Preview: ART14 art fair, London – 28 February – 2nd March 2014 @ Kensington Olympia

Just one year on since it began, Art14 has become a vibrantly important celebration of London’s eminence within the global art scene.

Building on the star-studded accessibility of its launch year in 2013 and supported by a list of stellar contacts and experienced organizers, this event is turning heads not just for the completeness in which it has sprung forth, but also for the truly zeitgeist nature of the experience it provides.

Between February 27th (the VIP opening) and 2nd March, this event will unite multiple, important facets of London life around the eternal theme of art culture, returning once again to it’s seat within London Olympia’s Grand Hall. In many ways, it is unlike any other art event due the amount of cross-medium inspiration it provides for the London art lover and perhaps it is this that helps to account for its runaway success.

This uniquely cross-disciplinary approach towards modern art has been encouraged in many ways at Art14. First of all, there is the conscious nurturing of a baffling diversity of works on display. The organizers will play host to over 140 galleries from 42 countries, a mix guaranteed to showcase a great spread of different artistic mediums, as well as a real cultural mix of artists from around the global art scene. To complement these well-established art players, Art14 has curated a unique incubator called London First, giving galleries under five years old the chance to present their own choices of talent ahead of standard industry time. This democratization of the works on display is very exciting, as it means you may stumble across new ideas and promising young creators otherwise left hidden, which play off the established works of their better-known predecessors.

This rich fabric of artistic ideas is complemented by a set of custom artistic projects commissioned specifically by Art14 for the visitor’s pleasure. Immediately visible will be a set of installations around the fair, including Romuald Hazoumé‘s oil can installation amongst others. Art14 has also reached out towards London’s visionary Zabludowicz Collection, with the organizers presiding over the selection of performances and films from 12 contemporary artists, viewable in certain custom-built rooms at the Olympia throughout the art fair’s duration. These experiences, designed to enrich the minds and open up relevant artistic questions for the viewer, will be complemented by talks during the four day period. A much-awaited highlight will be Doug Fishbone‘s ‘Hypno Project,’ during which participants will watch his short film under the influence of hypnosis, responding to subconscious cues.

If not too hypnotized by the artworks, viewers can also experience an extra-sensory pleasure through the invitation of some of London’s finest chefs to the art fair’s custom restaurant. Through Food 4 Art, four top chefs will be cooking for one night only, with cuisines ranging from fresh Italian with Polpetto‘s Florence Knight on the opening evening, to a proud British feast from Richard Corrigan on Sunday. Each of these culinary masters will be attempting to cement the link link between fine art and food upon this occasion, and the results promise to be mouthwatering.

Overall, Art14 promises to be a cultural triumph worthy of succeeding it’s older sister last year. It represents a truly global, spectacularly open side to the international art market that is worth it’s weight in much more than paint.

Art14 will be open to the general public from February 28th- March 2nd.