UK: Frieze London blurs the lines between art, gaming and reality

Visitors to Frieze London in the UK are becoming part of the artworks themselves, climbing a giant interactive spider, entering virtual worlds and taking part in installations that turn spectators into participants.

At the fair, Benjamin Lallier's Mother Needham invites visitors to toss coins and make a wish, while Yuli Serfaty's Who's A Good Girl explores the relationship between gender and technology. Greek artist Theo Triantafyllidis presents Feral Metaverse (Spider), a giant climbable sculpture that doubles as a multiplayer game. Up to six visitors can enter a shared virtual world, where they must work together to create shapes such as human towers and wheels.

But behind the playful installations, Frieze remains a major commercial event. Art critic Tabish Khan says a struggling market is prompting galleries to favour more conventional displays, with paintings taking priority over elaborate installations.

Other highlights include Swiss artist Miriam Cahn's self-portraits exploring ageing, presented by Galerie Jocelyn Wolff, and a selection of contemporary Indian art from the Fitzwilliam Museum. Together, the works reflect a fair balancing artistic experimentation with the pressures of a challenging art market.