AUTHOR Interiors at London Art Fair

AUTHOR will be creating curated sets of functional and decorative art pieces in the VIP Collectors Lounge that have been handcrafted by master craftspeople across the British Isles and are featured in our exquisite online collections. We will be able to share the stories behind the pieces and their makers so their provenance can truly be appreciated.

The London Art Fair, to be held from 20th – 24th April 2022, provides a unique opportunity to discover and buy the best in Modern and Contemporary Art. With over 100 selected galleries exhibiting, the Fair features artworks for collecting at all levels from small prints and editions by emerging artists to major works by internationally-renowned artists (notably Grayson Perry, Bambi, Christopher Hanlon and David Bomberg). A programme of talks will also be featured along with a themed exhibition that takes place every year which is based on music for 2022 and the part it plays in contemporary visual art.

The Fair, which has been held at the amazing Business Design Centre since its opening in 1989, offers a fantastic home for Modern British Art which is why AUTHOR is delighted to be a part of the Fair’s 32^nd edition. We relish this opportunity to showcase the works of our amazing British-based artists and makers and to shout out about their skilled and exceptional craftsmanship, many of which are created around the principles of Slow Design.

The luxury furniture, home decor and art items in our collection are designed with sustainability in mind and made to last and be loved for a lifetime. Many of the pieces we feature are made in small, limited edition runs and are given an authentication certificate that highlight the provenance of the piece, making it a true, one-of-a-kind investment.

Among the pieces we will be showcasing is the Wu Bench by Edinburgh-based designer and maker, Namon Gaston, which won the ‘Production Furniture’ category at the 2012 Wood Awards and received the 2012 Visual Arts Scotland award for Applied Arts. This stripped-back design is pure, simple, and elegant in its form. Crafted from oak and vegetable-tanned leather, this minimal bench incorporates the barest minimum of timber required in its vertical and horizontal supports. This is in keeping with Namon’s work as it is often inspired by the possibilities presented by the basic functional requirements of a piece of furniture and how designers approached these challenges in the past. This high-quality, honest design show Namon’s vast understanding of the materials he works with.

Another distinctive piece that will be on display is the ‘Surface Tension’ Viscosity Globe Vessel cast in bronze by artist, Neil Lemaire, in his London-based studio and foundry. Handmade using the ancient Lost Wax technique, this stunning vessel features a mirror-polished interior and a tactile, blue verdigris patina on the exterior created by a natural oxidisation process used by Neil. Neil cites the cooling, setting, and deposition of molten materials and geology formations of minerals as the inspiration behind the piece. This bronze vessel has delicate, splash formations which give the look of moving liquid captured in solid bronze forever. The verdigris finish makes this piece look like a contemporary artefact, sure to be cherished as a family heirloom for generations.

A range of furniture pieces from our collection will be showcased that are all created by brilliant designers and makers such as Tom Faulkner, Max McCance, and Hugh Parsons as well as exceptional soft furnishing pieces from Blackpop, whose designs for wallpaper and fabric are artworks in themselves, and Araminta Campbell, who champions traditional crafts with her mill-woven and handwoven limited edition designs made from 100% British sourced alpaca wool.

We will be displaying an incredible chandelier by Rachel Fitzpatrick. Rachel is an artist and designer based in Northern Ireland who creates large-scale lighting installations and suspended sculptures mostly made from velcro. Pieces from Elvis & Kresse will also be showcased who is another maker who uses unique materials. Kent-based Elvis & Kresse rescues materials that cannot be recycled from going to landfills such as decommissioned firehose and leather offcuts from leading British luxury leathercrafters, repurposing them into luxury fashion and home accessories.