It might not be as grand as Frieze or as trendy as SUNDAY, but the London Art Fair still holds its own. Now in its 24th edition, the January art fair dedicated to British modern and contemporary art welcomed more than 700 VIPs yesterday afternoon. A total of 3,057 visitors made it to the "mere mortals" preview that immediately followed, and organizers expect about 24,600 visitors to traipse through the aisles of Islington's Business Design Centre in the next four days.
On the floor, modern dealers are — obviously — out in force, led by the likes of Adam Gallery, Austin/Desmond Fine Art, Connaught Brown, Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert, and Piano Mobile. This is where to find the Barbara Hepworths, Patrick Herons, and Ben Nicholsons that put Britain on the art map long before Damien Hirst caught his first butterfly — although those suffering from severe YBA withdrawal can head to Other Criteria for a fresh supply of spots.
There are 121 galleries exhibiting at LAF this year, including 29 in the Art Projects section dedicated to the just-emerging. One still finds ghastly landscape paintings aplenty, but the management is clearly attentive to the London gallery scene, and keen to make room for newcomers whenever possible. This year's selection includes, for example, the contemporary art gallery Pertwee, Anderson & Gold, which opened in Soho last February. Prices range "from £50 to £700,000" ($77 to $ 1,075,794), fair director Jonathan Burton told ARTINFO UK. "The balance of content we have is not something you can find elsewhere."
Last night, the buzz was clearly at the Art Projects section, curated by Pryle Behrman. For her first-ever art fair, Hannah Barry (who pretty much single-handedly made Peckham, South London, a sought-after art hub) is presenting three "ripper teeth" by James Capper. Going for £3,000 ($4,610) a pop, these rusty blade-like pieces of equipment have been handmade by the artist. Co-founder of SUNDAY art fair Limoncello is cannily showcasing its limited editions by Alice Channer, Vanessa Billy, Simon Fujiwara, and Ryan Gander — all in editions of 50, priced between £50 and £75 ($77 and $115). They're a bargain. Elsewhere, Alma Enterprises' booth — articulated around "the work of artists who examine systems of control" — displays documentation of a remarkable project by Roisin Byrne, for which she sought out artist Roberto Cuoghi and, upon failing to find him, decided to adopt his identity.
"It could be a turning point for the fair," says Bearspace's Julia Alvarez, who sits on Art Project's selection committee. She told ARTINFO UK that London is lacking a fair for its younger galleries, and that LAF could be well placed to fill this gap, connecting an already existing collector base with emerging dealers. Bearspace is presenting "A Brave New Work," a display putting together artists appropriating images from the faraway, including works by Reginald Aloysius, Susanne Moxhay, and Jane Ward (prices ranging from £290 to £3700, or $445 to $5,686). Salon Vert has a boothfull of works by the Hollywood A-Lister and artist Lucy Liu (price tag: £15,000, or $23,052).
For all of LAF's dynamism, one can wonder what the future holds in store for the fair, particularly with Frieze Masters looming on the horizon, ready to claim its share of London modern and pre-21st century contemporary art dealers. But fair director Burton isn't worried: "If I look at the number of modern dealers who are exhibiting internationally — and particularly those modern dealers that take part in Art Basel and FIAC — our exhibitor base doesn't really overlap," he told ARTINFO UK. " [And] they are only looking for 70 galleries to fill that fair in its first year. While we are anything but complacent, it's not something which is really a concern for me at the moment."
The London Art Fair continues until Sunday, January 22.