The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, returns to the Old Truman Brewery in London this October during one of the most thrilling art weeks of the year. The fair is a phenomenal showcase for independent artists, offering aspiring collectors and those discovering art for the very first time the chance to purchase work directly from the next generation of creators.
This October will see the UK’s leading artist fair return to their East London home, with an alluring and wacky programme including a series of exciting features, guest exhibitions, a magnificent entrance installation, a sound bath experience, a live podcast recording, charity collaborations, and a hand-poke tattoo pop-up.
The London fair marks the 50th Global edition and the 20th in London. It will showcase 140 of today’s young and exciting art stars, hand-picked by a committee of industry experts.
The 2021 London selection committee includes Rebecca Wilson (Chief Curator and VP Art Advisory, Saatchi Art), Péjú Oshin (Curator of Young People’s Programme at Tate Modern & Tate Britain) and Kate Gordon (Founder and CEO of London Art Studies).
Supervised by Founder of The Other Art Fair, Ryan Stanier, the fair features a plentiful selection of sculpture, works on paper, photography, and painting from 140 hand-picked artists chosen by the fair’s selection committee, with a 53% Male / 47% Female ratio.
Curations
Henny Beaumont’s poignant series Disappearing Women comprises portraits of 118 women who lost their lives at the hands of men within Britain in 2020 during the first lockdown and will be on show for the first time since its conception at the fair.
On International Women’s Day 2020, Jess Phillips MP read the names of the 118 women killed by men that year and Beaumont realised the only name she had previously heard of was Sarah Everard. From this, her drawing project was born as part of a drive towards remembering, honouring, and making these women visible to all.
Actor, comedian, artist and musician Noel Fielding is the guest artist this October and will be showcasing an exclusive exhibition of new paintings and releasing a limited-edition print for only £100. He is known for his playful, humorous and experimental paintings that connect surrealism, dada and the countercultural references for which he is known such as Luxury Comedy and Mighty Boosh. His works are vibrant and dynamic, creating a trippy feast of colour and an eclectic yet recognisable style.
Ben Moore will curate Me, My Brain, and I with Parkinsons UK, presenting brain sculptures decorated by artists including The Chapman brothers, David Bailey, Gavin Turk, Mr Brainwash, D*FACE, Conrad Shawcross, Hayden Kays, Abigail Fallis and Alex Echo. All proceeds from these pieces will go towards the important work of Parkinson’s UK.
Artists To Look Out For
A wonderful selection of artists will be exhibiting in this edition, including 2020 IPA Award Winner Yassen Grigorov, a Bulgarian social documentary and commercial photographer who creates meaningful long form projects exploring micro and macro socio-political issues. Kay Gasei returns to the fair, having been awarded the Kate Bryan Soho House Award in July 2021 for his works exhibited at the previous London Edition of the fair.
He is a Hackney based painter and digital artist who explores myths, symbols, and narratives with characters such as ‘Od’ set in timeless spaces as a means of understanding his own intellectual and ontological journey. The all-female collective made up of artists Misa Gott, Blandine Bardeau, Amy Wiggin and Gina Morton, collectively known as Luna Collective, will host a booth bringing their works into conversation.
Artist Joy Bomb’s husband received an ALS diagnosis in 2018, since then her joyful, playful, and colourful installations have taken on a deeper significance. The proceeds from every installation she creates support the Healey Centre for ALS in memory of husband Sean, who passed away in May of 2020. Sara Hoque creates similarly energetic and happy collages with complex significance, from her London based studio/houseboat.
The Other Art Fair continues its mission to override the traditional barriers of the contemporary art world, through New Futures. This being an initiative developed to champion the works of up-and-coming and underrepresented artists. The Other Art Fair awarded two new graduates a complimentary stand and mentoring in the lead up to the fair – Ishmael lartey and Prachi Gothi. Ishmael Lartey combines eclectic source material such as West African cultural flags, graffiti, and anime figures to explore story telling in both traditional and modern ways. He investigates diasporic cultural experience and identity in relation to specific social and political contexts. Prachi Gothi is an Indian abstract painter who creates large energetic abstract works which explore the co-existence of conflicting human emotions.
The fair will also include entertainment and unique pop-ups. Hand-poked tattoos will be available by Sticks not Stones aka Charlotte Lacheussee. Charlotte creates beautifully simple tattoos inspired by the sensitive details of the natural world.
El Rayo Tequila will host a bar, complete with an exclusive mural by Mexican experimental artist Daniel Barreto, plus visitors will be able to savour free tasters of their signature Tequila and Tonic.
The fair will take place between the 14th October until 17th October, with the opening hours for each day shown below:
- Thursday 14 October 3-5pm / 5-7.30pm / 7.30-10pm
- Friday 15 October 1pm-9pm
- Saturday 16 October 11am – 7pm
- Sunday 17 October 11am – 5pm
For the full list of participating artists and to buy tickets visit: https://www.theotherartfair.com/london
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