By Kerwin Exhibits at The Other Art Fair, London Oct 2021

The Other Art Fair, Shoreditch, London, 14 – 17 October 2021

In October 2021 I made my second appearance at global art show, The Other Art Fair. I exhibited at the October edition of Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair, London, at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, after debuting at their July 2021 King’s Cross event. (Read my blog post on my first fair appearance here.)

It was great to be on display again as one of 140 emerging, independent artists and to meet hundreds more visitors over the four days. For the first time I also showcased my range of By Kerwin products including mugs, cushions and coasters – as well as my range of gallery-inspired clothing. This provided valuable feedback on my new product range and was a great milestone for my art brand.

What is The Other Art Fair?

The Other Art Fair is one of the world’s biggest art fairs for emerging, independent artists. Presented by Saatchi Art, the fair connects artists directly with art visitors and buyers in fairs hosted in global art cities including London, New York, L.A., Chicago, Dallas, Melbourne and Sydney.

How many artists are on display at The Other Art Fair?

The Other Art Fair typically exhibits between around 100 – 170 emerging, independent artists from around the world for their four-day art fairs. Visitors to the fair are treated with the opportunity to meet with and buy directly from the artists on display, often creating lifelong connections.

By Kerwin’s second The Other Art Fair appearance

With UK Covid rules a bit more relaxed than in July 2021, October’s event saw the fair return to its flagship London venue, the Truman Brewery on fashionable Brick Lane in Shoreditch. This converted brewery is a large indoor, warehouse-style location that is perfect for an art fair.

For this art fair my five metre stand was arranged in a 1-3-1 metre arrangement, meaning I had a wider main wall than at July’s fair. This meant I could create more of a panoramic style display of my original paintings – most of which are 18×24” in size. For my main wall I therefore arranged fifteen paintings in a dazzling grid layout, which proved a real crowd-stopper and ‘wow’ factor. (Many people really did say ‘wow’ when they saw it.)

Exhibiting my new By Kerwin merchandise and product range

On one side panel I had my Jimi Hendrix original painting and By Kerwin orange neon sign, and on the other side panel I displayed my new range of products. For this I stuck cushions and coasters to the wall, and had my By Kerwin mugs hanging off hooks.

At this show I also wore many pieces of By Kerwin clothing apparel for the first time – including my Gallery sweatshirt and t-shirts, and a Stevie Wonder jumper.

At my July TOAF appearance I dressed either in full black or bright colours that complemented my artwork – but to actually wear my own branded merchandise really took things to the next level. My clothing is all really comfortable too! (You can browse and shop my clothing items online. You can message me for custom clothing enquiries or ideas.)

Which new paintings did I have on display?

In addition to my new product range, this edition of The Other Art Fair also saw my Drake and Bruce Springsteen paintings made their exhibition debuts, having been painted during summer 2021.

How did the fair go down for me?

This was a great four days for By Kerwin, building on my previous exhibition experiences. I didn’t sell any original paintings, but that has never currently been the sole aim of my exhibitions at this stage in my artistic career. My focus has always been primarily on the print side of my business model.

I sold around a couple of dozen prints over the four days, both in person and online, with many more print sales following afterwards from visitors I’d met at the show. This was all really encouraging. Many pieces of merchandise also found their way to new homes which was cool too.

The October edition of The Other Art Fair also saw the bar and DJ return, so there was a fantastic atmosphere throughout, with some great memories created. Many friends, either from my school days in Norwich or my King’s College London Master’s degree network, or beyond, visited me at this fair which made everything that bit more special.

As always, thanks to everyone who visited or purchased artwork, and to everyone who sent messages of encouragement – either in person or online! It means the world. This latest successful The Other Art Fair experience gave me the confidence to go big and apply for one of their international shows…

You can follow my art progress on Instagram and Facebook.

‘By Kerwin’ is my range of Jackson Pollock-inspired acrylic paintings of the world’s biggest music and pop culture icons. Explore and shop my full range of original paintings and print editions at www.bykerwin.com. Fast worldwide delivery available.