the way.”
Vetting Sculptures
Rupert Harris, 73, is on the vetting committee for pre-1830s sculptures at Frieze Masters, a role he has had since 2013. He is also the founder of the London-based conservation firm Rupert Harris Conservation.
His role at Frieze Masters is limited to the day before the fair opens, when he noted that he examines from 150 to 300 sculptures slated to be on view in the show. In all, he said that he spent seven hours on the job, with up to 10 minutes devoted to each work.
Harris said he inspected each piece to ensure it met Frieze’s exhibiting criteria: a description of the work or its title, its place of origin, when it was created, the materials used and its dimensions.
The sculptures must also include information about their condition and any significant restorations.
“If any of these criteria are not fulfilled, then the committee will ask the exhibitor to add these details,” he said.
Harris is also tasked with ensuring that no works are overly restored. According to Harris, the warning signs include excessive cleaning, substandard repairs and poor retouching, such as mismatched colors. “I need to ensure that objects have received conservation treatment that is both ethical and noted correctly by the exhibitor,” he said.
If Harris believes that a restoration is excessive or that the sculpture does not match its description, he can recommend that it be removed from the fair. “That’s a last resort and rare,” he said.
Protecting the Park
Pawel Szynkarczuk, 50, is an assistant park manager of the Royal Parks, which include Regent’s Park and the adjacent Primrose Hill.
Szynkarczuk’s highest priority during Frieze London and Frieze Masters is protecting Regent’s Park. Frieze Masters, held at Gloucester Green on the northeast end of Regent’s Park, and Frieze London, held at Marylebone Green in the south, take up around 12 acres of land, he said. A team of five begins preparing the grounds a month ahead of time.
Conserving the park’s hundreds of centuries-old trees, including approximately 100 English oaks, is foremost, Szynkarczuk said.
“We spread tree bark around the roots, which creates a cushion to shield them from the potential damage of foot traffic and the vehicles moving through the park during the fair,” he said. His team also spikes the ground to create small holes that act as oxygen pockets, allowing moisture in and helping to keep the grass healthy.
Then there is the park’s population of endangered hedgehogs living among the shrubs and grass, who are beloved by locals. “We build wood boxes, where they can hibernate, and fence off certain areas, such as places with ponds which the hedgehogs drink from,” he said.
Szynkarczuk noted that his team’s post-fair work was more significant, depending on the degree of damage from the fair. “We may have to re-turf entire areas or reseed grass,” he said.
The weather dictates the pace of regrowth. Excessive rain and chilly temperatures, as was the case in 2025, can slow down the process, and Szynkarczuk said that the areas did not reopen to the public until early March. “If it’s drier, we can open as early as mid-December,” he said. “We never know.”
Feeding the Guests
Jonny Gent, 49, co-founded Sessions Arts Club, a pop-up restaurant inside the Frieze London tent serving modern European cuisine.
The eatery has a permanent location inside Sessions House in the Clerkenwell neighborhood and is one of 13 food and beverage outlets participating in Frieze London and Frieze Masters. This is its third year at Frieze London.
Gent said there was never even a brief lull when Sessions Arts Club was open during Frieze.
“I’m on my feet for at least 16 hours a day for the entire time, greeting our guests and making sure our operation runs smoothly,” he said. “We serve 200 diners at the permanent location, and at Frieze, that number increases to 350, so we get whacked.”
Gent and his team design a new concept every year and also conceive the kitchen design, staff uniforms and menu. Training their 20 or so employees is another task. In 2026, the theme is a play on colors and textures, and the dishes include duck with plum and crab with tomatoes and chilies.
Gent said diners at the pop-up included gallerists, artists and the general public, most of whom book as soon as reservations open, a month ahead.
Going into their third year, Gent and his team know to expect the frenetic pace, but the first year, the rhythm was unfamiliar. “We didn’t yet understand the busy and quiet periods, where we can usually anticipate the points in a service when more pressure will fall on the team,” he said.
His main aim is to make diners forget that they are eating inside a temporary structure at an art fair. “It should just feel like a restaurant that has always been there,” he said.
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