The Top 5 Galleries at START art fair 2015

I was given some great advice by the Saatchi Gallery staff, to start at the top of the building and work my way down. There is so much to see at this years START art fair, starting at the top conserves energy. There is so much creativity from across the globe all inside one building it is really hard to pick a top 5 but here goes…

1 – Dastan’s Basement – Tehran
Iranian Artist Farhad Gavzan has a collection of his alluring meditative drawings inspired from old calligraphic styles in his native country. He has given these drawings a very contemporary feel and created a sculpture from a huge drawing which bends and curves enhancing its organic nature.

2 – Chim- Pom, Artist Collective – Tokyo

The History of Humans – Performance and Origami paper. Performances are 2 hrs daily some time during the exhibition. Ellie is sat aloft a huge pile of Origami Cranes that have been folded by people all over the world wishing for health and peace. Initially this was in response to the true story of a young Japanese girl who contracted leukaemia after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Japanese legend has it that a wish comes true when the number of Cranes reaches 1000. This live performance sees Ellie unfolding each wish in an attempt to destroy them, visitors are encouraged to take part in restoring the cranes, restoring the peace.

3 – Montoro 12 Contemporary Art – Rome

The hand made wollen carpets of Faig Ahehmed, are really well positioned on this stand, they immediately catch your eye as you walk round the partition. Working with traditional Azerbaijani rugs he “disassembles their conventional structure” making them clever and beautiful contemporary sculptural forms.

4 – The Ryder Gallery – London ,

A collection of work by the recent Goldsmiths graduate William Mackrell left me captivated by his intriguing performance pieces. One thousand candles shown here as a stunning photograph is inspired by the common torch. light is still measured by the candle eqivelant, apparently it takes one thousand candle lights to match the intensity of a torch.

1000 Candles, 2010 Video performance

Sleep (16^th September 2013) negative Action on Carbon paper,

What would you do with a book of carbon paper…. well William Mackrell has taken 25 pieces of carbon paper stuck them together, then taken a nap on the carbon paper which records his movements whilst sleeping. Genius they guy is making art while he sleeps. These are just two of Mackrell’s pieces on show the other pieces are equally as inspired.

5 – Skipwiths – London

Opulent Sculptures by Hyojin Park dripping with paint are then photographed and printed with a technique to give the image a flattened painterly quality. You are drawn in to the picture trying to figure out if it is a sculpture or a painting. They are originally sculptures which look like they could have been unfortunately or fortunately in the room during the making of one of Damian Hurst’s famous spin paintings. Hyojin’s work deals with desire, beauty and unattainable paradise.