LAF 2019 Highlights

Words: Kieran Izquierdo and Olivia Walker.

As Liverpool Art Fair Assistants, we’ve been lucky enough to spend the past few months getting to know hundreds of artworks by the Northwest’s finest. Narrowing it down to ten was too hard for one of us to tackle alone, so we’ve teamed up to deliver our list of LAF 2019 highlights!

Enjoy!

Olga Snell – Tapestry

Snell’s ‘Tapestry’ breaks the less is more rule with confidence, and I love it (not just because it reminds me of 70s Stevie Nicks in collage form) It’s decedent, it’s feminine, and, if there’s strength in numbers, our topless subject taken back her power three times over. – OW

Simon Job – Sketch no. 72

I find this piece fascinating because of its seemingly lack of content, the use of white space is brave, the muted colours are a welcome break from the bright and brash. The brushwork is energetic, unashamedly deliberate and spontaneous creating a vision of an environment that is both familiar and science fiction. – KI

Liz Jeary – Emerald

Combining photography and embroidery, Jeary restores the status of object to all her images. I especially love ‘Emerald’ for its beautifully rich green colour, which works so well against the red lighthouse and its yellow beams of light. – OW

Faranak Tahmasebi – Persian Girl

This could sound disrespectful but this reminds me of this stock print of this portrait I’d see in bars all over Liverpool, it stood out particularly in what was Bumper on Hardman Street. The reason that piece and this feel so similar is the personality in the models face, radiating a confidence and a cheekiness only time can assure. – KI

James Rowley – Wabi Sabi vessels

There is something very calming about this painting, maybe it’s the seemingly infinite shades of white? It’s been a hot summer (you probably noticed) and this cool breeze of an oil painting has been a welcome late addition. – OW

Lucy Ridges – Portrait of Water

The figure is distorted by the water, which strips away its identity and is no longer defined. This moment captures the mystery and uncertainty in our world, echoing a period with now inhabit when the unthinkable is now reality. – KI


Peter Mearns – Beast from the East

I defy anyone not to smile when they look at this photograph, taken during the infamous cold spell back in February 2018. It makes me think of the resilience of nature, but it’s also just really cute. – OW

David Gurney – Moonrise

An image captured in our great city, but can you guess where? The city is a great example of architecture that looks to the future even when built in the past. David Gurney has captured that perfect moment of circumstance and spontaneity. – KI

Faith Bebbington – Falling

This small, clean sculpture turns a fall into an elegant dance. Inspired by Bebbington’s experience of disability, ‘Falling’ is from a series exploring actions, like balance, that most people take for granted. – OW

James Chadderton – Liver Building

This year’s People’s Choice winner James Chadderton with his work ‘Liver Building’, how could we not include it? A vision into an uncertain future perhaps? Either way, you loved it, and we completely see why! – KI