The crocuses are up: it`s time for the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park!
I attend the fair every year and rate it as one of the most enjoyable occasions in the London Art Calendar. So do other art lovers: a record 25,000 people visited the show on its 10th anniversary in 2009.
The AAF which is now international (Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Milan, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Melbourne) is the creation of Will Ramsay whose aim was to remove the formality out of buying art.
Ever felt inhibited about going into a gallery off the street? The receptionist is sitting at a desk ignoring you. Or pestering you about what she/he likes and not what caught your eye in the first place? Or left alone, have you latched onto a painting, only to find it way above your price range?
Well yes. It happens to a lot of us which is why the AAF is so popular. There`s no pressure to buy and with prices starting at £50 and a ceiling of £3,000, it`s affordable to to all. And many artists themselves are there to discuss their work.
This year there are 120 stands displaying everything from fine art and contemporary painting, to sculpture in almost every medium you can think of and yes, photographs - woo-hoo!
Of course collecting art is a very personal experience, but I particularly liked the prints based on Iraqi folk-tales by South African-born Susan Moxley. The fine abstracts encapsulating emotion and thought, by young Worcestershire artist Kelly Washbourne also stood out among the thousands of colourful works.
Affordable Art Fair runs from 11th -14 March.
Photo: Rising young artist KellyWashbourne
Photo: Susan Moxley with her prints
Source: www.copix.co.uk
What a good idea. Sydney has had Art Month recently, whereby various artists studios and galleries have welcomed visitors.People here are generally not intimidated by gallery operators and happy to cruise by and browse, perhaps taking a sip of wine as they go and maybe even buying a work of art.
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