British Art Fair
Modern and Contemporary British Art
26—29 September 2024
Saatchi Gallery, London, SW3 4RY

British Art Fair announces PIVOTAL: Digitalism, a new section dedicated exclusively to digital art - a first for a UK art fair.

AI Sam, AI Bar, July 2017, AI photography, 150 x 120 cm

Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, "I see it, so you don't have to", 2023, Cotton and viscose wall hanging produced on Jacquard loom created with generative artificial intelligence technology (machine learning, diffusion)

British Art Fair is pleased to announce PIVOTAL: Digitalism, a special fair section presenting the very best digital art being created and exhibited in Britain today.

Two top floor galleries at British Art Fair 2024, will be dedicated to PIVOTAL which promises to be a dynamic addition to the first-rate Modern and Contemporary British Art at the Fair this year.  Designed by the celebrated creative director, Peter Higgins, one space will provide visitors with immersive experiences in digital art; and the other, an opportunity to see the latest AI, AR, VR, digital sculpture, moving image, photography and painting being created. PIVOTAL marks the first time a UK art fair has dedicated an entire section to digital art. All works will be for sale, with staff on hand to give buyers specialist advice on collecting and displaying digital art.

Now is the time to buy digital art

Will Ramsay, Director, British Art Fair says: “The digital works in my own collection give me great pleasure and are showstoppers for guests. Although the art form (in its various guises) has been around for many years, it is relatively new to the art market. Our message is that now is the time to buy digital art, and PIVOTAL at British Art Fair 2024 is the place to start your collection.” 

PIVOTAL Team
PIVOTAL is produced and curated by prominent academic and interdisciplinary artist, Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou, with an advisory team including luminaries in the field of digital art. As well as Royal Designer for Industry, Peter Higgins, the panel includes: BIMA Digital Hall of Fame alumni and futurist,Tomas Roope (Honorary Royal Designer for Industry); award-winning artist and guest lecturer on the MA Digital Direction at the Royal College of Art, Lol Sargent RCA; London-based New Zealand artist Jacqui Kenny, previously co-founder of The Rumpus Room, and best known as ‘The Agoraphobic Traveller’; multimedia technical manager, Tom Cullen, who has led on the installation of major works for Sir Isaac Julien, Bill Viola, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen, Sam Taylor Wood and Jane and Louise Wilson; artist and Creative Director, Office of Everyone, and tutor on the Digital Direction MA at the Royal College of Art, Jack Hardiker RCA.

PIVOTAL Artists
PIVOTAL brings together homegrown talent with international artists living or working in the UK, to help formulate a movement in art, defined as Digitalism, of which Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou says, “The origins of Digitalism can be found in the post-war, post-modern electronic revolution, globalisation of mass media and the birth of the internet." She says."These artists - or digitalists - reflect a pivotal moment in the rapid expansion of digital technologies, which are having a profound effect on contemporary art and culture. PIVOTAL: Digitalism at British Art Fair aims to unequivocally establish this long overdue movement in art, which encompasses a myriad of innovative forms of digital creative expression."

The artists include: AI photographer and creative director AI. S.A.M.; Lumen Prize winning artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, creator of the first-ever AI and blockchain artwork in space aboard the International Space Station; British-Korean AI artist David Sheldrick, whose commissions include projects for Manchester City FC, Coke Studios, Standard Chartered Bank and Mercedes Benz; Jack Kaido, cited by Christie’s as ‘one of the artists at the forefront of digital art today’; Internationally acclaimed AI artist, Jacqui Kenny, the ‘Agoraphobic Traveller’, is showing alongside KEZIAI, an award-winning film director who brings keen imagination and cinematic storytelling to create whimsical works using AI; Award-winning integrated designer, and Web3 artist, Cem Hasimi. Senior 3D artist and video director, Lewis Benfield (LBVVFX) is exhibiting alongside 3D artist, Yanis Georges (ETHIKDESIGN). Art agency Kei London is presenting works selected from its exciting roster of digital artists. Experimental art collective Untold Garden, known for its physical installations, virtual sculptures and alternative social networks, will debut new work, as will the London artist known as X New Worlds, whose popularity has led to recent exhibitions in New York, Seoul, Porto and Barcelona. Artist, Jeremy Kidd, grandson of Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, is showing photography, video art and NFTs.

PIVOTAL joins SOLO CONTEMPORARY, a platform curated by Zavier Ellis in bringing to British Art Fair the latest and most innovative art being created in the UK today.

