00:00The affordable art fair was founded in South London in 1999. Since its humble beginnings
00:10in Battersea Park, where it still takes place twice a year, it has since expanded across
00:17the globe, with the fair taking place in locations such as New York, Singapore, Berlin, Brisbane,
00:26and Hong Kong. Overall, the fairs attract over 200,000 visitors each year. It was founded
00:33to provide an alternative to the traditional gallery scene, with an aim to appeal to and
00:41make art accessible to all. It notably also provides an opportunity for lesser-known artists
00:49or those who are starting out, an opportunity to connect with buyers and those in the art
00:56world. There is a price cap at the fair of £7,500.
01:07I got into glassblowing in a kind of really weird roundabout way. Originally my university year,
01:13I was going to go and do an engineering degree, but I decided I wanted to do something that was
01:17really fresh and that I knew I'd love and be passionate about every day. So I had recently
01:22seen a television series that had glassblowing on it, and then my mum and I had a discussion,
01:26I said I didn't want to be an engineer, and she was like, you can do whatever you want,
01:29I support you. There's courses and everything including something weird like glassblowing.
01:33So we looked it up on the internet and it was, so I was like, this is what I want to do,
01:37and I've just been really passionate about it ever since, so I'm really happy I followed my passion
01:42for it. I think as a young person at the moment getting into the art industry,
01:46it can be maybe a little bit daunting at first, but it's really nice that we have events like this,
01:50and we have curators like Jo who are able to actually support us and allow us to meet like-minded
01:56young artists and also show our work when we're like fresh out of a BA or an MA of university.
02:02When I make work, I try and be quite free and make work that I want to work,
02:06and I think the young generation respond to that.
02:08See, well, as someone that comes from a working class background, I'm fiercely proud to be from a place
02:12called Cote Bridge, just outside of Glasgow, and I've come up against every sort of slam door
02:18you can think about. I think when the more people from different backgrounds that get into the arts,
02:23working class or not, it just keeps the port more interesting.
Comments