Following a very successful Museum Partnership with Charleston in 2024, London Art Fair returns from 22nd-26th January 2025 with Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich.
Founded in 1973 when Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury donated their art collection to the University of East Anglia, the Sainsbury Centre has grown into a museum for world art, celebrating a diverse range of artistic periods, styles and materials. Housed in an iconic grade II* listed building designed by architect Norman Foster, the collection is made up of both recognised masterpieces from twentieth century European art and historic works from across the globe.
Home to a world class collection of art and artefacts ranging from prehistory to the late 20th century, the Sainsbury Centre will show highlights of its remarkable British art and international artefacts in the display for London Art Fair. As the world’s first museum to recognise artworks as being alive, it will present a display entitled Living Art, challenging visitors to reevaluate their relationship with art by encouraging them to meet the works on display not as inanimate objects but as they would with another person. The display will include an immersive installation where visitors can experience what it’s like to be an artwork trapped in a museum case, and be gazed upon by iconic works from the collection, reversing the traditional boundaries that confine art. Championing innovative ways of engaging with art, the Sainsbury Centre will also incorporate films and audio experiences to share stories about the artworks in the presentation.
Jago Cooper, Director of the Sainsbury Centre, said:
“We are very excited to be the Museum Partner of London Art Fair 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the Sainsbury Centre’s collection at one of the most important art platforms in the UK and we hope visitors of London Art Fair will find new and meaningful ways to connect with art through our Living Art exhibition. The Sainsbury Centre was founded with the radical idea of removing the barriers that
exist between art and people, and between artworks themselves. We continue to honour that radical intent with everything we do and we can’t wait to showcase that at London Art Fair.”
PLATFORM
And following Gemma Rolls-Bentley very successful guest curating in 2024 LAF follows up with independent curator, facilitator, and cultural consultant Becca Pelly-Fry for the 2025 edition.
Becca Pelly-Fry’s work stands at the intersection of contemporary art, healing practices and ecology. The section, entitled Today for you, tomorrow for me, takes inspiration from the practice of ‘ayni’, common among the Q’ero people of Peru, which proposes a reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world as a way of keeping in balance with the land, other beings and each other.
Drawing from Indigenous knowledge which has found resonance in Western science, Platform will
showcase the complex interwoven ecosystems, mycelial networks and interspecies communication that make up the natural world, suggesting an interconnectedness between all living things, and recognising the exchanges of energy that permeate the world. With a focus on ecofeminism, mythology, ancient stories, and folklore, Today for you, tomorrow for me will attempt to re-wild visitors’ imaginations, returning them to a more reciprocal relationship with nature.
Sarah Monk, Director of London Art Fair, said:
“London Art Fair is very excited to work with Becca Pelly-Fry on this project and to see the exhibit come to fruition at the Fair in January. We look forward to seeing what new insights are raised by the exhibition’s content and providing visitors with the timely opportunity to reflect on their relationship with the natural world at a time when so many habitats and ecosystems are under threat.”
ENCOUNTERS
Providing some continuity the well loved Dr Pryle Behrman once again curates the Encounters section established in 2005 to support emerging artists and galleries, with participation in the section subsidised by London Art Fair. Encounters aims to showcase the freshest contemporary art from across the globe. Encounters will include new and upcoming artists showing at both local and international galleries from Dublin, Istanbul, Paris, Prague, Tehran, Tokyo, and more.
LONDON ART FAIR – 22nd – 26th January 2025, Business Design Centre. londonartfair.co.uk
