By Jamila Omar
Urban Art 2014, London’s largest annual open-air contemporary arts fair, takes place along the railings of Josephine Avenue during the weekend of July 12 and 13. They are again dedicating the Brixton Hill end to a celebration of street art, the centrepiece being a London Underground train that will be sprayed during the weekend by a team of visiting street artists.
Over 2,000 pieces of work will be on display, from over 180 artists ranging from the novice to the established and with prices to match this is an event for all art lovers, whatever the budget. Prices range from under a tenner to over £1,000 so this is a great opportunity to buy direct from a wide range of artists including painters, printmakers, street artists and photographers. Additional attractions include a mouthwatering selection of food stalls selling hot Mexican, spicy Caribbean, Brixton street food and Italian frittata.
Urban Art was created in 2002 by Josephine Avenue resident and portrait artist Timothy Sutton, who saw the railings in the street and realised it was a natural open air gallery. “I knew that local artists were desperate to find places to show their work and this seemed an obvious solution,” he said. “Without local volunteers and the help of the artists this event would never have happened so it just goes to show what a little people-power can do.”
International print-maker Stefan Gnosspelius, who has been exhibiting since 2002, added: “This event gives first time artists a unique chance to exhibit at an affordable price and get their work shown. The atmosphere is always great and the feedback from the public is always very encouraging. It’s one of my highlights of the year and one of the reasons I love living in Brixton”.
Urban Art 2014 is on July 12 and 13, 10am to 6pm. Free entry.
Find examples of exhibitors’ work at www.urbanart.co.uk.
[…] 2. Urban Art 2014 Urban Art Fair, 1 Helix Gardens, Brixton, SW2 2JH – Sat Following its success last year, Urban Art returns to showcase an array of Street Art produced by some of London’s finest under the radar artists. If you’re feeling hungry, don’t worry, on hand is a mouthwatering selection of Brixton street food stands to choose from. Good luck with that! […]
Thanks for another great article. A local publication supporting the local community (LambethTalk take note). Good to see and much appreciated.