London Art Fair launches the art world year with its 2016 fair, taking place from 20-24 January. One of the UK’s premiere Modern British and contemporary art events, the fair brings together over 100 specially selected galleries from the UK and overseas. Returning to Islington’s Business Design Centre for its 28th edition, the event features the Main Fair sector alongside two curated zones entitled Art Projects and Photo50, focusing on younger galleries, new work and contemporary photography.
This year’s Main sector invites international exhibitors such as BEETLES+HUXLEY, Flowers Gallery, Glasgow Print Studio, Osborne Samuel, Paul Stolper Gallery, GX Gallery and others to showcase work by established and mid-career artists. The fair has also announced Jerwood Gallery, Hastings, as its museum partner for 2016. Key works from the Jerwood Collection by notable artists including Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, John Piper, John Tunnard and Christopher Wood will feature in a unique exhibition illustrating the ways in which the British coastline has shaped and influenced the careers of selected artists.
Meanwhile, providing a platform for freshly founded galleries, Art Projects returns with large-scale installations, solo shows and group displays, alongside an extensive Film programme. Forming a crucial part of Art Projects this year is Dialogues. Curated by Natasha Hoare, Associate Curator at the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, the section is dedicated to fostering a community of emerging international galleries and features collaborative presentations between invited UK and overseas gallery partners. The five Dialogue collaborations in 2016 are: Copperfield (London) / NEST (The Hague), Division of Labour (Worcester) / NOME (Berlin), l’étrangère (London) / Base-Alpha Gallery (Antwerp), The RYDER (London)/ All Together Now (Rotterdam), and TJ Boulting (London) / Leslie (Berlin).
London Art Fair draws on the expertise of Federica Chiocchetti, Founding Director of the Photocaptionist, for Photo50: a guest curated exhibition of 50 contemporary photographic works. In 2016, the section takes on the theme of Feminine Masculine, and is loosely inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s 1966 masterpiece Masculin Féminin. Presented with a feminine narrative voice, it features the work of primarily, yet not exclusively, contemporary female artists that subtly play with the theme. Participating photographers include: Laia Abril, Ekaterina Anokhina, Jo Broughton, Natasha Caruana, Elinor Carucci, Francesca Catastini, Discipula, Timothy Prus, Maija Tammi, Mariken Wessels and others.
London Art Fair is currently offering 30% off standard day tickets. Book your place by 18 December and quote LAF800. The advanced ticket price is £15, with the code £10.50. On the door tickets will be £20 each.
London Art Fair, 20-24 January 2016, Business Design Centre, Islington, London.
For more, visit www.londonartfair.co.uk.
Credits
1. Lala Meredith, Vula, Shifting Borders, Dombashawa, Zimbabwe, GX Gallery.
2. Elinor Carucci,Two eyes, 1993. Courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery
