The Code Universe and Valentine Award at Frieze London
While the newly established The Code Universe section at Frieze London explores popular culture codes, the Valentine collective received the Stand Prize.
Debuting this year for visitors at Frieze London, the curatorial section The Code Universe examines the production, dissemination, and consumption processes of popular culture with the participation of eight artists from different geographies. Following the opening of the fair, the Valentine gallery collective, exhibiting Indonesian artist Oototol, was awarded the 2026 Frieze Stand Prize.
Opening its doors in Regent's Park on October 14, the inaugural The Code Universe section at Frieze London questions the codes of popular culture across a wide spectrum, from everyday objects to media imagery. Carol Yinghua Lu, who curates the section, is also among the team preparing the 19th Istanbul Biennial to be held in 2027.
Despite its technology-evoking name, the section offers a much broader scope, featuring eight artists from diverse geographies including Japan, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Indonesia. On the second day of the fair, the Valentine gallery collective, established as a joint initiative of ROH from Jakarta, Misako & Rosen from Tokyo, and LC Queisser from Tbilisi, was deemed worthy of the 2026 Frieze Stand Prize with the presentation of Indonesian artist Oototol.