Laura C on Ziwon Wang at London Art Fair 2011, Magpie Musings

Art Under One Roof

 

Squeezing through the door of the London Art Fair  I managed to find space to grab a floor plan and set about navigating my way. For those who’ve never been its daunting, with almost 3 floors of galleries. To top that, this is the largest London Art Fair to date but to be honest you couldn’t tell, due to the swelling crowds still pouring through the door at 8pm.

 

It features, compared to last year, some the most diverse and politically charged work yet; from renaissance style portraits, to installations that seep into the building itself and even robotics.

 

Vying for your attention are some of the biggest movers and shakers on the London Art scene.

 

Galleries on the main concourse are be familiar names. I felt it was somehow similar to last year’s contenders and even some from Frieze. However keep going for there are some gems and fresh pieces on offer.

 

Art Project Picks


This is where you should head to first. Start here and you shall not be disappointed. It features 31 galleries with emerging artists and new work and contains some really interesting pieces and themes.

 

One of my favourites came from Payne Shurvell who focused on notions of place and mapping. This was executed well by the artists Andrew Curtis.  Juxtaposing suburibia, he plays with our present knowledge of suburbia but also our ideals creating haunting pieces.  He includes the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria Araucana),  which were used to decorate Victorian suburbia, and are now a reminder of British colonial activity in the 19th Century.

A real find are 2 pieces by Mario Testino of the glamorous Julianne Moore and Lara Stone at Trokia Editions.

 

Dominic Harri’s works feature on a side wall for the Art Movement Gallery who have a large stand in the section. His Standing Very Still Oxford Circus photograph captures the capital brilliantly as seen below.

 

Real time art and robots

 

Charlie Smith which is always full of subtle surprises had works from Welsh artist, Gavin Nolan. These were worth a closer look. His oil and ink jagged works embody portraiture traditions with a modern twist.

Need to escape and relax? Then Jeffrey Blondes can take you there. His works on the GBS Fine ART stand drew intrigue, especially the Long Island West 2010 piece, which was sold three times over by Thursday night. In this work the beach is shown over 12 hours in real time, this tranquil scene was a memorizing retreat.

 

A refreshing feel comes from the Hanmi Gallery whoare in London for the first time. The gallery staff were friendly and very enthusiastic about the pieces. It probably helped having moving art works! Ziwon Wang’s pieces attracted an audience, who stayed to watch the pieces in action.

 

These intricate objects feel clinical from far off – the shiny steel against white plastic – moving closer though you see the curves of the plastic and detailing. It’s these human shapes that make it stand out.  The gallery says Ziwon Wang’s cybernetic sculpturespoignantly address the ever increasing relationship between man and technology. I agree and perhaps they show an in between, or even the future?

 

Stand Out Artists

 

William Marty’s silk screen prints (seen at the top of this article)  dazzle with their citrus colours. By 6:30 on Thursday 2 out of the three on display had been sold.

Veronica Bailey’s photographs of folded items at GBS Fine Art. These include cards, newspapers and paper. Her pieces really took on a sense of space and light created from the everyday object.