Who Gets to Show Up in the Art World?

Shade Podcast closes out 2025 by returning to the Shade Art Review archives. This episode adapts "Oh God It's Frieze Week Again," an article I wrote in October 2023, asking: Who gets to show up in the art world? As Art Basel Miami Beach wraps the year's art fair circuit and we await next week's Turner Prize announcement, I explore the barriers disabled artists and arts workers face during heightened art world moments—from navigating packed art fairs to participating in gallery openings and museum events. Nnena Kalu's historic Turner Prize nomination—the first learning-disabled artist shortlisted in the prize's 41-year history—raises urgent questions about who the art world has traditionally welcomed into its most prestigious spaces. I reflect on what accessibility actually means. Featuring thoughts on our right to retreat, the pressure for disabled artists to always be visible and what deep collaboration with disabled and neurodivergent communities could actually look like. What would it look like if retreating was considered an essential part of showing up? Read the full article at Shade Art Review here. Contact: lou@shadepodcast.co.uk | Instagram: @shade_podcast . Shade is an independent, one-person operation. If this podcast resonates, please share and

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Who Gets to Show Up in the Art World? is an episode from Shade by Lou Mensah.

This episode is 9:53 long.

This episode was published on Dec 6, 2025.

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