Moniker has announced its 10th anniversary fair will be the final in its traditional art fair format.
The departure from this model is part of a wider move to transform Moniker into a platform which faces the escalating climate emergency head on. Responding to the global call-to-arms from leading climate activists, Moniker has launched Moniker CULTURE, an art-activism platform that will embrace the roots of the contemporary urban art movement in protest art by focusing on curated installations, international exhibitions, and city-wide projects.
Protest has long been the lifeblood of the urban art movement and over the last decade Moniker has been at the forefront of art-activism. Moniker CULTURE will leverage the talent of protest artists around the world to demand the attention of thought-leaders and to encourage people to use their influence and voting power to aid the fight for climate justice and universal zero carbon policies. It will also fundraise for charities working to combat the crisis and those already on the ground helping the people, animals and ecosystems most effected by climate change.
The rebirth of Moniker as an integrated platform for art, protest and climate justice is a natural one. Though still in its infancy, the arts-activism platform has already produced the SONORO exhibit in Berlin, in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum, which saw the work of 2Alas grapple with the unprecedented ecological crisis and our industrial and materialistic excess.
The impact of Moniker CULTURE can be felt at this year’s 10th anniversary fair where many of the artists in this stellar international line-up are using their power as artists to inspire change. On Moniker’s CULTURE stand this year, internationally celebrated artist Robyn Ward will bring stunning largescale works to place viewers face-to-face with the lasting damage the environment endures at the hands of humans. Following the fair, Ward will auction his work to help fund charities working to preserve endangered species.
Environmental activism informs much of the work that will be exhibited this year. Many of those part of the 50 strong group show presented by California-based Thinkspace Projects, featuring some of the most exciting emerging contemporary painters, have chosen the climate crisis as their focus. Capturing the struggle between the urban and natural worlds, renowned Oregon-based painter Josh Keyes will be welcomed to Moniker Art Fair for his first UK solo show. His beautiful oil-paintings are a moving and truthful reflection of our challenging times.
Tina Ziegler, Fair Director and the architect behind Moniker CULTURE, comments, Let’s be honest, you can’t hang art on the walls if your home is underwater. Moniker has from the beginning been about strong messages, important messages, and that is what has made the art we exhibit and the installations we commission authentic.
I’m proud of what the Art Fair has achieved in London and more recently New York, but moving away from the fair model is common sense when there is quite so much at stake on a global level – our artists are as keen as ever to make a difference, and our intention is to cast as wide a net as we can, making use of international talent to help environmental education find its way to the front of decisions and policies in as many countries as we can.
All works in Moniker’s 10th, and final, art fair, have been handpicked by fair director Tina Ziegler and her team; the fair will present over 100 new contemporary artists for purchase. The official VIP Collectors Day on Wednesday offers an alternative to those in the city for Frieze. Moniker Art Fair offers audiences the chance to actively engage with contemporary art; its extensive programme includes tours led by Ziegler herself, daily talks curated by Soho Curious and Co. and workshops by Creative Debuts and Derwent Art Prize. As Moniker continues to fortify the intersection between art and activism, the trail-blazing fair will once again partner with Berlin’s Urban Nation for politically charged installation hall confronting, the impact of Brexit on future generations. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the joint ticket offer and experience The British Art Fair 2019 at London’s Saatchi Gallery. Supported by a unique partnership with local, culturally driven development Battersea Power Station the programme has been developed to align with Moniker’s continued mission to encourage active engagement with both art and activism.
