0:00
welcome to the London art fair this is
0:01
their 37th Year Edition we're going to
0:03
explore the entire Place Bella thank you
0:05
so much for taking the time to have a
0:06
quick conversation with and you run this
0:09
Gallery which is really really cool we
0:11
want to ask you a question about how new
0:13
artists can make a start to sort of like
0:15
make their way into a gallery any advice
0:17
you give the start is I completely
0:19
connect I think it's like the hardest
0:21
thing in the world you kind of finish
0:22
art school and you get dropped off into
0:24
this big ocean and have no idea who to
0:27
trust or what to do so completely
0:29
resonate I think the biggest thing is to
0:31
just keep making um make portfolios of
0:34
your work put prices on them go to
0:37
Gallery shows talk to people build up
0:39
your network I think that's the most
0:41
important thing it's about the networks
0:43
isn't it it's about attending the events
0:44
it's about making those connections get
0:46
a business card make your own business
0:48
card spread them around that's the sort
0:49
of thing you need to do isn't it each
0:51
year the London art fair partners with
0:52
the museum this year is the samsy center
0:54
in which they're hosting works by
0:56
Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso let's
0:58
explore the works they have to offer and
0:59
see how incredible this art fa really is
1:01
you are director of the ssby center
1:03
which here today is showcasing works
1:05
from Francis Bacon Pablo pigasso and
1:07
you're doing such an interesting work
1:09
about becoming an artwork yourself in
1:11
which I have actually filled out one of
1:12
the cards and have become
1:14
so I'm really interested in how
1:17
this works can you explain just what the
1:19
idea behind this is please sure so we
1:21
run one of the best art museums in the
1:23
world which is located in Norfolk and
1:25
it's an incredible collection housed in
1:27
a Norman Foster building and over the
1:29
last four years we've been on quite a
1:31
radical mission to try and shake up how
1:33
people experience art within a museum
1:35
environment fantastic I love that how
1:37
are you finding it here at the London
1:38
art fair presenting all these incredible
1:40
works so yeah so here as you can see
1:42
we've got the glass case where you get
1:44
inside the glass case and become the
1:45
work of art and then the art is X case
1:47
looking at you and as soon as you do
1:49
that you flip the agency you become
1:51
objectified and you feel what it's like
1:54
to actually reverse it and I don't know
1:55
what you felt when you got inside the
1:56
case I haven't quite been in yet let's
1:58
get get in we can Frey fantastic but uh
2:00
we can get in but when you come inside
2:03
the sound insulates and you feel a bit
2:05
trapped and then just look at the eyes
2:07
looking at you when you're inside and
2:09
see what you're feeling I am I am the
2:12
object you are the I am and you get
2:15
judged right you feel like you're being
2:16
judged you feel yeah yeah there's lots
2:18
of eyes are I love this concept I love
2:21
this idea yeah so it flips the agency
2:23
and you feel like the Art's looking at
2:25
you and judging you and then like what
2:27
can you give back right what can you do
2:28
with art to to sort of develop that
2:31
relationship bit further a good aspect
2:33
of the fact that art is alive but
2:34
doesn't speak is that it won't share
2:36
your secrets so we also ask people at s
2:38
Center to find an artwork and tell it a
2:41
secret that you would never tell another
2:43
human being I love that tell it a secret
2:45
you would never tell another human being
2:47
because you can trust the artwork not to
2:49
share the secret and then art can be a
2:51
place where you explore your innermost
2:53
thoughts and explore the biggest
2:54
questions that you have in your life and
2:56
then art can be that place of
2:58
inspiration or information or Intrigue
3:01
to help you actually go on that journey
3:02
and explore those questions yourself
3:03
that's great I love that we got to go to
3:07
fantastic the London art fair presents
3:09
130 different galleries from around the
3:11
world from 18 different countries it's
3:13
an incredible medium and platform to
3:15
experience and view art this year
3:17
