London Art Fair 2024 Review
The international art calendar for 2024 has launched with the opening of the London Art Fair, founded in 1989 by London’s Business Design Centre in Islington.

London Art Fair 2024. Photo by MTotoe.
You will find an exceptional line-up of over 120 Modern and Contemporary Art galleries around the world including Japan, Turkey, Lithuania and South Korea.
Be sure to look through their Talks and Performances programme which will explore themes within the curated sections of the fair. They are free to attend with your fair ticket.The Main Hall features some of the world’s most renowned artists across a variety of media from artists including Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and David Hockney.

Ghada Khunji, FaRIDA X, 2019. Photomontage printed on Hahnemuehle paper. 116.8 x 116.8 cm. Courtesy of Janet Rady Fine Art.
The Platform section of the fair brings together art that shines a light on Queer love and life. At a time when LGBTQIA+ life is increasingly under threat in the UK and globally this aims to reflect the resilience, beauty, and passion of queer love.
The photomontage work of Ghada Khunji presented by Janet Rady (stand P4) was particularly striking. Her poses are recreated from Frida Kahlo’s iconic self-portraits. Ghada gives insight into her own relationship to her body and restrictions imposed on it by gender, heritage, class and the tension between East and West
For the first time this year a dedicated Prints and Editions section is being introduced, featuring galleries focusing on limited editions. The fair is attempting to serve every profile of visitor and this section containing affordable works should be a good entry point for young art lovers. Exhibitor Flux Projects was co-founded by a photographer and royal ballet dancer Their display Photographs of Movement showcases photography that explores and evokes movement. Several, of their artists such as Anouk Jouanne, Genevieve Reeves and Isabelle Wenzel, are themselves trained dancers or acrobats working with photography

Eugenie Shinkle, Ideal City (Somebody Else’s Landscape), 1998. Image courtesy of the artist.
The Photo 50 portion of the fair is not just pure photography but examines current photographic practice as well as featuring a theme of The Land and the Artist. The standout work was Eugenie Shinkle’s work, Ideal City comprising of four 2.5’ x 5’panels created by sewing 35mm contact prints together.
For the second year the Encounters section returns and continues to support emerging and international galleries often focusing on an individual artist. There was a lot of unexpected art here and is a section I recommend spending time to explore. It is located through the main hall and off to the right. The themes are diverse and thought provoking. Of note and not to be missed is the work of Juliana Sicoli Still I Speak (at Ricardo Fernandes Gallery, (stand E4) This work draws on the archives of female patients that were sent to Psychiatric wards for no other reason than refusing to marry or by exercising their sexual freedom. While in these wards the patients wrote letters to their families which were never sent and were only recently released in 2021 when the hospital closed. In her works she has stitched excerpts of the words of these women over faint images of their faces finally giving them a voice.

