Getting into The Groove at The Other Art Fair, London

Posted on October 20, 2021

Saturday morning I took the tube across London from West to East. Within 30 minutes I was transported from the family friendly greeness of Ravenscourt Park to the graffiti-ed, trendy vibe of Spitalfields market and Brick Lane. This juxtaposition is exactly what London is all about and why I love it so.

The reason for my visit? The Other Art Fair at the Truman Brewery. The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, is a showcase of rising artists selected by an expert panel. The artists represent themselves ie no galleries involved. As a collector, it is a great place to source art at an affordable price.

For a rainy Saturday morning, the fair was busy. I spent 30 minutes queuing to get in, but the wait was worth it. The atmosphere was friendly and unpretentious. The quality and variety of art on display was spectacular - photography, sculpture, installations, collage, prints and paintings - you name it, it was there.

And what I really loved were the colourful, humorous pieces and the positivity of of the messages displayed on some of the work. 'Lose Yourself in Creativity' was the instruction written at the entrance to the fair by artist and illustrator, Jasmin Sehra and lose myself in creativity is what I did.

Here are my top picks:

For messages of hope: Red Belly Boy's print - 'grins may be cheeky, hearts may be broken, alarms may be false, biscuits may be taken, flabbers may be gasted, boats may be floated, tail feathers may be shaken, yet through it all know this, as sure as the sun rises, you are loved'. And James Kingman's 'into the groove' print. We all need a bit of positivity in our lives, so, why not put it on our walls?

www.redbellyboy.com

www.jameskingman.com

For colour: Alec Cumming's exotic botanical oils on canvas and prints, Amy Gardner's fabulously pink screen printed pieces and Alexander Randall's concrete, acrylic, ink and spray on linen canvases which bounced the light.