Why you shouldn’t miss out on this year’s Affordable Art Fair

It’s that time of year again - yes, The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea is back. The UK capital’s friendliest affordable art fair hosted at Battersea Park welcomes thousands of artists under one roof with 110 participating galleries coming from the UK and abroad bringing their best selections for art lovers to browse, enjoy and buy. From paintings to sculpture to photography - everything will be on show and prices range from £40-£4,000.

History

If you’re a local looking to experience a slice of this art connoisseur’s heaven at the Battersea Affordable Art Fair, you can pick up something modern, traditional or creative and cutting edge - there’s something for everyone. Originally started back in 1996 by Will Ramsay at Will’s Art Warehouse in South West London to bridge the growing appreciation of contemporary art and the London gallery scene, initially the gallery was able to offer works from £50-£2,500 from more than 150 artists. Will was inspired to then go up a level and three years later the Affordable Art Fair was born and launched in Battersea Park in October 1999. Some 10,000 visitors took advantage of the fair which slowly grew in popularity, with the fair currently seeing nearly 22,000 people coming to the fair to enjoy the art exhibited by the 120 British and international galleries. In 2001 he launched a second event in Battersea Park and later that year a fair in Bristol held in May, which attracts some 7,000 visitors over three days.

Activities

To date, the Affordable Art Fair is famous around the world and there are now fairs taking place in cities across the world, with 1.4 million visiting one and buying over £203 million worth of art globally. If you fancy yourself down to the art fair in Battersea, make sure you don’t miss out on key activities such as The Education Space, which is open throughout the duration of the fair and has competition for children who are keen to become inventomologists and dream up imaginative creepy crawlies to win prizes. Plus there’s the Print Studio – where you could try a range of techniques and create your own mini masterpiece. Other notable events include Women in Art on Friday the 14th of March, plus Beautiful bugs with Artyard, which reveals the beauty of the insect world, the vibrant colours and design that can be found in abundance.

Talks

Viewing art is always fun, but for those wanting more information about the story behind the artwork, it’s always good to get information from an expert. Make sure you get yourself along to one of the free talks at the fair - this year you can go to a Printmaking question and answer session with expert Melvyn Petterson, or the Affordable Contemporary Art author Beatrice Hodgkin, who will give a talk on what to look for and how to understand your own personal taste.  And if you get tired or need a break along the way, you can pick up a snack or glass of wine at the cafe or bar.

So what are you waiting for? Make sure you check out their site for more information and a time table for all the details about this year’s affordable art fair in Battersea.

Enjoy!