London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Islington

The London Art Fair preview evening is always an interesting night of familiar faces, the odd celeb and lots of art dealers and critics. As the UK's biggest art fair for Modern British and Contemporary Art this annual exhibition has quite a reputation to uphold, and this year it is confident and colourful as ever. I have worked at the fair several times in the past, but for the 2012 opening night I was invited as a guest.

As usual it is located in Islington’s vast Business Design Centre on Upper Street, the smart building with its simple layout is perfect for displaying art. The list of galleries exhibiting is endless and it is almost impossible to see it all. We got a bit lost while on the hunt for champagne, the trail of empty glasses led us round the wrong way.

There is the usual handful of big names on show, Hockney (very topical), Riley, Lowry, Aitchinson to name a few, but there are also unknown gems cropping up every few stands. Of course my dad Chris Kenny's work, beautiful and immaculate boxes, shines out, a selection of new work specially saved for the art fair. I loved wandering round overhearing the fascinating conversations of art critics and art lovers, the well-heeled visitors to the art fair are certainly a bold and bright bunch to admire.

Finishes today Sunday 22nd January at the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets £11 in advance, £16 on the door. More information and book here.

Chris Kenny at England & Co Gallery

It is tricky writing about your own father’s work, to avoid bias and try to be objective. My dad has his studio at the bottom of our garden, and so I am always very aware of the presence of his work, but rarely do I get to see pieces before they are exhibited in their finished state.

A few days ago, friends, family and art enthusiasts gathered at England & Co Gallery on Westbourne Grove for the private view of Chris Kenny’s most recent work. It is always intriguing to watch an artist’s work evolve, and this show illustrates Kenny’s progression perhaps more than ever before.

He studied Art History at the prestigious Courtauld Institute, and started his creative career very much as a painter, with a symbolic interest in chairs and trees, and patterns and symmetry in natural things. His work began to move into more museological territory and soon he was carefully constructing boxes of precisely selected and arranged things. Seemingly random items that Kenny recognised a special quality in, artifacts to which Kenny attached labels according to his imaginative associations.

In the current show pieces of this kind predominate, stunning clean white boxes house swarms of cut out faces from photographs, or phrases from books, or segments of maps - things plucked from their familiar environment and made into something new. A collection of dissections, sentences with lost meanings and portraits of forgotten people are given a new lease of life in Kenny’s unusual creations. Clean measured pictures that are mesmerising aesthetically but also hold so many strands of meaning. The story boxes are a perfect example of this, odd phrases are assembled in a brilliantly funny order to form a short narrative, every time you look you can discover something new, visual or intellectual. And that’s the point, you can take away from it what you like, a new perspective, a funny anecdote, a quote full of wisdom, or just the pleasure of looking at something so still and beautiful.

Interestingly, Kenny begins to hark back to his painting days with a group of new works, of cut bright paper, out of which a statement is cut. They are still carefully considered but have a more painterly quality, a striking balance of colour and design. They are gloriously refreshing, and would add a touch of wacky beauty to any room. Declarations read “Hazard” or “Are You Awake?” - they are stylish, and, dare I say it, even a little bit pop-arty.

And then there are the sheds, adorable little buildings constructed from found wood, each with its own character and charm. Again letters are cut out, incisions reveal a quote “Nulla in Mundo Pax” (There is no peace in this world), but it seems there is peace in the refuge of these tiny shelters. They sit neat in line across the back wall of the gallery, immaculately hung - an unforgettable presence in the exhibition.

This collection of Chris Kenny’s works is more daring, and more thrilling than has been seen previously. With Kenny’s unique pieces increasingly being shipped off to be exhibited internationally, this is a rare opportunity to see his newest collection in its full glory. A display that will simultaneously sooth and scream at you.

Exhibition continues until 9 July, see more information here.

London Art Fair at The Design Centre

The London Art Fair returned to Islington Design Centre this week (open until Sunday), with over 100 galleries showcasing the work of their best 20th and 21st century artists. You may have noticed the advertisements that are peppering tube stations and bus stops, or perhaps read about the event in a magazine. It certainly seems to have gained interest since last year, I don’t think I have ever seen Angel station so frantic and busy.

I worked at the fair in 2009 and 2010 with England & Co; it was a little strange visiting this year, solely as a spectator. The space is expansive; a building that is normally rather bland becomes a techni-coloured patchwork of creations. This year tickets are selling for £15 on the door, or £11 in advance. I was delighted to find I received a free sparkling drink with my ticket, and I could have easily had more than one as waiters wandered amongst the guests all evening.

Considered by many to be the premier art fair in London, I always like to check it out. The crème de la crème of the art world is usually there mingling and not just for the art . The visitors and gallery owners seem to excitedly check out each other too, who is wearing what? Who is displaying what? And which coveted pieces have been brought along for show?

Prices range enormously from small prints for under a hundred pounds to valuable pieces reaching hundreds of thousands. I am always astounded at how much people will pay for some particularly unattractive pieces. The London Art Fair has its fair share of rubble to sort through before you find the gems. Some stands are proudly displaying works that honestly look so repulsive you wonder if it can even be called ‘art’. But I guess that is part of the fun, there is something for all tastes.

My dad’s work is on display (see third picture above), as it often is; a beautiful selection of pieces that seem to really create a buzz at the England stand. Magically meticulous and thought provoking I never tire of seeing them.

Visit website here, and book your tickets now.