Now in its 22nd year, the London Art Fair at at the Business Design Centre near Angel Station opens to the public tomorrow and runs until Sunday the 17th. Certainly more subdued than the mega-show that was Frieze or even the Affordable Art Fair, this year's London Art Fair is still nothing to LAF at. Indeed, a quick browse during this afternoon's press preview, offered a few gems Londonist reckons are worth checking out.
The embroidered representations of graffiti from the “Landscape” series by Laura Ortiz Vega (Antena Estudio, Mexico City) intrigue with their blend of gritty photorealism and crafty fine motor skills texture. The sweeping photos of rooftop London by Julio Brujis (Jealous Gallery, London) provide seldom seen views of our beloved town. Plenty of works by old schools faves such as Picasso, Miro and Bacon are scattered here and there. We mostly moseyed through, pleased with much of what we saw, only stopping occasionally to “ooh and aw” at particular pieces.
Our only real complaint is the floor plan. Ugh. It's not the most navigable, which we suspect might cause some showing galleries to wonder if they'd been shafted and ticket holders to question if they'd been able to see everything. As in the past, a number of free tours and talks come with the price of admission (£11 pre-booked, £15 at the door). If you've been before, it should be noted that 85% of the showing galleries are returnees. So, there maybe a bit of same-old-same-old. However, if the price is right and you've got the time, this fair promises a good, generalist overview of the London art scene as well as a taste of what's fresh and arty elsewhere in the world.
To book online and find out more, visit www.londonartfair.co.uk.
