By Petra Gent
Brixton was blessed with a rare day of glorious sunshine and a gentle breeze on Saturday as Josephine Avenue was taken over by a truly eclectic mix of visual art for the Urban Art Fair this weekend. This was the 14th year for the popular event, and with over 200 artists exhibiting over the weekend, the richness and diversity of local talent was clearly evident.
The contributions included photography, prints, oil and watercolours as well as some relief and sculptural work. Visitors were also treated to a broad range in themes and styles – including landscapes, portraiture, still life, abstracts, street art and some interesting applications of mixed media.
Works also included large scale pieces, ready framed studies as well as easily affordable postcards.
I was surprised at the scale of the event as well. Cleverly hidden in one of Brixton’s quieter streets – turning the corner off Brixton Hill and the fair appeared from out of nowhere, meandering in and out of the side streets. The event had a real community feel about it well – with pictures hung from railings, display boards and trees – various driveways revealed food outlets selling a range of delicious smelling international foods and freshly brewed coffee.
Having been to many art fairs and exhibitions in London this one stood out in offering truly affordable art. The artists were all at hand and happy to engage in conversation about their work.
A few of the exhibits that caught my eye were the incredibly inventive pencil sharpenings work by Andrew Wenrick, the stunning London Landscape photography of Ricky Leaver and the almost impressionistic paintings of swimmers by Priscilla Watkins – just a tiny fraction of the array that catered for everyone’s artistic taste.
You can see the street art created during the fair in Brixton Square this week. This was organised by Positivearts.co.uk and involved artists creating live work on nine white walls.
The weekend pulled in an impressive flow of visitors and the sales generated will also help to raise funds for two local schools and the Southside Rehabilitation project.
