London Art Fair 2017

Image : Young Girl (!!!) Wendy McMurdo

London Art Fair, the UK’s premier fair for Modern British and contemporary art, returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington, from 18-22 January 2017. Known for its welcoming and supportive environment for collectors of all levels, the 2017 Fair will see over 125 galleries showcase the very best contemporary and modern art from the UK and around the world.

Photo50 at London Art Fair 2017: ‘Gravitas’ curated by Christiane Monarchi

MADISON BLACKWOOD / BRONTË CORDES / SIAN DAVEY / SOPHIE GREEN / FRANCES KEARNEY / BAPTISTE LIGNEL / ANTHONY LUVERA / MELANIE MANCHOT / WENDY MCMURDO / YVETTE MONAHAN / SPENCER MURPHY / JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT / ABBIE TRAYLER-SMITH

Thirteen photographic and lens-based artists have been selected for Photo50 at London Art Fair 2017. Entitled ‘Gravitas’, this year’s edition is curated by Christiane Monarchi, founding editor of the online magazine Photomonitor. The annual, guest-curated exhibition provides a critical showcase of some of the most innovative and distinctive elements of contemporary photographic practice.

‘Gravitas’ is inspired by the Latin word denoting ‘depth of character’ or ‘solemnity’, and associated with the transition of the ancient Roman youth from boyhood to adult life. The 50 works presented in Photo50 provide a window into the worlds of adults-in-waiting, framing fleeting moments in their development between childhood and maturity with lived experience and memory. Potential narratives encompass a vast range of themes including identity formation, play, mental health, obesity, LGBT* culture, masculinity and femininity, role models, as well as looking at subcultures and the impact of the connected world on teenage experience.

Inclusivity and acceptance is a central theme. Sophie Green, Spencer Murphy and Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert investigate youth subcultures through the ‘boyracer’, biking and Scottish Common Riding festival scenes, respectively. Anthony Luvera collaborated with lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* people in Brighton to explore contemporary attitudes and representations of queer communities.

Melanie Manchot and Sian Davey each trace the development of a single girl over time – a total of eight years from ages 11-18 in Manchot’s moving image installation. Meanwhile Yvette Monahan’s rural Irish landscapes form the portrait of a boy whose DNA connects the Bronze Age to the contemporary world. Other projects – including Brontë Cordes’ 21 and Madison Blackwood’s Dobe – are intensely personal reflections on growing-up from the perspective of young, recently graduated artists.

A photobook highlighted in the exhibition, Baptiste Lignel’s Pop Pills (published by Dewi Lewis), charts the development of nine American teenagers with an array of psychological pathologies through candid interviews over several years. Also reflecting on the link between inner worlds and outer appearances, Abbie Trayler-Smith demonstrates the complex, nuanced nature of obesity by documenting the experiences of teenagers in her ongoing project The Big O.

The influence of the virtual world pervades much of the work in the exhibition, too, with Wendy McMurdo examining the impact that the computer and digital culture have had on the lives of primary school children through digitally modified school portraits. Conversely, Frances Kearney presents scenes in which girls explore post-industrial landscapes, seemingly free from any of the restraints of a digital existence.

As diverse in form as they are in subject, portraits feature heavily alongside landscape and group shots, with video installation, wallpaper, drawings and diptych prints also included. The majority of these works are being exhibited for the first time in London, and there are a number of UK and world exclusives.

Christiane Monarchi says: ‘It is fascinating to consider the many forces shaping the interior world of children and adolescents as they enter the adult world today, as portrayed by this selection of lens-based artists. I'm interested in the simultaneous endeavour of older photographers looking in on adolescence from the outside, while other younger artists are reflecting on this formative period in life having recently emerged from it.’

London Art Fair’s Photography Focus Day takes place on Wednesday 18 January 2017 including talks by Photo50 artists and Christiane Monarchi, panel discussions given by Photoworks and The Photographers’ Gallery and tours from art historian and photography critic Jean Wainwright. The programme will explore themes of participatory methods of working, the importance of materiality in photography and current trends and opportunities for collecting photography.

Alongside Photo50, contemporary photography is exhibited widely throughout the Fair by galleries including ARTITLEDcontemporary, Purdy Hicks Gallery, Galerija Fotografija, Noorforart Contemporary, Crane Kalman Brighton, Flowers Gallery and Pi Artworks Istanbul/ London.

