- Venue
- The Truman Brewery,
- Starts
- Thursday, March 7, 2024
- Ends
- Sunday, March 10, 2024
- Address
- 85 Brick Lane, London E1 6QR
- Location
- London
- Organiser
- The Truman Brewery
The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art returns to The Truman Brewery this March, offering switched-on Londoners the chance to buy artwork directly from over 150 of the most exciting independent artists working today. Continuing its bold intention to reframe art and how it is enjoyed; the Fair offers a platform that is inclusive, evocative, and challenges convention.
With independent artists at the forefront of the Fair, collectors and art enthusiasts can experience art buying and viewing in an illuminating new way whilst supporting the artists directly.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the March edition boasts an impressive 69% female-identifying artist line-up and will include several unique new female-focused features. Highlights include an art fair debut from the East London Strippers Collective, who will present a curated hang and life drawing workshop series. Founded in 2014, the ELSC are committed to supporting and promoting self-organisation among strippers and lap dancers, challenging the stigma around sex work, standing up to exploitation and fighting for improved safety and harm reduction in the wider sex industry.
Visitors are invited to partake in a thrilling rendition of a classic life drawing workshop complete with high-octane aerial poses and pole tricks, as stripping and erotic performance collide with the art world in a forty-five-minute slot costing just £15 per person. This is the first time the East London Strippers Collective have ever featured at an art fair and their curated hang will comprise works created by members of the collective responding to the theme of sex work, with most of the artists currently or formerly stripping to help fund their artistic practice.
“I started The Other Art Fair to be the antithesis of the art world as we know it, here we give creatives the chance to showcase work that challenges stereotypes and preconceived notions. The East London Strippers Collective is taking the age-old tradition of drawing artistic nudes and turning it on its head with their Life Drawing residency at the Fair.” said Ryan Stanier, Founder of The Other Art Fair.
Making her debut at The Other Art Fair is Purple Diamond Tarot who uses her bespoke hand-painted tarot deck to empower and promote aligned wellbeing. Visitors are welcome to a free drop-in on Friday between 7-9 pm with a twenty-minute session costing between £20 and £25.
The award-winning English Winemakers, Black Chalk Wine, will be hosting their very own Pairing Room – a creative workshop space with (complimentary) wine pairing sessions like no other. Visitors can look forward to crisp and wine pairing sessions, speed dating and charcoal
sketching tutorials inspired by their bottle artwork hosted by abstract artist Shumaiya Khan – all whilst sipping their Classic Sparkling Wine 2020 and Dancer in Pink still Rose 2022.
Visitors are invited to explore the world of tattoos with hand-poke artist Samuel Mead, aka BEG4CRED, who connects the ancient practice of tattooing with the symbolism and styles of contemporary art and culture, interpreted through the lens of his unique artistic vision. Making tattoos without the use of a machine, employing the traditional hand-poke method of marking skin, Sam intends to create a peaceful, connective and meaningful experience, as well as a piece of original art that you will wear for life.
For each edition, The Other Art Fair enlists the help of some stellar art industry experts to select its exhibitors. The March edition selection committee includes curator, art historian, Nottingham Contemporary board member and Public Programme Curator at Primary Gallery, Jade Foster; Head of Programme at South London Gallery, Sarah Allen; international curator, artist and originator of multiple art-based initiatives Zavier Ellis and Senior Saatchi Art Curator, Megan Wright.
ARTIST HIGHLIGHTS
The March line-up includes an exciting showcase of boundary-pushing female artists in celebration of International Women’s Day. From the vibrant portraiture of Joanna Pilarczyk to the vintage pastel tones of Nadia Attura’s stunning photography, the British Ghanaian abstract artist Courtenay Kusitor and the delicate handwritten art of Taya De La Cruz.
Many of the artists are boldly exploring issues of identity and female empowerment, from the arresting portraiture of Lauren Mele, exploring the female as muse and contemporary oil painter Kit Lintin who combines the everyday with the symbolic in her still-lifes, marvelling at the interplay between fantasy and reality. Returning to the Fair is Willow Stacey with her popular tongue-in-cheek textile statements, highlighting the societal expectations and experiences of womanhood. Imogen Morris showcases her unique approach which challenges the boundary between craft and fine art by incorporating thread with more traditional mediums to create her detailed depictions.
Sarah Lim-Murray has established a recognisable style as a contemporary painter, utilising her favoured medium, oil paint, and merging traditional painting techniques with contemporary portraits and scenes in a graphic style. This constant stylistic shift and her deliberate use of female subjects are elements she hopes will continue to engage and spark a connection with her viewers. STEF DIES redefines visual narratives through her photographic performance art, playfully critiquing society’s fixation on perfection through the lens of an anti-selfie perspective.
Portugal-based Kareena Zerafos creates intricate narratives by mixing her distinct illustrative style with pencils, watercolour and layered mixed media. Canadian painter Meg O’Hara, recently named Woman of the Year – Rising Star by BCB Canada, is set to exhibit her artworks created while on artist residency onboard a delegation to Antarctica during an ocean conservation expedition. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in ocean conservation in the polar regions, where she collaborates closely with scientists, marine biologists, and glaciologists.
The Other Art Fair’s charity partner for this upcoming March edition is Choose Love who will present a curated hang consisting of works donated by exhibiting artists at the Fair with 100% of the proceeds from each work going straight to Choose Love. Established in 2015 when a group of friends began collecting donations for refugees in Calais, Choose Love has supported over 5 million people in 8 years. They respond to emergencies by providing search and rescue, emergency medical care and vital supplies and they support people’s long term needs as they rebuild their lives.”
The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art is a global platform gathering creative thinkers, pleasure seekers and game-changing artists to share unforgettable experiences. The artist-led fair combines boundary-pushing yet always affordable artworks with live features and curious encounters; previous iterations have included interactive theatre, taxidermy classes, experiential dining, and incredible renowned guest artists.
The Other Art Fair has created something different, combining affordable art with unforgettable experiences, hosting editions in London, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Sydney this year. Hailed as ‘the future of art’ by The Guardian and ‘always interesting’ by the Financial Times, The Other Art Fair will delight and inspire visitors with its diverse and immersive programme that has previously included interactive theatre, taxidermy classes, immersive dining, charity collaborations, guest artist installations, workshops, and a colourful line-up of renowned Guest Artists. If you’re looking for unusual encounters, this one’s for you.
