This year marks the twentieth anniversary of London’s world famous contemporary art fair, Frieze London. As such, London mayor Sadiq Khan and other London art institutions have banded together to launch a new creative campaign, LONDON CREATES, starting Wednesday, October 11th. The campaign celebrates the immense cultural production in the city that serves as the lungs, the veins, the heart, and the lifeblood of the British metropolis. The cultural ecosystem in London contributes £58 billion a year to the economy, and provides a seventh of the jobs for the city: certainly a culture to pay attention to; certainly an industry to be celebrated. 

The campaign is spearheaded by a collective of leaders from across London’s visual arts and creative industries such as Justine Simons OBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Dylan Jones OBE Editor-in-Chief, Evening Standard, and Jane Boardman CEO M&C Saatchi Talk. It celebrates the capital’s preeminent creative industries by focusing on the promotion of London’s visual arts sector and, eventually, the fashion, film, theater and music sectors.

Within and around the campaign, a number of major shows are set to open at internationally recognized galleries: at Tate Britain, there will be Sarah Lucas (until 14 January 2024). At Tate Modern, Philip Guston (5 October 2023 – 25 February 2024). At Hayward Gallery, Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine (11 Oct 2023 –⁠ 7 Jan 2024). 

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