PIVOTAL Partners

The installation of PIVOTAL differs from a normal exhibition hang and is supported by top end technology partners: Creative Technology , who have designed and will fit out the dedicated immersive space; Muse Frame , who specialise in creating high-end digital fine art frames which they are supplying; MEADOW, a new social platform that builds, publishes and distributes immersive digital content who will be delivering the AR (Augmented Reality) component of the show, Sedition , a pioneering digital arts platform that shares PIVOTAL’s mission to broaden the audience for digital art, and as part of their partnership, Sedition will offer every visitor to the exhibition, a free artwork.

PIVOTAL would like to thank its partners:

- ENDS -

Jeremy Kidd, UTE MOUNTAIN LUNA STRIATE 1, 2023, Archival print, automative tape, plexiglass, aluminium, 40 “ x 28 “

NOTES TO EDITORS

2024 Headline Partner: Powerhouse at Chelsea Waterfront
British Art Fair is delighted to announce a new Headline Partner for 2024: Powerhouse at Chelsea Waterfront. Powerhouse is an iconic London landmark and a cathedral of the industrial age which transformed the historic twin-turreted power station that once powered the London Underground, into an imaginative complex of 260 luxury apartments and over 40,000 sf commercial spaces at Chelsea Waterfront. Masterminded by Hutchison Property Group (UK) Limited, world experts in creating waterfront places to live, Powerhouse boasts landscaped gardens, waterfront restaurants and a state-of-the-art wellness centre for residents. Taking on a revolutionary new form, Powerhouse will offer a 21st century living experience like no other in one of London’s most coveted boroughs, a unique address which is opening the Powerhouse up to the public.

Ramsay Fairs
British Art Fair is owned by Ramsay Fairs. In 2024 the company, which employs 60 people and runs 20 fairs worldwide, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.  Affordable Art Fairs can now be found in 14 cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, Brisbane, Brussels, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York, and Singapore. VOLTA Art Fair takes place annually in New York and Basel. With over 220,000 visitors a year, Ramsay Fairs has earned a global reputation for hosting stylish art fairs at all levels of the market, as well for introducing art to generations of collectors.

Will Ramsay, CEO Ramsay Fairs said: “British Art Fair, the flagship for Modern and Contemporary British Art, is a key moment in London’s art calendar. In addition, to the exciting selection of Modern British works shown annually, this year we welcome the inclusion of digital art, a special exhibition with the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust plus our new headline partner Powerhouse Chelsea Waterfront."

The 2024 British Art Fair Team
British Art Fair Co-Founder, Gay Hutson and Will Ramsay CEO, Ramsay Fairs are advised by a committee which includes dealers: Jamie Anderson, Jenna Burlingham, James Hyman, Peter Osborne, Richard Selby and art market columnist Colin Gleadell. The Fair also has a vetting committee to authenticate the works shown.

BLAST and British Art News
British Art Fair publishes news on all areas of Modern and Contemporary British Art in public and commercial galleries every week in a column edited by author Alex Leith. The Fair sponsors BLAST | Art Market Report, a monthly and independent report by Colin Gleadell with exclusive content on the British art market. Read and sign up for free at www.britishartfair.co.uk/blast

About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019, Charles Saatchi formally stepped back from his management of Saatchi Gallery with the organisation beginning a new chapter in its history as a fully independent registered charity.

British Art Fair
Modern and Contemporary British Art
26 — 29 September 2024
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
www.britishartfair.co.uk
office@britishartfair.co.uk
Instagram: @britishartfair | Facebook: @britishartfair
Twitter: @BritishArtFair  #BAF24 #BritishArtFair

Opening Hours
Collectors' Preview, Thursday 26 September, 11am – 9pm
Friday 27 September, 11am – 9pm
Saturday 28 September, 11am – 6pm
Sunday 29 September, 11am – 5pm
Last entry is half an hour before the fair is due to close.

Ticketing
Pre-booking is advised. Tickets will be released in June.
Collectors’ Preview - £60
General Admission - £19 (early bird), £22 (advance), £25 (Fair week)
Concessions - £16 (early bird), £19 (advance), £22 (Fair week)
Under 16s - free, booking required and must be accompanied by an adult
Carer/Companion - free - email tickets@britishartfair.co.uk to secure the ticket.

Early Bird tickets are available from release day until 14 July 2024

Pivotal Press Image Folder

Press Contact: Jessica Wood, Head of Communications, British Art Fair
jessica@britishartfair.co.uk  Tel: + 44 (0)7939 226988