Affordable Art Fair

Affordable Art Fair

23 October, 2008
by: Tom Jeffreys

Tom Jeffreys has a blast at Affordable Art Fair, once he gets there that is.

Am I just totally incompetent? I waited around for ages in the wrong queue at Frieze, walked into the wrong bit of the Royal Academy in search of Zoo, and even got lost at Kounter Kulture. Art fairs: they don't make it easy for you do they?

Well, the Affordable Art Fair does. You turn up at Sloane Square where there's a helpful person waiting to tell you where to go. You walk a few steps and get on a special silver bus with AAF on the side and it takes you straight to Battersea Park in about 10 minutes. Well that's the theory anyway. Of course, I never listen to directions, so I end up walking round in circles for about twenty minutes before swallowing my pride and asking for directions again.

Anyway, we get there in the end. And it's fun! I like AAF. Obviously people are here to buy (this is nothing like Zoo's curatorial art-off) but, unlike say Frieze, it's not frantic, loud and horrible. The free booze – courtesy of the brothers Gallo – probably helps, but it's really just the general atmosphere: people are here to buy something that they like, not to get the best deal on the latest trendy investment artist.

There is a lot of stuff here, but a lovely starry ceiling and clear, simple layout mean that this never feels overwhelming. And not even I could get lost. The nature of the work on show means that there's not that much to really write about: AAF is largely about attractive painting and sculpture rather than high-falutin' conceptual jiggery-pokery. But some work does stand out. As you'd expect, both Panter and Hall and Rebecca Hossack show some great pieces. At the former, I like Alice Llewellyn's still life 'Maggie's Brekfast'. It's kind of boring, but confident and elegant nonetheless. And besides, right now, I think boring is good.

At Rebecca Hossack, Paul Davies' bright and strongly composed paintings grab my attention immediately, whilst Steven Nederveen's brown and glossy landscapes take a little longer to charm. They're lovely though, and pleasantly understated. Over at Paris' Galerie Edgar, I love Anne-Valérie Dupond's animal heads. There's just something funny about having an elephant's head on your wall. Instead of dead animal though, these are made of multi-patterned recycled cottons. They look brilliant! I'm also a big fan of Steve McPherson, whose found object works attract quite a buzz over at Gladwell & Company.

For those interested in the investment aspect of purchasing art, then the Recent Graduates section at the entrance to AAF is a good place to look. Here, two artists stand out for me: there's Faye Brown's massive portraits of family members, made out of dust from the subjects' homes. They're grand in a muted sort of way, innovative and beguiling. I also like David Borrington's super-detailed cityscapes. Again, they're kind of boring, but in a consistently fascinating way.

So if you're looking for some art for your new flat, then this is the place to go. It's not expensive and everybody is nice, which makes a change. Even if you're not really looking to buy, AAF provides a pleasant atmosphere in which to wander about for an hour or two. And if you're really lucky like me, you might even catch a glimpse of Roberta Taylor, that one off The Bill and EastEnders. Cool huh?

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Image credit: Steven Nederveen (courtesy of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery) 'Silent Valley', mixed media on wood panel with epoxy coating, 2008

Tom Jeffreys