Kerwin’s International Exhibition Debut, New York City 2022

The Other Art Fair, New York City – The Knockdown Centre, Brooklyn, 2 – 5 June 2022

It was fantastic to exhibit my By Kerwin paintings and artwork internationally for the first time in New York City between 2-5 June 2022 at Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair. This edition was held at The Knockdown Centre, a popular music centre and exhibition space in Brooklyn.

This New York show was a huge milestone for myself and my art brand and an unforgettable few days.

This was also my third appearance at The Other Art Fair, a four-day global art show for emerging, independent artists. There were 130 international artists on display this time – the standard was incredible. I flew my best U.S.-themed music icon paintings to the States for the week, along with prints and merchandise.

I also had time to explore New York and take my By Kerwin merchandise on location! Read my experiences with my first international art show and enjoy the pictures  below. Thanks to those who visited or purchased artwork there and for the brilliant support online.

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 at 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.

Exhibiting By Kerwin in my first international art show

After displaying my paintings and artwork in many UK exhibitions and art shows in different types of venues in Norwich and London, my next goal was an international show. I applied to The Other Art Fair’s New York City summer 2022 edition and was very excited to be invited to participate.

(I was also accepted to their Dallas and Chicago shows; I opted for New York with it being the global art capital of the world and probably the greatest city in the world.)

This was to be my third The Other Art Fair appearance, having participated twice in London, in King’s Cross and Shoreditch in 2021. However this third show was a very different challenge – I had to get my paintings and artwork to a different country and plan my display for a different geographic audience. And convert all my prices to dollars.

I chose my best U.S.-themed paintings and flew these over along with prints, merchandise and even my TV and a new, smaller (suitcase-sized!) By Kerwin neon sign in several giant suitcases. I also displayed a new range of American-themed, ‘Stars and Stripes’ action-painted, framed vinyl 12” and 7” records.

Which of my music icon portrait paintings did I exhibit in New York?

For this show I had my usual 5-metre long stand. I could only exhibit a certain number of my original 18×24” acrylic music icon paintings – so I selected my most popular U.S.-themed paintings. These included big American music icons including Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Beyoncé.

I had also painted my new Jay-Z painting especially for this show a few weeks earlier – including his signature New York Yankees cap with a gold N.Y. logo. I also had prints of the American icons I’d already sold, including Stevie Wonder and New York-born Blondie.

I chose not to take any of my UK music icons that either had no big following in America, or only a small cult following. This meant the likes of Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Richard Ashcroft and even Oasis stayed at home in England.

My new ‘Stars and Stripes’ USA action-painted, framed vinyl records

As well as my original paintings and prints, I also displayed my new range of ‘Stars and Stripes’ Jackson Pollock style, action-painted 12” and 7” framed vinyl records. I painted this new collection especially for my New York show, following the popularity of my multicolour painted records that sold well at my earlier Crypt Gallery exhibition in Norwich.

These painted 12” and 7” vinyl records were also records of popular American music, adding extra meaning to them.

Exhibiting in the city where Jackson Pollock built his career

Another cool dimension to having my first international art show in New York City was that this was the city where Jackson Pollock studied at art college, established his ‘action painting’ style and made his name. It therefore felt very fitting to display my own Jackson Pollock-inspired paintings and artwork in the Big Apple.

New York is also recognised as the cultural arts capital of the world, as well as being closely associated with the pop art movement. This made me extra confident that my vibrant, music-themed pop art portrait paintings would go down so well there.

(I have written several blog posts on Jackson Pollock and his career, including writing about Pollock’s inspiration as well as the different materials he used. Visit this section of my blog to learn more about the painter who inspired me.)

How did my New York City art show go down?

Many of my prints sold to homes across New York as well as wider America, both during the show and then in the weeks afterwards. I also sold some of the action-painted, framed USA vinyl records at the show.

My appearance at The Other Art Fair in New York also gave me and By Kerwin important international exposure and experience on which to build on in future. Exhibiting under the Saatchi Art umbrella was also really good again, as they do a lot of promotion around their shows to support their exhibiting artists. (Read my guide to exhibiting at The Other Art Fair here.)

Taking By Kerwin clothing merchandise around New York City!

Before The Other Art Fair got underway on Thursday 2nd June, I and my Mum, who joined me on the trip, had a few days in New York to acclimatise. Having exhibited twice at this show in London in 2021, I know how physically demanding it is – including both the setting up and also being on display to visitors for seven or eight hours each day.

I therefore knew it would be important to have a few days relaxing (as much as you can in New York..) to get over the jetlag as much as possible. I also needed to collect and assemble a couple of bits of IKEA equipment that I ordered from the UK before departing – such as a small stepladder and a couple of storage boxes for prints.

These few days allowed us both to explore New York – as well as get a few snaps of my different By Kerwin clothing merchandise around the city! These included my Jimi Hendrix t-shirt on The High Line and my Stevie Wonder sweatshirt in Times Square.

We also visited Central Park where we saw the John Lennon Strawberry Fields tribute garden as well as one of my favourite New York bars, ‘The Frying Pan’, a docked coast guard lightship barge turned bar, situated at Pier 66 on the Hudson River.

Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the New York British Consulate General

One other highlight from the trip was managing to secure an invite with my Mum to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Garden Party hosted by the British Consulate General at the Lincoln Center on Saturday 4th June (pictured below). This also included a silent disco by DJ Mark Ronson at the night time! It was really cool seeing him play live the Amy Winehouse version of Valerie that he produced.

Overall, this was an unbelievable trip that represents a huge milestone for By Kerwin. It felt like it wasn’t long since I was first developing this style in Singapore in 2019, and only having my initial ideas about starting a website. It wasn’t long either since I was painted my collection in the pandemic, at a time when travel to New York seemed uncertain to ever happen again.

Also, exhibiting with my business in an international show was a big accomplishment after studying my BSc International Business, Finance and Economics degree at the University of Manchester Business School almost a decade earlier, and always having aspirations to create my own business and products.

Thanks to everyone who supported me during this show, either in person or online! You can follow my art progress on Instagram and Facebook.

View and shop my full range Jackson Pollock-inspired music paintings, prints and merchandise at www.bykerwin.com – perfect for gift ideas or to treat yourself. High definition printing and fast delivery – for an instant injection energy for your walls.

New York City is a very important city culturally and in the history of pop art. Read about my March 2023 visit to New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the paintings I saw here.