Eight tips for exploring art fairs

If you want to spend more time enjoying the art fair and hanging with friends, and less time feeling open-eyed at the variety on offer, check out our helpful top tips to exploring an Affordable Art Fair.

1. Do your homework

Before visiting, head over to the fair’s website and check the floor plan. Familiarise yourself with the map and plan your route, to ensure you don’t miss any of your favourite galleries or artists.

2. Don’t be shy, ask questions

Turn to one of our friendly gallerists – they love to share what they’ve got on display, tell you more about the artists they represent or have a chat. Got a question? Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation.

3. Enjoy yourself

You’ve done your homework (made the notes of what and who you want to see) and your journey’s planned; all that’s missing is to have a good time, AKA the best part! Remember you don’t have to see everything, just what you want to see. Plus, fairs happen over multiple days, so you can always come back for more.

4. Get involved

Spend your day exploring art and dip into our programme to get the most out of your visit. Many of our art fairs include an exciting array of talks, tours, workshops, or performance pieces. To make sure you don’t miss anything, remember to check the timetable on the day.

5. Take a break

With so much to see, you could be at the art fair for a while. Make sure you take a step back, grab a snack, and enjoy your surroundings. Exploring our fairs should be an exciting experience, not an exhausting one.

6. Snap away

Photos of the artwork are encouraged throughout the fair, to help you decide which piece to purchase. Don’t forget to take a photo of the booth number and artwork label – it’ll save you time when you forget the location of your favourite find.

7. Choose what you love

Can’t stop thinking about that perfect piece of art as you walk through the fair? Then you know you’ve found something you love. Have faith in your intuition and buy the artwork that will make you happy every time you see it.

8. Stay connected

Our art fairs are the perfect place to keep up to date with galleries and artists and watch them travel around the world at our international fairs. If you have favourites, sign up to their mailing lists, or to keep an eye on our own arty-happenings – sign up to the newsletter or head over to our Instagram and Facebook pages for more of the art you love.

And there you have it, our top tips to follow on your visit to an Affordable Art Fair. We can’t wait to see you there – book for an upcoming fair now.

Main image: Affordable Art Fair New York Spring, 2023.