they're setting the president for what
3:18
we can expect to see in the art world
3:21
year how are you going about in that
3:24
sort of initiative way towards students
3:26
attending the art fairs so I think for
3:29
the fair we always want to make sure
3:31
that um the fair evolves to reflect
3:34
what's happening in the market and
3:36
actually what is it that is engaging and
3:39
attracting um the full breadth of
3:41
collectors and visitors that come so our
3:44
attendees of the fair You Know cover as
3:47
as the artwork does in itself it covers
3:50
everything from sort of more historical
3:51
pieces from 20th century British art
3:54
right through to very International
3:56
emerging art and in that it means that
3:58
we also um attract and engage an
4:00
audience that you know can be sort of
4:03
more senior established um you know
4:06
serious collectors that are buying for
4:09
themselves as individuals or perhaps for
4:10
an institution um and looking at um
4:13
artworks of more sort of serious stature
4:15
and price points but for us we're keen
4:18
to continue to sort of you know keep
4:21
that um whole sort of life cycle and the
4:24
Ecology of the art world going by
4:25
introducing new arti artists sorry
4:28
audiences and and visitors to come so
4:32
accessibility and you know creating
4:34
entrylevel opportunities for audiences
4:37
and art lovers is is really key to us um
4:40
so you know for us if people don't have
4:44
yet a budget or the confidence or
4:46
knowledge start buying we still want to
4:49
invite them and engage them with the
4:51
fair because for us you know building
4:53
that confidence building their knowledge
4:56
is as important as looking after that
4:58
serious collector that knows exactly
5:00
what they want to buy you both have that
5:02
prestige level and that entry level
5:04
which is so accessible for so many
5:05
people even as students it's so
5:08
incredibly welcoming to be welcomed into
5:09
the artfare and to come and talk to
5:11
people like you who run the entire thing
5:12
which is so incredible this is the
5:14
encounter section this is a beautiful
5:16
concept by the London artfare allowing
5:18
more beginner and startup galleries a
5:20
space in more prestigious environment to
5:22
Showcase and explore works and present
5:24
them to people who might be really
5:25
really interested in a lower budget
5:27
scale artwork and starting their
5:29
collection this is the place where not
5:31
only artists but galleries also get to
5:33
experience and experiment in new ways of
5:35
presenting artwork that comes into this
5:37
idea of how artwork is experienced by
5:40
the viewer and it's activated when it's
5:42
on view by the audience it's such an
5:44
incredible idea such as these artworks
5:46
here presented in one of the most unique
5:47
ways that we've seen here in the art
5:49
fair this is in the encounter section as
5:51
well as that we have down here A bunch
5:53
of cardboard boxes it's so incredible to
5:55
see artwork like this presented as a
5:57
startup gallery and as an artist it's is
5:59
from Brazil and I really like these
6:01
artworks as a gona what would you look
6:04
for from an artist that you might want
6:06
to sign on uh for me it's consistency so
6:09
I want to see that you're producing work
6:12
that has like a I guess a consistent
6:14
theme or you have a language that's
6:16
really yours um and that you're keeping
6:19
to that constantly you're not copying
6:21
anyone else like you're not getting
6:22
swayed by things you're seeing in the
6:24
market um but you're really staying true
6:26
to who you are that's such a fantastic
6:28
answer l time it's follow the trend find
6:31
out what's working stick with it but
6:32
you've got such a unique perspective on
6:35
that interactive art this is a lingerie
6:39
washing machine the core conceptual idea
6:42
of this is about Fetti sizing technology
6:44
such as with the lingerie washing
6:46
machine and with a microwave it's such
6:48
an interesting idea to use proper
6:51
materials that are used for lingerie to
6:53
represent ideas of technology I really
7:01
how would you say people currently
7:03
experience art within a museum exir I
7:05
think that the museum construct set up
7:07
in the 18th century understood art as
7:09
property and the museum is this sort of
7:11
ownership structure that owns the
