October in the Arts: Art Fairs

The economy eh? I just don't have a clue what's going on. My response to all the talk about credit crunches was to ignore it. If you don't understand something, it can't affect you, right? Hmm...probably wrong. The collapse of Lehmann Brothers means that a load of my smart friends are now unemployed. This is good because they're now just that little bit less smug. But bad because now little old me has to buy the bloody drinks.

All this financial stuff also means that there's one less mega-rich corporation to spend vast quantities of money on statement art to fill their colossal office blocks. Although this doesn't seem to have affected old Damien Hirst too much. He's raked in just shy of a hundred million quid by selling off a few old bits at Sotheby's in the YBA equivalent of Cash in the Attic or something.

So people are still buying art, and at high prices. Which is good because October in London means art fair time. This year there's more than ever, so everybody should be able to find something suitable: from me with my meagre Spoonfed art-buying budget to Roman Abramovich stocking up on Bacons for his lady's gallery in Moscow. But which fair is right for you? Well read on, and find out...

First up is Frieze, the daddy of London art fairs. Frieze is a massive four-day event and one of the major dates in the international art calendar. Every year it plonks its bad self down in Regent's Park with stalls for hundreds of contemporary art galleries from across the world. In addition to the obvious sales element, there's a host of cool commissions and activities, including this year talks by Carsten Holler, Yoko Ono, and Cosey Fanni Tutti of all people.

The other biggie is Zoo Art Fair. First held at London Zoo in 2004 (hence the name) it moved last year to the more salubrious Royal Academy of Arts. Unlike Frieze, Zoo Art Fair is a not-for-profit enterprise, which means the emphasis is more on the gallery's selling their work than it is upon a spectacle for the casual visitor. Cutting edge contemporary art is the thing: exhibitors include FormContent, Bischoff/Weiss, Riflemaker and MOT International.

If your tastes are more classic then Art London is a good bet. Or if Zoo's change of venue has you hankering for another art fair at an odd location, then check out Scope London which takes place at none other than the home of cricket. Or perhaps Red Dot, another international fair, held in the Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel. The venue gives Red Dot an unusual feel, with each of the 25 galleries allocated a different room. Red Dot is free and open to the public and their aim is an admirable one: the fair's producer Colleen Theis aims 'to make the experience of discovering and collecting art both accessible and fun'. Quite right too.

Likewise, Will Ramsay, founder of the Affordable Art Fair says: 'I want the process of buying art to be as unintimidating and accessible as possible'. As the name suggests, AAF in Battersea Park has work for sale for every budget: prices range from £50 to £3,000, so it's ideal for those just beginning a collection.

For the lazier amongst you there's two great-looking fairs taking place at the same time in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Which makes things rather convenient. There's The Future Can Wait, now in its second year, and edgy young pup Kounter Kulture, kicking off for the very first time this year. Not only are both at the same place at the same time, but, like Red Dot, they're also both free.

Now in its second year, TFCW is an art fair with a difference: instead of each gallery paying for a stall from which to flog its wares, this is more like a proper exhibition. Curator/Directors Zavier Ellis and Simon Rumley have selected 48 London-based or trained contemporary artists (including Gordon Cheung, Mark McGowan and Nadine Feinson) in order to present a curated exhibition of, as Ellis puts it, 'engaging work as it was meant to be seen'.

In the same way, Kounter Kulture seeks a return to a more artist-orientated type of fair, with work on show by the likes of Rob Carter and Stuart Semple. As Don Smith of Opus Art says, 'The core art fairs such as Frieze and Zoo seem to have moved their focus away from the artists and their work. Kounter Kulture is all about the art, the artists and a sense of discovery'.

Meanwhile, over at Somerset House, there's something a bit different in the form of the Crafts Council-organised Origin. Origin is the only fair dedicated solely to contemporary craft (as opposed to design) and the emphasis is very much on the hand-made. Like Kounter Kulture and TFCW, Origin focuses on the individual craft-makers. Because many of them man their own stands, the fair provides a unique opportunity to meet these people face-to-face and talk to them about their work.

So now you know where to go, but how are you supposed to know what to buy? Really it comes down to two things:

1: do some research

Zavier Ellis suggests that you need to find out a bit about the artist's career trajectory: 'Are they in good collections? Have they been in strong shows? Have museums collected or exhibited their work? Do they have a gallery and if so does the gallery have a good stable and are they well respected? Are the prices realistic?'

2: buy stuff you like

Don Smith again: potential buyers 'should look out for something that they are naturally drawn to as well as being a good investment'.

Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of the Crafts Council agrees: 'it's always best to advise that people buy something they like'.

So, unless you're just going to buy something and put it in the cellar until it matures, chances are you're gonna have to look at it. Plus, if the artist never makes it big, at least you'll still have a piece of work that you really like: any increase in value is then a bonus. For the first-time buyer, enjoyment is the key: that is why you should buy stuff that you like, and this year that's easier (and more fun) than ever before.


If you'd like personal art-buying advice or simply want to comment on this article then become my friend on Spoonfed and send me a message.

Spoonfed is an events listing website that covers everything in London. Click here to see all art exhibitions in the coming weeks.