Fair Team Picks: Battersea Spring

The coming of spring means the dawning of new life – and new art! There’s a lot of newness to discover at our spring fair, not least the fifteen galleries exhibiting with us for the first time. (You can read more about them here.) High on the team’s radar is Jose Antonio Ochoa, an artist new to Battersea from Eclectic Gallery who creates photorealist paintings of solitary figures in magnificent black and white landscapes. Another artist to look out for is German painter Thorsten Poersch from Galerie Makowski. Thorsten uses materials such as coal, ash and sand to create deeply textured abstract paintings that recall aged walls and buildings. Thought provoking and beautiful, this is a work we can’t wait to see in person. 

Regular fair favourite, Liberty Gallery, return to Battersea with a new piece from collage artist Maria Rivans. Entitiled ‘Lily’, this work features actress Audrey Hepburn depicted in Rivans’ signature decorative style. See it in person at Liberty’s stand, F2.

This year, Battersea Spring immediately follows International Women’s Day on the 8^th March, so we wanted to highlight some of the brilliant female artists whose work is showing at the fair. Lysenko Gallery are certainly one’s to watch in this category with their curated stand concept: ‘Femininity and Spring.’ Featuring work by collage artist Lidia Moroz and painter Katherine Reznichenko, whose series ‘Dualism’ explores the various sides of self that we represent to each other.

‘Katherine Reznichenko’s work moves me because of the grace, emotion, complexity, beauty and strength seen in the female depicted. Representation in art matters an incredible amount and is powerful to see here. I want this piece!”

– Francesca Allen, UK Fair Coordinator

“There are so many fantastic works by female artists to explore at the fair, spanning across all mediums and subject matter. From the earthy and evocative abstract paintings by Melanie Comber (Lucinda Dalton), to the intimate figurative paintings by Angela Reilly (Heriot Gallery) to the vibrant, geometric screenprints by Frea Buckler (Smithson Gallery) – to mention just a few that I cannot wait to see in person at Battersea Spring.”

– Aoife Kenny, UK Fair Manager

From Heriot Gallery, comes Angela Reilly, an incredible artist who creates unflinching, psychologically charged, portraits and nude oil paintings with a focus on the body’s physicality. Also not to be missed is Jamaican-born, USA-raised Mekia Machine. You can catch her glorious colour-block portraits at both Smithson’s Stand, C2, and in our Pantone Very Peri curated collection.  

There are some very exciting and talented photographers gracing Battersea Spring this year. One such artist is observational photographer, Samuel Ryde from Degree Art. In his photography series’, which include studies of telephone boxes and public toilet hand dryers, Samuel prompts us to look again at the everyday and unglamorous objects, to which we pay little attention but that still occupy a position in our urban landscape.

Reisz Gallery artist, Daniel Caldwell, presents a great contrast to Samuel’s metropolitan observations with his monochromatic landscapes. Least we forget, if it it’s top photographer’s you’re looking to discover then be sure not to miss Derrick Boateng from Will’s Art Warehouse. Derrick’s bright, saturated images caused quite the stir at Battersea Autumn and I would certainly recommend heading to stand A9, to see Derrick’s new offerings for spring.  

“I’m a big fan of contemporary photography. It’s hard to name just a few but I’d check out the amazing Derrick Boateng (Will’s Art Warehouse), Richard Heeps (Bleachbox) and Lexi Laine (La Belle Epoch) – her ethereal underwater scenes are really hypnotic, so I’m looking forward to seeing them large scale and up close!“

– Rosie Haas, UK Marketing Manager

From woodcuts to textiles, many artists featuring in Battersea Spring have employed traditional techniques in new and interesting ways. Uriel Marin, from Olivia Connelly Gallery, has some particularly brilliant woodcuts. Hailing from Oaxaca in Mexico, a region renowned for their traditional art forms, the detail and pattern in Uriel’s work is captivating. You can find delicate and skilllful embroidery works by Michelle Marin at Spence Gallery’s stand, whilst Gabriel Chaim’s skills in gilding and egg tempera will be on display with Darl-e and the Bear and performed live as part of our live art programming.  

Anita Mandl’s work will be on display with the Russell Gallery. An artist who evaded Nazi persecution, Anita’s simple stone-sculpted works of stylised animals draw on her experience as a trained zoologist. Beautiful, minimal, artworks from an artist with an incredible history we cannot wait to see Anita’s sculptures at Battersea Spring 10 – 13 March.