At 10 AM, the earliest slot for the Frieze Art Fair VIP preview, collectors and art professionals gathered in a small hangar in the Santa Monica Airport. A continental breakfast and champagne were served, and Focus curator, Amanda Hunt, was kind enough to usher a small group into another hangar adjacent to the main tent. Once inside, the group made a beeline to Booth F3, where the only gallery from Washington, D.C., was being shown at Frieze Art Fair – the Chela Mitchell Gallery.

“I said what I said – I sell non-white artists. White artists don’t need my assistance. What can I really do for them?” asks gallerist Chela Mitchell. Mitchell is a D.C. native and grew up in Southeast Washington. She attended Wilson High School and has grown to become the area’s premier African-American female gallerist. In conversation with Marianne Ibrahim, Mitchell explains, “I’m here to amplify the voices of people all over the world, dealing with different conflicts.” 

The works she brought to the fair were from D.C. artist Larry Cook. Cook floated images from the go-go scene, the official music of Washington, D.C., using archival pigment print on Dibond and encrusted the figures with rhinestones. The works spoke to the influence of go-go on the culture of the District. Mitchell also represented Palestinian artist Mojdeh Rezaeipour, who presented smaller-scale works. Rezaeipour featured a series of blacked-out figures of women in protest in various settings.

Celebrities also maneuvered through Mitchell’s booth. One such fairgoer was none other than Tyler, the Creator. The OFWGKTA star came during the earliest preview while our small group was present, even posing for photos with Mitchell and Cook. 

While this was her first Frieze Fair, Mitchell is no stranger to embracing a challenge. In December, The Washington Informer Bridge encountered her at the New Art Dealer’s Alliance (NADA) in Miami during Art Basel/Miami Art Week. Despite the name, industry veterans know that NADA is where one will find the hottest emerging works.

While we celebrate Mitchell’s forays into the highly competitive world of international art dealing, we recognize that this is only the beginning. The most promising part of her story is that she’s just begun.