Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair will be London’s first in-person art fair of the year, with an incredible line-up of exciting emerging artistic talent, a star Guest Artist, unique collaborations and amazing live features. The popular four-day event returns from 1-4 July 2021 and will see the UK’s leading artist-led fair take over West Handyside Canopy in King’s Cross, a beautiful, partially covered outdoor space for the fair’s 19th London edition.
The fair presents art enthusiasts the unique opportunity to meet over 110 inspiring artists, discover thousands of artworks suiting every budget and style, and get involved in a programme of unique visitor features. Creativity and culture are fundamentally at the heart of The Other Art Fair. This year includes a vibrant line-up of DJ sets, bespoke tattooing, and incredible installations, all within a safe and accessible environment in line with the newly established Safer Fair Plan.
A vibrant selection of 110 UK based artists has been chosen by the fair’s committee, maintaining a 50/50% ratio of male/female, and including participants spanning all disciplines. The event is unique compared to other art fairs because of its artist led approach, putting creators in touch directly with their audiences.
Ryan Stanier, founder of The Other Art Fair comments, “We are so excited to be returning to in-person events this summer. This year has been tough for the arts and events industries but we’re coming back fighting, and we’re ready to welcome visitors to enjoy and discover art differently.”
One of the world’s foremost rock musicians, Ronnie Wood will be featured as this year’s Special Guest Artist. Wood has pursued a remarkable parallel career as an influential fine artist and will showcase new work created during lockdown including incredible imagery of his fellow Rolling Stones. This is an unmissable opportunity to purchase three limited-edition prints that will be exclusively available to purchase at The Other Art Fair, plus some of Ronnie’s latest artworks and new editions of his popular hand-drawn Stones’ setlists.
The Other Art Fair recognizes the challenges many have faced during this unprecedented year and are partnering with charity CALM (Campaign AGAINST LIVING MISERABLY). CALM is an aid organization putting mental wellbeing at the forefront of its agenda. This year, they are presenting an extra-special site-specific mural to amplify their work in suicide prevention and continue the conversation around mental illness and self-expression. During this difficult period, CALM have been experiencing a dramatic increase in calls and webchats as their work becomes more valuable and necessary than ever before.
The Other Art Fair continues its mission to override the traditional barriers of the contemporary art world, through New Futures x CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS. This being an initiative developed to champion the works of up-and-coming and underrepresented artists from the local creative community. The Other Art Fair awarded two Central Saint Martins graduates a complimentary stand and mentoring in the lead up to the fair – Giacomo Layet and Marion Mandeng. Layet (MA Fine Art) focuses on Health and Safety aesthetics, experimenting with both organic and industrial materials to create works which mix identifiable elements with invented ones, expressing a humoristic interplay between imaginative projections and actuality. Marion Mandeng (MA Contemporary Photography; Practices and Philosophies) uses sexual objects as proxies for gender conflict, exploring the fundamental causes of inequality and bringing reinvigorated urgency to debates surrounding gender-based discrimination. Her practice reflects her personal experience as a woman and mother of three daughters.
The fair will also include exciting 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. Tattoos will be given on a first come first-serve basis, with fees staring at £60.
Soho Radio will provide a lively soundtrack for the Private View and the Friday Late (6pm – 9pm). Built from the ground up since 2014, Soho Radio has become a very influential voice across music and culture. Throughout the weekend, the El RAyo Bar will be serving their delicious signature tequila, which they describe as “a tequila created to pair with tonic” and “a deliciously smooth and light experience”.
artists include:
Bruce Asbestos’ quirky work takes centre stage as the entrance installation. He presents a piece called “Eye of Newt” – an esoteric large green inflatable eye. The title makes reference to an ingredient used by the witches in Macbeth, which Asbestos describes as “a symbol that was quintessentially British”. For Asbestos, this work emerged from some mystical wondering over “whether artists are a sort of cultural witch, who might be able to produce alternative ideas for our post-covid problems”. Stylist were entirely correct when they dubbed his work as “Art for the Social Media Age”.
