The art world descends on Tinseltown this week for the slew of art fairs taking place across the city, anchored by the sophomore edition of Frieze Los Angeles, held at Paramount Pictures Studios from February 14–16. The VIP preview day of the fair had a sunnier start than the rain-soaked debut edition last year, and the mood was buoyant as collectors streamed into the tent under the Blue Sky Lot in Hollywood. Inside, celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Usher were spotted wandering the aisles along with art-world power players like Cecilia Alemani, who was recently announced curator of the 2020 Venice Biennale.
A decidedly smaller affair than Frieze’s New York and London editions, the Los Angeles version brings together just 70 galleries including heavyweights Gagosian, which installed a full-scale Richard Prince car sculpture in the booth, Pace and Kayne Grin Corcoran, who teamed up to present a series of mesmerizing James Turrell light works, and Salon 94, whose booth was transformed into a carnivalesque party featuring works by Derrick Adams. In the backlot, guests could check out performances, site-specic installations, and videos curated by Rita Gonzalez, head of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Pilar Tompkins-Rivas, director of the Vincent Price Art Museum. While there was a plethora of dynamic art on view, the fair also provides an unmissable opportunity for new discoveries.
Below, find seven artists who should be on your radar.
Naama Tsabar
The Israeli artist Naama Tsabar uses feminist theory to challenge the gendered nature of performance, rock’n’roll, and music nightlife in her supremely elegant work. In the Projects section of the fair, visitors climb the faux New York stoop to nd a shiny double-headed guitar installed with a photograph of two women attempting to play it above. The artist performs with a collaborator at various times throughout the day, bringing the work to life. On view at Shulamit Nazarian’s West Hollywood space, her large-scale monochrome felt wall instruments are embedded with mics and attached to ampliers, awaiting musicians or curious gallery-goers to activate them. Last winter, Tsabar performed at ELEVATION 1049 in Gstaad, Switzerland, and she has exhibited at Tel Aviv’s Center for Contemporary Art, the Kunsthaus Baselland, Prospect New Orleans, and the Palais de Tokyo.
. 
