One of the country’s largest art fairs has been taking place this weekend in the East End of London. The Other Art Fair has been sharing space at the Truman Brewery complex to put on a real showcase of some of the best artistic talent around with people coming from far and wide to see it.
The good thing about fairs like this is the you get the chance to speak to and buy from the artists direct and there really is a lot of art to choose from. Excepting the fact that buying a drink will set you back a small fortune you could if you wanted to very easily stay all day and just wander round spotting something new each time.
So for this post I wanted to find some new and exciting artists who were exhibiting at the Other Art Fair and make the effort to learn a little bit more about their work. I’ve whittled the list down to 10 which was no mean feat given some of the talent on display and my criteria was solely ‘do I like it?’ So here it is, the 10 artists which the Other Art Fair has told us we should be looking out for.
Ant Carver – wwww.antcarver.com
Combining fine art with street art Carvers portraits are quite striking and I was immediately drawn to them. The portrait itself is outlined in black whilst the background and the face then become swirls of colour giving a graffiti type feel to it. To see more of Carvers work check out his website here.
Rosetta Whitehead – www.rosettawhitehead.com
Painting pictures with light Rosetta is a photographer who according to her biography aims to “push the limits of photography and create surreal imagery in a dark room without the use of photoshop. She terms her artform ‘light painting’ and is able to create some striking images saying that she is looking for images which are “mystical, ethereal, fragile and momentary”. But more importantly she says images that are serene, “It is a sense of serenity that I am most obsessed with realizing in my work.” To see more of Rosetta’s work check out her website here.
Damilola Odusote – www.damilolaartist.com
Damilola’s illustrations are playful and unique. Often incorporating a 3D element to his work the resultant effect can be more like an installation. Prominent amongst his work was his new ‘reveal’ series featuring a new faceless character the artist has been playing with. His website has an interesting quote “I want to create something so detailed, so immense, that is is impossible to imagine.” Check it out here.
Caroline Hall – www.carolinehall.net
A graduate of of Winchester School of Art, Caroline creates abstract landscapes creating “images that are glimpsed as layers of pixels or streaks of brilliant colour.” The work that struck me the most were her landscapes of blurring colours as viewed from a moving train, namely the Aldgate to Liverpool Street painting which is quite near where I live. The resultant landscape looks blurred but is so rich in colour and tone with everything blending into each other just like it is when you look out of a moving train window. To see more of Carolines work have a look here.
Carl Grauer – www.carlgrauer.com
Originally from Kansas but now based in London Carl explains on his website “In my painting I explore the construction of identity and the rendering of likeness through portraiture. I look to the practice as a method to connect with an individual, to capture the essence of the subject, and moreover to define one’s place in time.” I was really struck with the intensity of some of his portraits capturing the intensity of the sitter with an incredible skill. It’s all the more impressive when you think that Grauer can create these portraits in just two hours, a service he describes as “the new selfie.” For more examples of his work check out his website here.
Keira Rathbone – wwww.keirarathbone.com
Keira produces her art on a typewriter and has become known as the typewriter artist. Managing to create amazing works of art via the clunking of the keys she is one artist guaranteed to raise a crowd and indeed she did as a number of live displays during the fair proved. She certainly has a unique style and it’s worth checking out some of her other work which can be seen here. (nb – I found out afterwards that Keira was actually exhibiting at Moniker but we’ll keep her on the list as a special case as she’s a real talent and still one to watch)
Damla T. Faro – www.dtfaro.com
With work influenced from fairy tales faro’s work makes you look again often taking familiar stories and placing a twist onto them. Speaking about her work on her website Faro says “My main aim is to examine the significance of these stories to our adult world. These stories we hear from a very young age mould us. Morally, socially and emotionally… they are quite complex, with double meanings and multiple interpretations.” The resultant creations make you want to find out more and take a second glance and more of her work can be found here.
Harley Swedler – www.harleyswedler.com
Possibly the most interactive stand at the Other Art Fair, Harley has a number of exhibitions planned all over Europe with his unique brand of personal art. Videos of him lip syncing to music and pencil sketches of icons from his past take centre stage and are a lot of fun to look at. For more about Harley’s unique and interactive style of art have a look at his website.
Roys People – www.royspeople.com
Roys People has become ever more imaginative with his playful worlds becoming ever more intricate. His installations and photography certainly got a lot of attention and his little people look like they are having a lot of fun. For more work by Roys People check out his website here.
Sam Peacock – www.samuelpeacock.com
Sam’s work is all about fire and the process of burning and the effects different materials can have when burnt onto sheet metal. He uses a variety of materials including coffee and liquorice, the different types all of which having a different burn. His next series he says will be about fracking, it’s going to be intriguing to see what he’ll do about that. For more pictures of Sams work have a look at his website here.
The Other Art Fair is an artist led art fair which takes place in the Old Truman Brewery from 16-19 November 2014 which alongside the Moniker Art Fair in the same venue is one of the best opportunities to buy affordable art around.
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