The Swiss curator Raphael Gygax has been appointed curator of Frieze Projects at the Frieze London fair, following in the footsteps of previous high-profile figures such as Polly Staple, the director of London’s Chisenhale Gallery, and Sarah McCrory, the director of the Glasgow International festival.
Gygax, who will oversee the non-profit programme of site-specific artist commissions at next year’s fair, is closely linked to Frieze, having acted as an advisor to the Frame, Focus and Live sections of Frieze London.
Gygax, the curator at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zurich, says in a statement that he “would like to use the international visibility that this platform offers to work with artists from different generations and art fields”. Nicola Lees led the Frieze Projects programme from 2013 to 2015.
“Gygax also participates in the selection jury for the Frieze Artist Award, which is an international, open call application for an emerging artist to realise a major commission at Frieze London 2016,” according to a press statement. The winner of this year’s Frieze Artist Award was the New York-based artist Rachel Rose.
The artist award and Frieze Projects are sponsored by the Luma Foundation, the non-profit cultural organisation founded by the Swiss pharmaceutical heiress Maja Hoffmann.
Deutsche Bank will sponsor Frieze London in 2016 (5-7 October), the 13th consecutive year it has backed the fair in Regent’s Park.