Free Art Fair

The Free Art Fair is an art fair where all the work is given away at the end. For once instead of art going to the highest bidder or those who can afford it, someone who really loves an artwork will be able to have it for free. People will have the chance to own pieces by artists from the Saatchi Collection or who have exhibited at the Tate or some of the world’s best known galleries like White Cube and Haunch Of Venison. They will also be able to choose art by an exciting new generation of emerging international artists.

Following its great success last year, The Free Art Fair returns bigger and bolder and with surprises. The 2008 Free Art Fair involves over 50 artists.

More about the Free Art Fair

Press Release

THE FREE ART FAIR THREE
12-18 October 2009
www.freeartfair.com

The Free Art Fair will take place for the third and final time in London in 2009. The art fair where all the work is given away at the end will be the biggest best most fun version ever. For once instead of art going to the highest bidder or those who can afford it, someone who really loves an artwork will be able to have it for free. Artists participating will be asked to incorporate the idea of free into their work by making work that they always wanted to make but felt like they couldn’t.

Last year 50 artists gave away art work including Stella Vine, Bob & Roberta Smith, Gavin Turk, Chantal Joffe, Danny Rolph, Harry Pye and many others. People queued for three nights to become free art fair collectors, 2000 catalogues were given away, and thousands of people saw the exhibition. The giveaway was discussed as a counterpoint to the commercialisation of the art world in global publications and was featured live on all the main UK TV channels.

This year’s fair will be the last in London.  The Free Art Fair is made entirely without any budget with everyone giving what they love or do best for free. The location and artists will be confirmed on www.freeartfair.com

For ideas, comments, suggestions please write on our www.freeartfair.com website
For sponsorship (in kind), press enquiries etc please contact Jasper Joffe the@freeartfair.com T:079571 36066
For volunteering at The Fair please contact Henrik Potter henrik@freeartfair.com

That’s the question. Is there any good/bad reason to do another one? Does the recession make freedom more or less necessary? I’d welcome your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, etc.

And if you’re in Canada, come discuss the whole thing on May 8th at Eyelevel Gallery in Halifax. This is part of a lecture series called “Where have all the radicals gone?”

Lewis Hyde, author of The Gift, and interviewee from the The Free Art Fair catalogue is profiled in NYT.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/magazine/16hyde-t.htm

If you missed it at the fair, we’ve just got this in from Martin

Here are some brilliant pictures of the final day by Ella Bryant. She is a photographer and free art fair volunteer. It was a successful day and I can report that at the free art fair 100% of work went to collectors.

Here is the lovely little book designed by Paulus Dreibholz and team. 2000 of them went at the fair, so here is the pdf if you want to read it. http://freeartfair.com/download/faf_catalogue_08.pdf

Phew. Sorry if you’ve been trying to see the website, it’s been down all day because we had too many hits because the free art fair was the lead picture story on the bbc news site! It is a good problem to have in a way, but has taken most of the day to fix.
Anyway, the give-away was brilliant. More than a hundred people queued, many overnight. Matthew Collings’ picture was the first piece to go, and the people who got work seemed really happy when they got it. Below are a few links to coverage, and please post your stories here as well. It was live on BBC News throughout the day, and on ITV London Tonight, the BBC World Service and Radio 5. I will be posting pictures, video etc soon and the pdf of the catalogue wil be put up for you to download. I am interested in how you think The Free Art Fair should develop, also criticisms, praise, and all other ideas! Thank you all the artists, helpers, queuers, and others who made it great. JJ

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7680731.stm

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/2008/10/19/T19100835/

http://www.itvlocal.com/london/news/?player=LON_News_15&void=247759 about 9 mins 20 secs in

Daniel Lehan “Free Art”

Round the block. The fair has been on BBC Radio 5 live, and will appear on ITV London Tonight at 6pm and BBC News 24 throughout the day.

Some lovely people are in their sleeping bags and duvets. They really love art and are willing to wait to get what they want.