Frieze Los Angeles 2025 just wrapped up. This year’s edition of Frieze Los Angeles brought an exciting showcase of contemporary art including textile and fiber-based works.
Frieze LA is an international art fair known for showcasing contemporary art from around the globe. Initially, the fair contemplated whether or not to proceed with this year’s edition. After all, because of the recent devastation from wildfires in Los Angeles, California, it wasn’t that clear. Ultimately, the fair decided to proceed. As a result, and in order to address the wildfire, Frieze incorporated fundraising and relief efforts into its programming.
A Diverse Representation of Textile Artists
One of the standout presentations of this year came from April Bey, represented by Vielmetter Los Angeles. Bey is known for her rich material exploration and Afrofuturist themes. She presented works that combined Jacquard woven textiles, crushed velvet, sequins, and beaded embellishments. Her pieces reflected both a deeply personal narrative and a broader exploration of cultural hybridity.
“To create these figures, Bey begins the portraits with photoshoots. After that, the images are altered using artificial intelligence. And then they are meticulously translated into tapestries adorned with glitter, beads, and textiles.” -Maxwell Rabb. The story of her ongoing series, “Atlantica“, an alternative universe, originates from her dad. As a father, he needed to explain racial oppression to his daughter . Therefore, dad told his daughter they were aliens from another planet who’d secretly come to earth to observe and report back. Bey continues exploring this story in her work.
Similarly, at Tina Kim Gallery, Ghada Amer contributed fiber-based works. Her works examine themes of gender, identity, and advocates for women’s bodily autonomy. Amer is an Egypt-born, New York-based artist who among other mediums uses embroidery to create textile-based paintings. Her embroidered paintings typically blend elements of text, abstraction, and figurative imagery. They continue to push the boundaries between fine art and craft. This year, her gallery featured a cast bronze sculpture coated in gold leaf — a continuation of Amer’s Paravent Girls series
Textiles in Installation and Immersive Art at Frieze Los Angeles 2025
Furthermore, Frieze Los Angeles featured large-scale installations that integrated textile elements. One of the most talked-about pieces was Chris Burden’s “Nomadic Folly” (2001). Nomadic Folly is an immersive environment adorned with richly colored textiles that transformed the space into a meditative retreat. It was presented by the gallery Gagosian. The installation is a temporary structure made of tent-like umbrellas and delicate curtains. It is furnished with woven rugs and pillows creating a soft, layered interior. Moreover, this work underscored the potential of fiber materials to shape architectural and experiential spaces.
Frieze Los Angeles 2025 demonstrated that fiber art is thriving.
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