London Art Fair - Critics’ Picks
The London Art Fair, established in 1989, marks the unofficial start of the London art year for many galleries, collectors and art fans. I’ve been many times over the years to browse, to buy, and more recently to review. This year I thought it would be interesting to get together a bunch of art critics, writers and podcasters and have them each pick “My Favourite Booth, and Why”.
It’s as simple as that.
The picks are below, sorted by booth code.
Brief bios for each of the panelists are at the end.
Ruup & Form (Booth 5)
Selected by Tabish — @londonartcritic
Empty seed pods woven into a textile piece by Rachna Garodia and a pastel coloured landscape painted on offcuts from the fashion industry by Siobhan McLaughlin may sound like complete opposites but they complement each other on Ruup & Form’s booth where every piece has a great materiality to it that makes me want to run my fingers across it - a temptation I manage to resist.
Alongside a sculpture that appears to be oozing out candy coloured pills and hanging flowers made from wood, this diverse set of works feel like they belong together. These artists shown by Ruup & Form are a group that’s on form.
Liss Llewellyn (Booth 31)
Selected by Nigel — @nigelip
Liss Llewellyn’s exquisite salon hang is a memorable treasure trove of overlooked 20th-century painters and printmakers, perfect for my obsession with works on paper. Outstanding draughtsmanship can be found in Alan Sorrell’s self-portrait and Joseph Southall’s red-chalk study of Anne Elizabeth Baker, while the original woodblock for Clare Leighton’s wood engraving ‘Farming’ ranks highly among my highlights. Similarly, a cancelled state impression of Robert Austin’s engraving ‘Midday Rest’ presents an aesthetic approach to cancelling the plate. Finally, Eric Ravilious’ only wallpaper design, depicting butterball crab apples on a plate, has manifested as a real mass product exactly 100 years later.
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Also selected by Rachel — @rachelkubrick
At #LondonArtFair2024, Liss Llewellyn’s risks paid off, from an ambitious salon hang to spotlighting unsung women artists. I’ve written about my ire toward the anachronistic salon before, but LL has impressively used this outmoded curation to refresh often antiquated artwork. Margaret Duncan’s gorgeous, four-panel landscape, however, notably gets the central wall almost to itself.
Eric Ravilious wallpaper envelopes the booth’s exterior, maintaining the maximalist design. I loved this—its difference from the typical stand, where walls of any hue count as creativity. A whimsical, monumental work by Barbara Jones, perfectly complementing Ravilious’ fruit design, was the apple of every passerby’s eye.
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Also selected by Verity — @veritybabbsart
Remarkably modern, wonderfully antique, Liss Llewellyn demonstrated how galleries don’t need to be showcasing recent graduates to be exciting. I was initially drawn to Booth 31 for its orange-printed wallpaper, upon which hung a framed painting of the same design. I thought it must be contemporary, and was surprised to find out that the painting was actually made by Eric Ravilious around 1924. Liss Llewellyn did well to commit to a busy salon hang, with visitors crouching down to view the lower-down pieces, helping to make this booth feel genuinely inviting - not just for those with their chequebooks out.
Fiumano Clase (Booth 36)
Selected by Gary — @mizogart
I am yet to walk away from visiting an art fair booth (or exhibition come to that) of Fiumano Clase, without being properly inspired; today was no exception.
They have intimate knowledge and relationships with each of their artists, when you visit, asking about the artwork/artist is a must.
Two large paintings, by Bulgarian artist Andreana Dobreva that adorn the back wall, draw you into the space; their figures emerging from beneath a celebration of lusciously textured brush strokes. Each oozes colour, movement and historical context... not to mention a heart-warming narrative, discovered only by visiting the booth yourself.
Vane (Booth E2)
Selected by Henry — @500_review
As I strolled through London Art Fair, I asked myself whether art criticism in an environment dedicated so inescapably to sales boiled down to pointing at things and saying ‘I’d buy that’. And yet for some wonderful reason people are interested in these fantasies.
I decided that I’d buy Stephen Palmer’s small acrylic painting, Something is very wrong, displayed at the Vane stand. It’s a study of scribbles on a scrunched sheet of paper; at the edge gleams a sliver of black. It contains a great deal of knowledge.
You have my word and your money. Do you need anything else?
Ricardo Fernandes Gallery (Booth E4)
Selected by Maawura — @FLOLondon_
At this year's London Art Fair, despite stiff competition, the booth by Ricardo Fernandes Gallery stood out to me. Showcasing the works of Juliana Sícoli and Lucia Adverse, their art tells a compelling story of women's oppression and resilience. The booth initially caught my attention due to a cubic layout of Barbie dolls, which, seemingly trivial at first glance, is, in fact, symbolic of a much deeper meaning. The installation forms part of Sícoli's series, Still I Speak, inspired by letters from women who faced injustice in Brazilian psychiatric hospitals. This is complemented by Lucia Adverse’s series of photography and collages, Natureza Viva (Living Nature), which uniquely connects trees to historical female figures, symbolising their shared resilience in adversity. Discovering these impactful pieces in the Encounters section felt particularly fitting, as they were the most thought-provoking encounter I experienced at this year's fair.