7:13
property on behalf of an audience
7:15
Absolut and then the public benefit from
7:17
getting access to it I think that's the
7:18
sort that's such a great way of putting
7:19
it there's such a big debate around the
7:21
British Museum and stuff hosting
7:22
artworks like that so what are you doing
7:24
to change that narrative well I'm very
7:26
interested in changing that narrative
7:27
because I think that if you understand
7:28
Art's property it denies the emotional
7:30
power of what it can do in people's
7:31
lives it creates a sort of atmosphere
7:33
that there's some sort of authority that
7:35
tells you how you should experience this
7:37
and that rules out like half the country
7:38
most people don't like going into
7:40
museums true um and also it's difficult
7:42
to justify owning other people stuff
7:44
it's if that's the starting point of why
7:46
you exist is not maybe the best one so
7:48
hence the idea of becoming an artwork
7:50
yourself feeling almost objectified with
7:52
having artworks and eyes looking at you
7:55
as you are the artwork yes so the
7:57
starting point of that is that we
7:59
understand the ction as being alive that
8:01
great artists have an ability to channel
8:03
the sort of raw energy of what it means
8:05
to be human and in the case of Visual
8:07
Arts physically manifest that into
8:08
something and at that moment this anima
8:11
actually exists within the work and so
8:13
we ask people to meet art much more like
8:14
they might another person than they
8:16
would in an animate object so humanizing
8:18
the artwork that are just on display for
8:20
people to eyeball and like and just look
8:22
at and think they're just there yeah
8:24
like humaniz as in like the artwork
8:26
isn't human like it doesn't run around
8:28
doesn't chat but it is of humans it has
8:30
power so it absolutely has the emotional
8:33
power like great art speaks to people
8:34
and creates that emotional relationship
8:36
because of what that's what it is it's
8:37
actually a me materialization of some of
8:39
the most interesting individuals
8:41
movements and cultures that have ever
8:42
existed on the planet so if you can get
8:44
people to do that form a different type
8:46
of relationship then you can really go
8:48
on the way to helping people that's
8:49
fantastic from Manchester to Lisbon this
8:53
is where the artworks from around the
8:54
world and startup galleries get to share
8:56
their Works in such an incredible
8:58
environment here here in London at the
9:00
art fair among the 130 galleries that
9:03
you will find here and the thousands of
9:04
artworks presented at the London Gallery
9:06
you will also find a personal favorite
9:08
of the cameraman with a painting of a
9:10
woman crying over spilled milk with
9:12
David Hawkin to my right and LS Lowry to
9:15
my left the London artfare is also a
9:17
place to experience such prestigious
9:19
artists and artworks that just in an
9:21
environment you wouldn't really expect
9:22
to see them but I love being able to see
9:24
them and I love being able to experience
9:25
them in such an incredible environment
9:27
surrounded by so many other artists and
9:29
their galleries you mentioned about
9:31
people attending the art fairs what
9:32
about exhibiting how would somebody
9:34
start to exhibit at a fair like this yes
9:37
so we um we are sitting in the VIP Lou
9:40
at the minute which um yeah congrat you
9:42
made it um which overlooks our encounter
9:45
section of the fair so encounter is a
9:48
section that we established probably
9:51
coming up to 20 years ago um and we
9:53
wanted to create a space in the fair
9:56
that we as a business um created a
9:59
structure whereby the stands in this
10:01
section cost um probably 75% less than a
10:05
stand in the main Fair because probably
10:07
the most major barrier for a young
10:10
gallery to exhibit in an art fair is the
10:12
cost of doing so you know fairs are a
10:14
costly business they're hugely expensive
10:17
to stage but it was really important for
10:19
us to create a model whereby we could
10:21
afford to subsidize a section of the
10:23
fair where young galleries both UK based
10:26
and international galleries could come
10:28
to London you know London is a really
10:30
important Global art capital and so you
10:33
know for an international gallery to
