MENA Galleries to See at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2026

Where to find our region in The Regent's Park this year

It's almost that time of year again. Frieze London and Frieze Masters return to The Regent's Park from 14 to 18 October 2026, and as always, the MENA region is well represented, so let's take a look at what's on offer.

For anyone new to it, Frieze London was founded in 2003 by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, with its sister fair, Frieze Masters, following in 2012. Together they bring almost 300 galleries from 48 countries to London each October, and draw more than 90,000 visitors a year. "At Frieze London, that range is also an argument for greater equity: for giving space, visibility and serious attention to artists and galleries whose work is advancing contemporary practice, wherever they are based," says Eva Langret, Director, EMEA, at Frieze. Interestingly, one of the advisers on this year's Focus section for younger galleries is Joumana Asseily, founder of Beirut's Marfa'.

Perhaps the most ambitious booth from our region at Frieze London is Dastan's. The Tehran gallery is presenting Letters from Iran, a group show built around the idea of resilience, which brings together modern masters including Behjat Sadr, Parviz Tanavoli and Farideh Lashai with contemporary artists such as Reza Aramesh, Bita Fayyazi, Sahand Hesamiyan and Arghavan Khosravi. Following A Present Tense, the show of works from 20 Tehran galleries at Ab-Anbar last month, it's another reminder of just how determined Iran's art scene is to be seen.

Elsewhere in the main section, Tunis and London gallery Selma Feriani is showing new works by French-Algerian artist Zineb Sedira, Saudi artists Maha Malluh and Filwa Nazer and Italian-Tunisian artist Monia Ben Hamouda. Dubai's Carbon 12 is bringing Emirati artist Sarah Almehairi and Nour Malas, while Cairo's Gypsum Gallery is presenting Egyptian artist Nada Elkalaawy within a group presentation of female Egyptian artists. "I'm interested in what makes an image go from fact to fiction," Elkalaawy says in a video for Frieze. Sfeir-Semler (Beirut and Hamburg) and Jeddah's Athr are also among the exhibitors, and in the Focus section, Marfa' is presenting a solo booth by Lebanese artist Ahmad Ghossein.

Over at Frieze Masters, it's a strong year for the region's modernists, and especially its women. Athr is presenting a dual show of Abdulrahman AlSoliman and Mounirah Mosly, whom Frieze describes as "a foundational figure of Saudi modernism" and the first Saudi woman to hold solo exhibitions in Jeddah and Riyadh, in 1973. Dubai's Lawrie Shabibi is bringing a solo presentation of Iranian-born artist Maliheh Afnan (1935-2016) to the Spotlight section, with works from her Paysages, Ecritures and Personnages series.

Also in Spotlight, Casablanca's Loft Art Gallery is showing Moroccan modernist Mohamed Melehi, and Elmarsa (Tunis and Dubai) is presenting Tunisian artist Mahjoub Ben Bella's Paris works from the 1970s and early 1980s. Dubai's Gallery Isabelle makes its Frieze Masters debut with a solo of Iranian artist Fereydoun Ave's works on paper from 1976 to 2000, and Ab-Anbar is showing Iranian painter Bahman Mohasses as part of Queering Modernism, a new thread through the fair curated by Anke Kempkes. Mohasses famously destroyed many of his own works, so this is a rare chance to see paintings, collages and bronzes together. What's more, Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh is among the speakers in this year's Frieze Masters Talks.

The region spills out beyond the tents, too. Turkish artists Özlem Günyol and Mustafa Kunt are part of Frieze Sculpture in the English Gardens with Istanbul's Dirimart, while The Third Line presents Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar at No.9 Cork Street from 8 to 24 October. And just across town, the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to Somerset House from 15 to 18 October, with Cairo's Gallery Misr, Casablanca's Loft Art Gallery, Riyadh's Errm Art Gallery and Beirut's Maya Art Space, which is making its debut.

So, what can we take away from this? Encouragingly, our region's presence at Frieze is no longer limited to a handful of Gulf heavyweights. Tehran, Tunis, Cairo, Casablanca and Beirut are all showing in force, and the focus on modern women artists such as Mosly and Afnan is long overdue. We're eager to see how the booths are received, and we'll be keeping an eye on the sales reports.

Frieze London and Frieze Masters take place at The Regent's Park, London, from 14 to 18 October 2026, with public days from 15 to 18 October.

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