Mookji Gallery (Booth E5)
Selected by Darren — @LondonArtRoundup
Looking at this booth I felt like a tuft of dust staring up at a hoover hose. There was no way out. I was getting sucked in, because the works incorporated everything that draws my eye for my private collection: abstracted patterns, architectural motifs, highly textural, rich vibrant colours and a bit of humour.
Lee Bu-Kang pays respect to ramshackle shelters found in poor areas of S. Korea, collaged using fragments from the actual structures that are now long gone.
The MAHCHEN abstracts are child-like Rothkos that don’t reveal their Matrix-style symbols and smiling bunnies until you get quite close.
&Gallery (Booth G2)
Selected by Jo — @josarthistory
For me, this Edinburgh-based gallery gave other stands a schooling on a less is more approach when curating your booth.
I was stopped in my tracks by the subtle kaleidoscope of colours that greeted me, and drawn in further by the considered hang of the booth. What kept me on the stand was their playful mix of materials, textures and sizes.
A particular mention must go to the smaller mixed-media works of Anke Roder, which were a joy to explore and behold. A reminder that the works which pack the biggest punches are not always the largest.
Liminal Gallery (Booth P2)
Selected by Sophie — @professional_art_bullshitter
I’m easy, just…
1. Show sculpture.
2. Show something that’s damn hard to sell - be bold.
3. Use vibrant colours, but don’t be kitschy.
4. Don't hold a broom up your a** - be approachable.
5. Have a nice little gallery.
6. Make it easy to buy art - be transparent.
7. Prepare a text about the show on a non-standard paper.
8. Bear with me while I complain about the art world - be cool.
The list is longer than I intended, but Liminal Gallery ticked all of the boxes. The founder and artist were super nice! Visit their booth at P2!
Soho Revue Gallery (Booth P5)
Selected by Bella — @bellabonner
I found the London Art Fair a bit of a drag; the prevalence of secondary market dealers with overstuffed booths left me feeling like I was meandering around an upmarket car boot sale, but with second-rate pieces by Bridget Riley and Lucian Freud taking the place of well-worn trainers and mildly chipped jugs.
The Platforms section, curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley, offered welcome reprieve. The intimate, pink-hued space held a sense of coherence and intention somewhat lacking elsewhere in the fair. Of the young galleries featured, I particularly enjoyed Soho Revue’s solo booth of Taro-inspired etchings by Nooka Shepherd.
Plan your visit
‘London Art Fair’ runs from 17-21 Jan
Tickets from £20.50 for a 1-day pass
Visit londonartfair.co.uk and follow @londonartfair on Instagram for more info and to buy tickets.
Venue: Business Design Centre, Islington, N1 0QH
The Critics Panel
London Art Roundup is proud to partner with and support the following art lovers who generously donated their time to this project:
Bella - @bellabonner — Bella Bonner-Evans is a curator and arts journalist focussed on platforming and supporting emerging artists. She is the Curator and Head of Sales at STUDIO WEST, and her writing has been featured in publications such as Artsy, Elephant and Bricks Magazine.
Gary - @mizogart — Gary Mansfield is an artist, curator, speaker and the founder and host of The Ministry of Arts Podcast. He is an outspoken advoate of 'art for all', is a Trustee of two art charites (Koestler Arts and The Drug of Art) and has written for Art Seen and is a regular Arts contributor to Inside Time (national prison newspaper).
Henry - @500_review — 500 Review is a blog featuring regular 500-word reviews of art exhibitions, mostly in London. It aims to provide a critical dimension for smaller shows that might otherwise escape the notice of the press. It is written by Henry Tudor Pole, a writer and art historian.
Jo - @josarthistory — Jo McLaughlin is an art historian, curator and writer based in London. She is the Senior Curator for Acrylicize and hosts the global iTunes top 40 podcast Jo's Art History Podcast. linktr.ee/josarthistory
Maawura - founder of @flolondon_ — Maawura is the founder of FLO London, an arts, culture, and lifestyle platform, born from her engineering background and a deep desire to champion creative expression.
Nigel - @nigelip — Nigel Ip is a freelance critic and art historian. His reviews have featured in Print Quarterly, Trois Crayons, ars longa, and Museum Bookstore. nigelip.com
Rachel - @rachelkubrick — Rachel is a writer and art administrator based in London. She has written and edited for a variety of art websites, magazines, and journals, and is a regular contributor to Ocula.
Sophie - @professional_art_bullshitter — Sophie Nowakowska is a freelance curator, art critic, and mentor. She frequently writes about contemporary art, focusing especially on examining and critiquing the culture of art exhibitions.
Tabish - @londonartcritic — Tabish believes passionately in making art accessible for everyone. He's the art critic for Londonist and writes for Culture Whisper, FAD and others. He's a trustee of City & Guilds London Art School, Discerning Eye and ArtCan.
Verity - @veritybabbsart — is an art critic, presenter, and comedian. In 2023 she has worked on presenting projects for Tate, London Art Fair, and London Art Studies, has written for The Guardian, Hyperallergic, and Artnet News, and her art-themed comedy night 'Art Laughs' has performed at the National Gallery, Royal Museums Greenwich, and Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.
…and of course, me!
Darren - @LondonArtRoundup — Has been collecting art for 20 years. Now an independent critic, he sees as many shows as he can, but only writes about the good ones. This is his site.
One more note:
Many thanks to the London Art Fair press & design team for their support, and creating the custom image used on this post.
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