Galleries - September 2015

when we can bring them all to you!’ Going North, where the long- established (founded in 2001) Great North Art Show pitches its pavilion, so to speak, in front of the medieval magnificence of Ripon Cathedral, 29 August to 20 September. Entirely artist-led – some 50 of them – and designed to “promote the quality and diversity of contemporary art in the North”, it provides a dynamic snapshot of the region’s creative energies. With London based Everton Wright’s big multimedia installation involving 15working shire horses, there is something very different too. And quite apart from meeting the artists, there are lots of opportunities to cross- question them at the many Q & A sessions being organised. Finally, a reminder that the latest edition of the New Artist Fair, which we gave advance notice of in last month's issue, is happening right at the beginning of this month, 4 to 6 September. With prices pegged at between £50 to £2,000 and an excellent new space in the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, this is an event very much on the up. Heloise Toop and Gareth Roberts will be joining forces to continue the highly successful portrait techniques demonstration begun in the Fair's March event. NU Back to School There’s a back to school feel about this time of the year in the London art world as, after a month or more of seeming slumber, the galleries suddenly swing back into furious action and the art year begins in earnest yet again. Over the last two decades or so this has become most clearly manifested by the 20/21 British Art Fair which opens its doors once again at the Royal College of Art from 9 to 13 September. More detail about that and what some of the galleries and dealers are showing in our special feature on page 40. The same is true these days of the country’s regional scene, where the notable expansion of high quality galleries in recent years in a wide variety of locations, has gone hand in hand with a substantial expansion in the fairs’ market. This month and early next, there are some four at least. First up, and also celebrating its 14th birthday, is the Affordable Art Fair Bristol (18 to 20 September). Well established in its magnificent regular home, Brunel’s Old Train Station, and attracting some 50 galleries from all over the UK, it will be displaying the work of over 500 artists, all of it within the Fair’s strict price range of £50 to £5,000. All the usual fun of the fair here too with artist-led creative workshops for both adults and children. Moving down to the South Coast is where the Brighton Art Fair (25 to 27 September, private view by ticket 24 September) is being held. Now in its 12th year, it has also become something of a permanent fixture in its handsome home in the city’s Corn Exchange. A rather different set up to the Bristol event, it has a mix of individual artists and artists’ groups as well as galleries and, at 130 stands, it’s also larger. It has become something of a major event in the South East’s art calendar with some 5,000 visitors in 2014 and more expected this year. I like the mix here, particularly as not only is there a nice interaction between artists and collectors, but also between artists and galleries, with many artists being taken on by galleries as a consequence. Up to East Anglia where the Cambridge Art Fair takes place in the city’s Guildhall, again right in the city centre, from 2 to 4 October. Although a comparative newcomer to the fairs’ scene, having started in 2013, it’s well on the way to joining the regular fairs’ calendar. It might, with some 33 stands, seem on a somewhat smaller scale than some of the others but the overall quality is very high and will, given the particular vibrancy of the visual arts in the region, be sure to grow. I like their sales pitch too, which goes along the lines ‘why go to London to see the best galleries ARTFAIRS 12 GALLERIES SEPTEMBER 2015 from left: E verton Wright ‘Walking Drawings, Cumbrian Heavy Horses’ at Great North Art Show Marc Chagall ‘Fond Noir et Bleu’ 1962, from Fairhead Fine Art at Cambridge Art Fair Lauri Hopkins ‘Girls’ and ‘Rorschach’ at Brighton Art Fair