10:34
come and engage with our audiences here
10:38
um you know we've created a model that
10:39
means there's an affordable way for them
10:41
to do that so it also means that you
10:44
know if you break down that barrier then
10:46
they also don't have to compromise or
10:49
limit their Ambitions in terms of you
10:52
know maybe artwork Which is less
10:54
commercial if you've got a gallery whose
10:56
artists work in performance or
10:57
installation art which may be more
10:59
difficult to sell you know there's
11:00
probably a smaller collector B the story
11:03
of Alfred Wallace is one of a tragic
11:05
tale he died with three pound in his
11:07
pocket St Ives back in the 1930s was a
11:10
rather impoverished area the human drive
11:12
to create is showcased so well here this
11:16
man would paint on cardboard and any
11:18
medium he could find from cardboard to
11:20
paper to little pieces of shipwreck this
11:23
man died with3 pounds in his pocket and
11:25
wasn't even allowed to be buried in St
11:27
Ives Cemetery purely because he couldn't
11:29
for it when he died the human drive to
11:32
create is one of a tale that can only be
11:34
expressed by what is shown in paintings
11:36
of this manner this is something I love
11:39
about art fests I get to be stood in the
11:41
middle of between these two huge
11:43
artworks this one here which is realism
11:45
and a woman being depicted it's
11:47
incredible to stand next to this right
11:49
next to me on my left I can be standing
11:51
next to this beautiful artwork of giant
11:53
red and it's just such incredible
11:55
experience to stand between these two
11:57
and experience the different contrasts
11:59
while being also entitled to their scale
12:01
that they have exhibited between each
12:03
other this is what the art fairs are for
12:05
to experience something like this in the
12:07
same Gallery in the same room and then
12:09
just across we have other so many other
12:11
artworks to be experienced it's the
12:13
thing that I love it's the thing that
12:15
should be seen especially in the London
12:17
art fa we have sculptures that are so
12:19
beautifully exhibited just here just you
12:21
could almost touch them but you don't
12:23
want to but next to peirs next to this
12:26
next to realistic artworks this is what
12:29
art world is for what more do you know
12:32
yasine you've come to our Aid to help us
12:34
work out a small debate over these
12:35
artworks which cie and myself have got a
12:38
small problem with what is it exactly
12:40
we're meant to be seeing interpreting
12:43
understanding this artwork well um happy
12:46
to come to your Aid um so Dro is first
12:49
of all a fantastic Colombian artist the
12:52
idea sort of behind his his works is he
12:55
bases a lot of his subject matter on
12:57
very sort of classical influences very
13:00
Barack very Renaissance and then he
13:02
takes the thread of color and pulls it
13:05
and all this abstraction comes out all
13:07
this gorgeous color all this movement
13:09
and emotion and the idea is that it
13:12
doesn't depict one particular thing it's
13:14
a very open narrative so that you can
13:16
look at the work one day and see one
13:18
thing and then look at the work the
13:20
another day and see something else so he
13:21
sort of really leaves it for the viewer
13:23
to have their own emotional input their
13:26
own imaginative input into it just um
13:29
wondering about the technique so so he
13:32
paints like a classical renaissance type
13:35
painting and then smears it no no so he
13:38
he bu he builds it he builds the
13:40
abstraction into the into the piece yes
13:42
as he goes yeah amazing okay I
13:46
understand it I like that okay no
13:47
worries happy to help thank you much
13:49
appreciate it cheers no worries how do
13:52
you find presenting the artworks here at
13:54
the London artfare um we've loved it
13:56
it's been amazing we've tried to present
13:58
positive work look like this one by Zach
14:00
um so far so good yeah we saw the giant
14:02
pink one and we were like yes it's
14:04
exciting it's fantastic we really you
14:07
just enter this space and you're
14:08
surrounded by this color The Works
14:10
they're incredible absolutely incredible
14:13
what makes me so excited about coming to
14:14
artas is the experience of seeing
14:17
