BRIGHTON ART FAIR & MADE BRIGHTON Brighton Dome – The Corn Exchange
Usually two separate events but due to the refurbishment of the Dome they are joined and skipping hand in hand though the weekend with a huge array of arts, crafts and plenty of artists and delightful things to see and buy. Brighton Art Fair features some of the best contemporary artists from the UK and abroad, showing and selling their diverse work direct to the public. The fair always promotes a good balance in established and emerging artists, and insists that all work is exciting, fresh and exceptional. See a full list and work from the artists showing their work here
MADE BRIGHTON – The Design and Craft Fair will be running alongside Brighton Art Fair and will present 50 of the best contemporary designer makers in the country, makers will be selling work ranging from cutting edge ceramics, contemporary jewellery, blown and kiln formed glass as well as wood and textiles.
And a full list of the makers here with examples of their work.
It’s really hard- from such a superb grouping of arts and crafts- to choose things to highlight, so I’ve gone for things which caught my eye and I enjoyed looking at the most. I tend to prefer the crafts people over the artists (as I’m a philistine at heart) and I like to see and understand the things I’m looking at, but there’s as huge a range of fantastic artists on show, go along and check it out. The café is laid back with great cake also.
Becky Paton Mosaics are all of strong noble women and Becky’s collection is composed of two styles, three large contemporary art pieces are a fusion of themes based around portraiture, nature and identity. Modern, with a quality of the distant past about them, with real eye for contrast, colour and the age old charm of this ancient craft.
James Price is a Blacksmith and designer specializing in hot forged contemporary metalwork. His work is sinuous and simple and flows into considered forms and finds inspiration in the traditional techniques that feature so strongly in this age old craft. Combining these techniques with contemporary design and modern metalwork James’s work is firmly rooted in the present. His work has that quality that makes it look like it’s always been there, formed as much by its practical usage as by the furious energies of Price’s forge.
4D art, from Steve Forde is a commercial artist and designer who lives in South London. He studied fine art and design before going on to specialise as a graphic designer and these textured raised laser cut wooden pieces are lovely works of art, I wanted them all on my walls. They are simple but delightedly complex the more you look at them; I wanted to fiddle with them and see how they worked. Iconic and powerful, just like the buildings he’s chosen to depict.
and last but not leastGill Varle careful paper work is astonishing, full of details and wonder and also some sly macabre detailing the further you looked, her careful precision with its surprising content made me giggle and wonder at the work that had gone into these humorously dark creations.
Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th September Brighton Dome – The Corn Exchange