Image : Seated Nude, Courtyard, Greenleaves,c1942, Ivon Hitchens

The Lightbox museum partnership and new curators announced

For its 29th edition, London Art Fair has announced The Lightbox, Woking as its 2017 museum partner, with an exhibition of Modern British art from The Ingram Collection titled Ten Years: A Century of Art. This follows successful partnerships with Jerwood Gallery in 2016, Pallant House Gallery in 2015 and The Hepworth Wakefield in 2014.

Miguel Amado, curator of the Portuguese Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale and currently senior curator at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, has been appointed guest curator for Art Projects ‘Dialogues’, while Christiane Monarchi, Editor of Photomonitor, will curate Photo50 under the title Gravitas.

Upper Street Events has also appointed Lee Cavaliere, former Head of Contemporary at The Fine Art Society, as Sales Manager and Tanya Pineault, former Corporate Hospitality Manager for Art Basel, Hong Kong, as VIP Relations Manager for London Art Fair. Working closely with Director Sarah Monk, Cavaliere will have responsibility for gallery development.

Museum partnership with The Lightbox, Woking –
Ten Years: A Century of Art

To mark its tenth anniversary since opening in 2007, The Lightbox gallery and museum, in Woking, Surrey, will display significant works from The Ingram Collection of Modern British Art, in Ten Years: A Century of Art; a unique exhibition in the pavilion at the entrance to London Art Fair 2017.

Founded by media entrepreneur Chris Ingram in 2002, The Ingram Collection is widely acknowledged as one of Europe’s most significant collections of Modern British art and is further distinguished by its loan to The Lightbox for public display in a series of rotating exhibitions since 2007. Works from the collection are also regularly loaned to international and national exhibitions.

Ten Years: A Century of Art will include key works by twentieth century artists such as Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson and Eric Ravilious. Curated by Peter Hall, Curator of The Lightbox, and Jo Baring, Curator of The Ingram Collection, this exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture will demonstrate the breadth, depth and quality of The Ingram Collection, and tell the story of a century of British Art rich in innovation and discovery.

Art Projects: ‘Dialogues’ curated by Miguel Amado

Art Projects is an important international platform for galleries to showcase the most stimulating contemporary practice. Dedicated to fostering a community of emerging international galleries, Art Projects ‘Dialogues’ is a unique and much anticipated section of the Fair which features collaborative presentations between invited UK and international gallery partners.

‘Dialogues’ will be curated in 2017 by Miguel Amado, Senior Curator at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. Amado brings a wealth of international experience to the role, including his work as curator for Joana Vasconcelos’ Portuguese Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale and appointments at institutions such as Tate St Ives, the PLMJ Foundation in Lisbon, and the Centro de Artes Visuais in Coimbra, Portugal. Other projects include apexart in New York, Frieze Projects at Frieze London and No Soul for Sale: A Festival of Independents at the X Initiative in New York and Tate Modern in London.

Photo50 curated by Christiane Monarchi
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Photo50 is an annual guest-curated exhibition at the Fair which provides a critical showcase of some of the most interesting and distinctive elements of current photographic practice. Christiane Monarchi, Editor of Photomonitor, has been appointed as guest curator for the 2017 edition with a group exhibition of lens-based works entitled ‘Gravitas’. In ancient Roman society, presence of gravitas signalled the transition of the Roman youth from the ranks of boyhood to become a respected member of society. At a time when childhood itself is coming under increasing pressure from society, in both real and virtual arenas, Monarchi’s Photo50 exhibition will highlight the work of photographers who explore this path through adolescence today.

Image : Paysage, 1948. William Gear

London Art Fair has announced highlights of the most international Art Projects to date, including;
> A curated showcase of the freshest contemporary art from across the world
> Dialogues’, a series of five collaborations between UK and international galleries guest curated by Miguel Amado
> Over 40% non-UK exhibitors (inc. USA, Zimbabwe, South Korea)
> Focussed solo presentations from artists including Chris Agnew (Kristin Hjellegjerde, London), Victoria Lucas (Chiara Williams Contemporary Art, London) and Yong Il Shin (Do Gallery, South Korea)
> The De’longhi Art Projects Artist Award will award one artist with £2,500

Dedicated to cultivating a community of emerging international galleries and artists, Art Projects has established itself as an important platform for galleries to showcase the most stimulating contemporary practice. Highlights for 2017 include large-scale installations, solo shows and thematic group displays; alongside an accompanying programme of collaborative film and new media initiatives.

