11 Oct 2009

The Free Art Fair 2009 at The Barbican London

52 acclaimed artists give away their works for free in the last ever Free Art Fair. Returning for the third and final time during Frieze week, The Free Art promises to be bigger and better than ever. Staged in The Barbican, The Free Art Fair will use the format of a curated museum scale exhibition, with a difference: on the last day of the show, the visiting public will be able to take away one piece of art.

An established fixture of the busiest week in the UK contemporary art scene, The Free Art Fair is a serious alternative to the commercial art fair frenzy, and a chance to remember that art is about more than just money. Organised entirely on no budget, the fair has been described as 'the most radical departure from art fair commercialism'.

Even the artworks displayed are responding to the idea of free; the artists have been invited to create unique substantial pieces incorporating the concept of free, making the work they've always wanted to, without commercial constraint.

Bob & Roberta Smith, Marlene Dumas, Harry Pye, Artists Anonymous, and Geraldine Swayne are just some of the contributing artists. After having been acclaimed in commercial exhibitions and major public shows they are now showcasing their work in the unique concrete interiors of the Barbican Centre, alongside a programme of performance art curated by artists and curators Lee Campbell and Frog Morris.

The visitors are invited to select the artwork they want the most. On the closing day, Sunday 18th, the public be drawn at random to claim their choice; the first to choose a particular piece of art will be the lucky Free Art Fair Collector to take it home, until all the works have been allocated. There will be no queuing this year.

In 2007 Jasper Joffe set up the first Free Art Fair with the participation of 25 artists all giving their art away for free in three empty shop spaces in Portman Village, near Marble Arch, London. It offered an alternative to the art market's focus on price and status. This had become alienating not just to artists but also to viewers, and art as a creative and social object was being lost. In simple terms we wanted to say art was worth more than money. The first Free Art Fair was a great success. Viewers seemed to really engage with the concept and the individual artworks, and in a wider sense it resonated with many artists, including those showing at the large commercial art fairs, who felt that the art world had been hijacked by big money. People who got art included students, homeless people, teachers, a nurse, and many people who never would have been able to become art collectors otherwise.

In 2008 the Free Art Fair's artists gave away over £ 100,000 worth of art works; 2000 catalogues were given away, and thousands of people visited the exhibition. The giveaway was discussed as a counterpoint to the commercialisation of the art world in global media.

This year's fair will be the last in London. The Free Art Fair is made entirely without any budget with everyone giving what they love or do best for free.

2009 Artists: Artists Anonymous, Phil Ashcroft, Centre of Attention, Maria Chevska, Matthew Collings, Jimmy Conway-Dyer, Sacha Craddock, Stuart Cumberland, Adam Dant, Marlene Dumas, Stephen Farthing, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Jaime Gili, Rose Gibbs, Alex Hamilton, Peter Harris, Pablo Helguera, Russell Herron, James Howard, Catrin Huber, Saron Hughes, Lee Johnson, Sayshun Jay, James Jessop, Jasper Joffe, Sonia Khurana, Peter Lamb, Cathy Lomax, Amanda Loomes, Robin Mason, Bruce McLean, Hugh Mendes, Alex Gene Morrison, Chloe Mortimer, Stephen Nelson, House of O'Dwyer, Henrik Potter, Harry Pye, Danny Rolph, Martin Sexton, Bob & Roberta Smith, Terry Smith, Eva Stenram, Matthew Stone, Geraldine Swayne, Chris Tosic, Josef Valentino, Markus Vater, Edward Ward, Michael Ward, Douglas White, Charlie Woolley, & Performance Art curated by Lee Campbell and Frog Morris