Okiki Akinfe's Addison Rae-Inspired Painting Becomes First Dasha Shenkman Focus Fund Acquisition at Frieze London

Okiki Akinfe's 2026 painting Fame is a Gun, inspired by Addison Rae, has become the inaugural acquisition of the Dasha Shenkman Focus Fund. The purchase was revealed during the opening day of Frieze London, where three separate funds jointly announced acquisitions of eight artworks. All eight works are designated for placement in UK spaces. The Dasha Shenkman Focus Fund's first buy centers on Akinfe's canvas, which the artist hopes will encourage more artists to emerge. Akinfe's selection of Addison Rae as subject links the painting to contemporary pop culture while positioning it within the fair's acquisition ecosystem. The coordinated announcement by the three funds on Frieze London's first day underscores the fair's role as a platform where institutional and philanthropic buying is publicly staged. By directing all eight acquired works to UK venues, the funds signal a commitment to keeping newly purchased art within the country's exhibition infrastructure. Akinfe's remarks about raising more artists frame the acquisition as both a personal milestone and a broader encouragement for emerging practitioners. The painting's 2026 date places it among recent production by the artist. Fame is a Gun now enters a UK-bound group of acquisitions that were made public simultaneously at the fair.