Most people love animals and lots of people love art too, so the Animal Art Fair (AAF) is likely to appeal to a very wide audience. It comes to the Southbank next month so, as a prelude, we spoke to Jamie Polk, an AAF founder and director, to tell us all about it:
How did the concept of the Animal Art Fair (AAF) come about?
I’ve always been passionate about art and have several friends who are animal artists, and I saw an opportunity to pitch to market that hasn’t been tapped. We’re a nation of animal lovers and our market research has shown that the market for animal art is not as niche as people may think.
Can you provide some more details around what will be on display?
We have some of the greatest contemporary animal artists with distinctive creative visions, ranging from the classical to the abstract. We have 40 artists with approximately 400-500 works between them, with a split of two-thirds paintings and one-third sculpture. We think that this is the right number of artists to provide a wide enough range of art whilst avoiding sensory overload. The prices range from £150-£30,000 so it should cater for the full range of buyers.
The AAF was in Fulham for the last two years and now you’ve moved to the South Bank. Do you hope to make this a permanent annual fixture?
Definitely, the South Bank is a much more accessible location with lots of foot traffic. It’s the cultural hub of London and a prime location for the art collector demographic we’re aiming for.
With the plethora of art fairs in London, what distinguishes the AAF from the rest?
All the artists will be at the fair every day and you’ll be able to discuss their works with them and purchase directly from them. This isn’t the case with most art fairs where you have the gallery acting as a middleman and taking a cut of the sales.
The Animal Art Fair is on The Riverside Walkway on the Southbank (between the National Theatre and the Oxo Tower) from 17-20 May. Tickets are £8 online.