Juliana Sícoli, Solteira, 2023 Collage, sewing, photography on Fine Art paper. Image courtesy of Ricardo Fernandes Gallery.
Siger Gallery (stand E7) showcases artists who transform an unusual array of objects. Guillermo Monroy, a Mexican artist has a crucifixion piece constructed from defunct musical instruments. Susana Sanroman’s Chrysalis, a photographic print is striking and was born of her severe anxiety disorder she suffered with for five years.
Both galleries are hosting live performances by their artists on Thursday. I predict both events to be highlights of the fair.
From emerging talents to established names, the fair celebrates the dynamic evolution of the art scene. However, some may find the sheer volume of exhibits overwhelming but overall the art fair is a compelling event for art enthusiasts seeking inspiration and a glimpse into today’s landscape of contemporary and modern art.
Date: 17- 21 January 2024. Location: The Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street Islington London N1 0QH. Price: from £20.59. Book now.
Words by Natascha Milsom
Pioneering choreographer Merce Cunningham’s work will “forever” be revered. The Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections festival has brought two of his works back to life performed by the Lyon Opera Ballet at Sadlers’ Wells…
Born in 1937 in what is now West Bengal, Arpita Singh is one of India’s pioneering post-independence artists. Remembering marks her first institutional solo exhibition outside India, featuring key works from her prolific six-decade long career…
Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary will be marked with a free four-day celebration in May 2025, featuring art displays, live performances, music, workshops, and family activities….
There were two compelling reasons to attend this performance: the venue itself and the cutting-edge artist collective known as (LA) HORDE. Sadler’s Wells’ newest state-of-the-art venue is a welcome addition to Stratford, boasting rehearsal studios…
Gabriele Beveridge is known for her sculptural and conceptual practice that combines materials as diverse as hand-blown glass, photo chemicals, and found images…
The legacy company of the pioneering American choreographer Trisha Brown opened the Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections Festival at Sadler’s Wells with a striking performance…
Design and Disability will showcase the radical contributions of Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent designers, exploring accessibility, innovation, and identity through 170 objects spanning fashion, art, architecture, and technology…
Robyn Orlin is a South African dancer and choreographer born in Johannesburg. Nicknamed in South Africa "a permanent irritation", she is well known for reflecting the difficult and complex realities in her country. Robyn integrates different media into her work (text, video, plastic arts) to she investigates a certain theatrical reality which has enabled her to find her unique choreographic vocabulary…
Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles · The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent · Collective Joy – Learning Flamboyance! · The People of the North · Corps et âmes · Louvre Couture: Art and Fashion—Statement Pieces · David Hockney 25 · Paris Noir · Olga de Amaral · Azzedine Alaïa / Thierry Mugler: 1980-1990 – Two Decades of Artistic Affinities
Katrina Palmer, an artist known for exploring materiality, absence, and dislocation, recently spoke to us following her year-long residency at the National Gallery about her exhibition The Touch Report…
The British Pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale in Venice will explore the role of architecture in addressing the legacy of colonial geological extraction through innovative, earth-based repair practices in a UK-Kenya collaboration…
Lola Young at O2 Forum Kentish Town · British Pie Week · Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Opera House · Weather Girl at Soho Theatre · Czech Philharmonic with Sheku Kanneh-Mason · Jasmin Vardimon: NOW at Sadler’s Wells East · Mitsuko Uchida · Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 · Jorge Jobim: Fantastical Autonomy · Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350· Art After Dark…
Leigh Bowery (1961-1994) packed more into his brief life than most would manage in two lifetimes. He passed away from an AIDS-related illness in 1994, at the age of just 33….
For the first time in the UK, the Royal Academy of Arts will present an exhibition exploring the lasting influence of Vincent van Gogh on Anselm Kiefer Hon RA. Running from 28 June to 26 October 2025…
AllBright’s Step Forward Summit · Firebird & Friends with Savannah Hagendijk · Art Exhibitions Celebrating Female Artists · Art After Dark · Marylebone Village Celebrates Female Founders · International Women’s Day Dinner at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu · WOW at 15 with Angela Davis · Boxcar Bar & Grill x Sara Dongiovanni · International Women’s Day Art of Self-Connection Workshop…
Arments Pie and Mash · Holborn Dining Room at Rosewood London · The 411 · The Audley Public House · The Devonshire · St John · Three Cheers Pubs · The Georgian at Harrods · The Marksman · The Connaught Grill · Quo Vadis…
The British Council has announced that Lubaina Himid CBE RA will represent Great Britain at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026…
Enej Gala is an artist who splits his time primarily between London and his hometown of Nova Gorica, Slovenia. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and the Royal Academy Schools (2023), Gala first gained our attention with Neighbour’s Harvest, an installation that cleverly combined puppetry and conceptual art…
Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art (Goldsmiths CCA), located on the campus of Goldsmiths, University of London, has announced its exciting exhibition programme for 2025. From immersive digital worlds to poignant reflections on the female experience…
babirye bukilwa’s debut play is an unflinching expose of psychosis and manic depression, and the impact it can have on our relationships, love and identity…
Collect Art Fair · Flavour&Some X Control Room A · Highsnobiety’s Not In London · Paavo Järvi Conducts Stravinsky’s The Firebird · Young Barbican Takeover Festival 2025 · Winter Sculpture Park · Leigh Bowery! · Claudia Pagès Rabal · Ella Kruglyanskaya · Dada Khanyisa · The Arts Society…
Feel the Sound, a new multi-sensory exhibition opening at the Barbican Centre in May 2025, will feature 11 installations, including six new commissions, and a new club space in the Centre’s car park…
The timing of this exhibition could not be better. At the end of a long winter, and egging on London’s reluctant spring, the Saatchi Gallery brings us FLOWERS in full bloom…
Little Simz, one of the UK’s most innovative and celebrated artists, has been announced as the curator for the 30th edition of the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival, set to take place in June 2025…
David Ottone is a Founding Member of Award-winning Spanish theatre company Yllana and has been the Artistic Director of the company since 1991. David has created and directed many theatrical productions which have been seen by more than two million spectators across 44 countries…
Darren Appiagyei is a London-based woodturner whose practice embraces the intrinsic beauty of wood, including its knots, cracks, bark, and grain. Highly inspired by Ghanaian wood carving, Darren explores raw textures and new woods in his work…
Huimin Zhang is an artist specialising in 22K gold, known for her innovative craftsmanship. She combines various cultural techniques, including filigree, engraving, and European gold and silver thread embroidery, to create unique works…
Photo London returns to Somerset House from 15-18 May 2025 to celebrate its tenth anniversary with a special edition that honours both London and its long-standing photographic traditions…
babirye bukilwa’s debut play is an unflinching expose of psychosis and manic depression, and the impact it can have on our relationships, love and identity…