For this weekend only, Sat 3 - Sun 4 December behind the OXO Tower on the Southbank over 65 illustrators, designers, print-makers and publishers have come together for a truly fabulous Illustration Fair.
London's contemporary illustration event, The London Illustration Fair, has returned and is set within the type of large-scale dilapidated industrial building that is so perfect for this massive art fair that it seems almost contrived.
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As stairways and passages throbbed with visitors on the opening night I kept waiting for gaps in the crowd so that I could take pictures of the fascinating setting itself, at the Bargehouse.
Once I had made it into the first room my attention was immediately consumed by the number of exhibitors with their temporary stalls and art hung on walls in a dazzling mass of colour and clashing styles. It was fabulous.
In particular, the artists that stood out for me were Kristjana S Williams, Guido Iafigliola and Benjamin Rothery.
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| Kristjana S Williams |
Other exhibitors that made a huge impression were The Doodle Man, Of Cabbages and Kings as well as the thought-provoking work by Nick Ellwood.
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| The Doodle Man |
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| Of Cabbages and Kings |
As I moved upstairs I found workshops under way where Christmas decs were being made, while in another room decks of another sort had been set up and beside it a bar stocked with winter-warming brews.
Whatever you do don't miss the top floor where you can walk through the fascinating art installation ‘Calais: Where Do We Go Next?’, by reportage illustrator, Nick Ellwood. Large-scale portraits of refugees he met while working at the Calais migrant camps hang in a huge empty space that has made the perfect backdrop for these barely drawn figures. There is a sense of a moment captured bearing silent witness to each of these individuals as they face stark and uncertain futures.
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| Calais: Where Do We Go Next? |
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| Calais: Where Do We Go Next? |
Taking place at the
Bargehouse - OXO Tower Wharf, a four-storey warehouse on the Southbank, you can visit on Saturday 3rd December, 11am-8pm and Sunday 4th December, 11am-6pm.
Tickets are available from:
www.thelondonillustratio nfair.co.uk
Advance tickets £6 / Tickets on the door £8 / Children under 12 years of age go free, 2-day and 3-day passes available
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| Outside the Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf |
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| Outside the Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf |
Best wishes
Sarah xx
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Sarah Agnew
Blogger, Modern Bric a Brac
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