the affordable art fair
Last week I was fortunate enough to be a plus one at the Hampstead Affordable Art Fair happening last weekend (9-12th May) and it was such a wonderful experience. Truthfully I’d never heard of the Affordable Art Fair until I found out a friend of a family member had a stall this year under her company: Agart. Clearly I’d been living under a rock as the Affordable Art Fair (as I saw for myself) was full of guests, with a line forming out the building- the next fair in London being in Battersea in October in case you missed last weekend.
Art, in my opinion, could possibly be one of the greatest things humans produce. It is technically something anyone can do and enjoy but unfortunately has become inaccessible to most, something for only certain people to enjoy as well as produce. The Affordable Art Fair was invented as a way "to democratise the art world and make art accessible for all”, their first event being right here in London in 1999. It has since grown into a spectacular event with more than 3.3 million people having visited their fairs across Europe to Asia to North America and more. I myself am no artist but enjoy it so so much but so far had only ever seen fabulous pieces in museums and galleries. The Affordable Art Fair hosts artists from all around the world, whether they’re known or up-and-comers and for all art works to be sold for no more than £7,500 at the event last weekend. So visiting the art fair is vastly different than attending a perfectly curated exhibition.
As previously mentioned, I attended initially because a friend of a family member had a stall for the first time at the fair in Hampstead- Agart. Agart “provides art education services and caters for all business and legal aspects of art transaction”, it is a way for aspiring artists to obtain legal help without the scary price tag attached. At this year’s fair, Agart’s stall showcased a London-based fashion photographer Zuzanna Blur; a Polish artist Agata di Masternak who dabbles in many different medias to showcase her story and experiences and, finally, a well-known Australian painter Vanessa Stockard who gained recognition for her loveable paintings of a black cat although her works demonstrate the “juxtaposition of control and letting go”. The art displayed was phenomenal, my personal favourite being a beautiful portrait by Zuzanna Blur but all were beautiful.
I hope you all have a chance to visit the Affordable Art Fair as it’s a chance to not only learn about some wonderful artists and also purchase some incredible pieces. Thank you for reading!
