Hampstead 2025: Unusual Materials Route Guide

We’re getting ready to open the doors at Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, and this year’s edition promises to be one of our most exciting yet with over 100 galleries and thousands of contemporary works on offer!

Our Unusual Materials Route highlights contemporary artists who work with unexpected materials – from wool and reclaimed wood to foil, metal, and gilded paper. These pieces explore the creative potential of materials we often overlook, drawing on craft traditions, personal stories, and innovative new ways of making art. Let’s dive in!

Al Contrar del Arte, stand I1

Begin your journey as you enter the fair at Al Contrar Del Arte. Here you’ll encounter the sculptural works of Spanish artist Beatriz Díaz Ceballos, who transforms language into form using copper alloy microfusion and silver soldering.

Her pieces weave together words, phrases, and poems using techniques drawn from jewellery making. Letters emerge from walls, float in space, or gather in sculptural compositions, blurring the boundary between visual art and written language.

Folly and Muse, stand J7

Continue further along the aisle to Folly and Muse, stand J7, where you’ll find the intricate artworks of self-taught British artist Lesley Hilling, known for her use of salvaged wood and found objects.

Built from reclaimed materials, including cigarette cards, shells, magnifying glasses, and vintage photographs, Hilling’s works are rich with memory and meaning. In Song for My Father, she weaves together photographs of her father’s life, including his time in the Navy, into a towering sculptural form. Images are then placed behind magnifying lenses, subtly distorted to reflect the shifting nature of memory.

Woolff Gallery, stand H4

Make your way to Woolff Gallery to discover the beautiful work of textile artist Lucy Storrs, who creates expressive landscapes using sheep’s wool.

Based on the North Yorkshire coast and raised on a hill farm in Dartmoor, Storrs draws on a deep personal connection to the land. She uses wool not just for its texture and colour, but for its ability to hold emotion – bringing a raw, tactile quality to her art.

Galerie Barrou Planquart, Stand B11

Continue further along to Galerie Barrou Planquart and explore the mixed-media work of Belgian artist Giselle Zanellato, who brings together traditional Japanese origami and contemporary image-making, inviting you to experience familiar imagery through unconventional materials.

Zoom Dali pays homage to a Salvador Dali, reworking found imagery into a striking, layered composition, with the folded forms finished with gold leaf.

Firepit Art Gallery, Stand C8

Just across the aisle, visit Firepit Art Gallery, where you’ll be find work by multidisciplinary artist, Anastasya Martynova. Working with Dutch metal on gold and copper surfaces, Martynova builds layered, three-dimensional textures that shimmer with depth and luminosity.

Narrative Gallery, Stand A4

Continue to Narrative Gallery at Stand A4 to discover the captivating work of Portuguese artist Sofia Magalhães, who uses porcelain and ceramic paper to craft delicate, expressive compositions.

Her pieces often take the form of miniature stories -blending playful geometric designs with references to art history. Her subtle reliefs, gold accents, and fine details transform porcelain surfaces into a space for joyful reflection and storytelling.

Hayloft Gallery, Stand C3

Further down the aisle, stop by Hayloft Gallery, where you’ll find the beautiful works of British painter Lindsey Hambleton, whose landscapes are shaped by a lifelong connection to the natural world. With a background in art and environmental science, Hambleton creates compositions rooted in place. Her paintings offer a quiet balance between observation and emotion, inviting you to reconnect with the rhythms of the land.

Studio 84 West, stand D6

Just opposite, head to Studio 84 West, where you’ll find mixed-media sculptures by Kimberlee Rocca, who combines traditional printmaking with commercial foil techniques, transforming reclaimed metal into charming 3D abstract artworks.

Rocca translates her love for nature into compositions inspired by sunsets, open skies, and geological forms, using a mix of acrylics, pastels, spray paint, oil crayons, and leaf foils. Rooted in spiritual exploration, her work embraces intentional imperfections, offering you endless interpretations within the confines of man-made structures.

Gray Area Gallery, stand F1

Last but not least, end your journey at Gray Area Gallery, with beautiful artworks by Alice Liptrot, made from wool sourced from sheep farms near her home in Kent.

Using punch needle techniques and undyed natural fibres, Liptrot pushes the boundaries of traditional textile work with a distinctly contemporary vision. Her forms are rich in texture and shadow, creating surfaces that shift and change with the light.

Rooted in sustainability and care, her practice draws directly from the environment, which results in mindful, tactile works shaped by softness. These quiet compositions encourage you to slow down and notice what’s felt as much as seen.

That brings us to the end of the Unusual Materials Route Guide. We hope it’s offered a glimpse into how today’s artists are rethinking materials – using them in innovative and often unexpected ways.

Enjoy the fair, and happy collecting!