In a mission to democratise art, uniting artists, their work, and customers all under one roof, the bi-annual East Art Fair is back on Saturday 6th July at East London’s Old Spitalfields Market.
July’s edition of the much-loved, free to all art fair is set to be inspired by the theme of JOY and offers visitors the chance to purchase limited edition, exclusive and affordable artwork directly from the artists themselves.
The art world can be intimidating and overwhelming, but the aim of East Art Fair is to create an accessible environment for art lovers to begin or build upon their collection, providing the opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind piece.
Director of East Art Fair, Kimberley Matthams, shares her top tips on how to optimise your time at the fair and provides top tips on how to make sure you take home a piece that’ll last a lifetime:
- Art is best bought in real life – not only does this mean you can connect directly with the artist themselves and hear about how they found their inspiration for the piece, but by buying direct from the artist, both parties benefit financially, with no gallery or website commissions to pay
- Get there early – sounds obvious, but getting to the market early so you can take your time to browse and scout the talent, as well as having the first pick, will make a huge difference to your overall experience on the day
- Open your eyes – try to keep an open mind when perusing the various stalls and allow the unexpected to catch your eye. With over 30 artists exhibiting their work, you might find yourself surprised by what gets you excited, and that’s the joy of sourcing artwork!
- Trust your gut – arguably the most important rule of all as it’s easy to get distracted by trends and what you’re seeing on social media, but you’ve got to trust your own eye and instincts to make art come alive for you and begin building a meaningful, unique collection
- Get to know the artist and their inspiration – learn where and what the art is derived from. Get to know the artists and their work on a deeper level on the day so that your purchase goes beyond just the aesthetic, but you are investing in their story. In fact, some artists at East Art Fair will have live installations to engage with, from Blam and Billy The Kid’s collaboration to create live election result themed t-shirts, to Gommie the painter-poet who will be showcasing his craft with live handwritten poetry
- Think long term – it goes without saying that you should take the time to envision where your new art could live within your current home and how it’d sit amidst your interiors style, but also think about how it would look in a different space to ensure its versatility and longevity
Director of East Art Fair, Kimberly Matthams comments: “We are thrilled to be back in Old Spitalfields Market for the bi-annual East Art Fair. Making art accessible, affordable and inspirational is so important to us and the market offers the perfect place to do just that. Buying real art from real people is a unique experience, and to have such an array of big name contemporary artists among fresh, up-and-coming talent is really exciting, and we are proud to support that. To be able to get your hands on exclusive artwork under £100 is near-on unheard of these days!”
East Art Fair will take place on the 6th July from 10am – 5pm at Old Spitalfields Market, showcasing a range of urban, contemporary and pop artwork, from over 30 different well known contemporary and up-and-coming artists.