A major feature of the section is ‘Dialogues’; five pairs of collaborations between galleries intended to encourage and foster relationships on a global scale. Now in its fourth year, the 2017 edition has been curated by Miguel Amado, Senior Curator at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, UK.

The five ‘Dialogues’ collaborations for 2017 are:

> Maus Contemporary (Birmingham, USA) / Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast, UK)
> Carlos Carvalho Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon, Portugal) / Kalfayan Galleries (Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece)
> First Floor Gallery (Harare, Zimbabwe) / LLE (Cardiff, UK)
> Gibbons and Nicholas (Dublin, Ireland) / Jack House Gallery (Portsmouth, UK)
> IMT GALLERY (London, UK) / Division of Labour (London, UK)

Miguel Amado comments:

“I was looking for innovative work that addresses the issues of our times, and I believe that all artists featured in ‘Dialogues’ match this brief. The selected galleries represent some of the best art being made both in the UK and across the world, and I am thrilled that we were able to bring them together on this occasion.”

With galleries from outside the UK making up two fifths of exhibitors, the 13th edition of Art Projects is the most international Art Projects to date. Artists represented also come from a diverse selection of countries including Greece, Germany, Japan, France, South Korea and Zimbabwe.

International galleries participating in Art Projects for the first time include CRAG – CHIONO REISOVA ART GALLERY (Italy), Do Gallery (South Korea) and RED CORRIDOR Gallery (Germany). New UK galleries include London-based Joanna Bryant & Julian Page and Ed Cross Fine Art, as well as Manchester-based OBJECT / A.

Solo presentations include ‘Lay of the Land (and other such Myths)’, an exhibition by SOLO Award 2016 winner Victoria Lucas from Chiara Williams Contemporary Art, Chris Agnew’s fantastical architectural drawings from Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery and paintings by Yong Il Shin from Do Gallery. Perve Galeria (Portugal) is bringing creative collaborations between the South African artist Beezy Bailey and Brian Eno, the well-known music composer and artist featuring a wide range of works of paintings accompanied by original sound pieces.

International photography is also prevalent. MATÈRIA (Italy) will be bringing a solo presentation of work by Chinese photographer Xiaoyi Chen, focussing on her ‘Koan’ series and a large scale artwork from her recent body of work ‘An Infinitesimal Wink’. Galerie Rothamel (Germany) is presenting a Hiroyuki Masuyama solo show: ‘Turners Journey from London to Rome’, made up of Turner inspired photographic composites. Galerija Fotografija (Slovenia) and Noorforart Contemporary (France) will also feature solo shows of contemporary photography.

Group exhibitions include Iniva’s show of six women artists, including Sutapa Biswas, Mary Evans and Joy Gregory, creating an intergenerational dialogue by asking these three established artists to choose three early-career artists to offer overlapping perspectives at the intersection of race, gender and politics.

London Art Fair’s Lee Cavaliere comments:
“Art Projects is incredibly strong this year. It’s particularly pertinent that the section presents a hugely international offering, reflecting an atmosphere of borderlessness within the global arts community. The galleries demonstrate excellent quality and academic rigour, born from a prevailing attitude of creative collaboration.”

For the second year De’Longhi, manufacturers of premium Bean to Cup coffee machines, return to London Art Fair 2017 as sponsor of the Art Projects Artist Award. One artist exhibiting in Art Projects will receive a cash prize of £2,500, assessed on the merit of their practice and work displayed at the Fair. The winner will be chosen by a judging panel including key art world figures from the areas of collecting, journalism, curating and education. The judging panel will include Adrian George, Deputy Director & Senior Curator at Government Art Collection; Rebecca Morrill, Senior Editor at Phaidon; JJ Charlesworth, publisher and editor at ArtReview; and Fabienne Nicholas, Head of Consultancy at Contemporary Art Society.

Art Projects’ insightful programme of talks, tours and performance can be enjoyed after hours on 19 January as part of Thursday Late with complimentary drinks provided by Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

There will be daily tours of Art Projects given by art journalist, curator and academic Pryle Behrman. Pryle has worked as the curator of the Art Projects section of London Art Fair in previous years and is course manager of the Art & Design programme at Writtle University College. He will be offering insights into the practices of the artists in Art Projects and the concepts behind their works.