artwork like I said before artwork is
14:19
activated when it's seen by the viewer I
14:21
personally enjoy and love so much going
14:23
to art as an art student myself I get to
14:25
talk to so many people I get to make
14:27
networks I get to see artwork that I
14:30
thought I would never be able to get
14:31
within this close of seeing I don't want
14:33
to touch it but it's so amazing to see
14:35
and talk to the amazing people that are
14:37
telling us how we can experience art for
14:40
ourselves Cassie you seem to have a
14:41
fantastic understanding of this work
14:43
which is called bury the living you've
14:45
you've explained it to me in such an
14:46
incredible way now explain it to the
14:48
camera so this cyanotype really reflects
14:50
the amount of different techniques that
14:52
you'll find in this art fair and it is
14:55
made um through collecting the plant
15:00
collecting the um Fox that was found
15:03
dead then the process of Taxidermy on
15:05
the fox and scanning it in separate
15:07
segments and then digitally combining it
15:10
all together and waiting for the sun to
15:12
do its job to create this amazing
15:14
cyanotype and it is just the most
15:16
amazing process I've never heard
15:18
anything like it and then moving on to
15:20
this one is the kind of before and after
15:23
this is the same Fox but decomposed and
15:26
its bones used in the same manner to to
15:29
create scans and digitally combine it to
15:31
create this amazing piece such an
15:33
incredible idea to be able to do that
15:36
with cyanotype and with like the
15:38
different scans you can see the
15:39
different like comb combination of the
15:41
two you've got the skull you got the
15:43
bones the rest of it's all sort of like
15:44
stitched together such a cool idea it's
15:46
amazing and I've never seen a cyano type
15:49
in so many different colors like it's
15:50
always blue and white but this was such
15:52
an experimental thing she the artist
15:54
told me that she uses turmeric and uh
15:57
different coffee grounds and things to
15:59
like experiment with the color which is
16:01
really original such a fantastic idea I
16:03
love it what do you think about large
16:08
presented okay this is a hard one as a
16:11
gallerist ladar works are really hard
16:14
I'm not going to lie I'll be really
16:15
honest with you but they capture that
16:16
attention but they have the well um they
16:19
really do have the well and they invite
16:21
you into your little world which is
16:22
really important but equally small scale
16:24
works that do exactly the same thing
16:26
well I think you've done a fantastic job
16:28
at curating this and thank you so much
16:30
for taking time to have a quick
16:31
conversation with us and wish you the
16:32
best of luck for the rest of the evening
16:33
thank you thank you so much the art fair
16:35
is one of the most impressive art fairs
16:37
that I have ever experienced and truly
16:39
truly set such an incredible president
16:41
for what we can expect in the future of
16:43
the art World they are breaking down
16:45
barriers that are set that really
16:47
shouldn't have ever been set before
16:49
they're including more art students more
16:51
younger artists really young Galleries
16:53
and are creating such an incredible
16:55
environment for people to present works
16:57
and experience works Works in such as
16:59
for younger collectors younger artists
17:02
and more people to experience what this
17:03
world of art really should be this is
17:06
the place that artworks from any form of
17:08
mediums are seen in the world in the art
17:10
scene we've seen sculptures paintings
17:12
ultra realistic artworks we've seen pain
17:15
we've seen sculptures that are made out
17:16
of pennies we've seen the world of art
17:19
exhibited here at the London artfit this
17:21
is where art comes to be seen it's where
17:22
it comes to be thrived artwork is
17:25
activated when it's seen by the audience
17:27
and the viewer this is what the London
17:29
artfare does best thank you so much to
17:31
the London art fair for inviting us back
17:32
for another year it's always such an
17:34
incredible highlight to come and not
17:36
only view but experience all the
17:38
incredible artworks Galleries and people
17:40
here that present thank you so much and
17:42
we hope to see you again next year