Following the success of the inaugural Art13 last year the huge contemporary art fair is back again You can probably guess the name is Art14 – it’s on until 2nd March at Kensington Olympia. 180 of the world’s modern and contemporary galleries are showing work by over 700 artists. There are also talks and performances each day – that’s a lot of work to look at and experience, so go early and prepare to stay late – opening hours are 11am-7pm today and 11am-5pm tomorrow.
The best gallerists dress to match their paintings…
Art14 shows that the Western art world is looking east and west for inspiration. Asian art is especially hot right now with galleries like the Hamni gallery of Fitzrovia and South Korea showing work and creating performances, like Yingmei Duan’s Patience , which can be seen everyday at 11.00am. Reflecting the fight the artist sees in Egon Schiele’s work she tries to recreate the corporeal self-imprisonment that his self-portraits suggest.
Artists are also showing a sense of humour. See RECYCLE’s They killed Kenny for proof – stained glass windowesque images of Southpark characters, showing the unfortunate way that 21st century society has elevated the mundane to the position once reserved for the holy.
See also Gallery Tristan Hoare’s exhibition of blackboards by Alejandro Guijarro, returning mystery to art in a whole new way – unless you have a PHD in physics.
Art14 provides a great way to compare what is currently happening in the art world all round the globe. Last year over 25,000 people took advantage of the opportunity. If you want to invest then there’s plenty of work for sale, otherwise enjoy the atmosphere, take a break at the champagne bar and enjoy a showcase of the latest ideas in global contemporary art.
Leave a Reply