Art London

Tattoos, LS Lowry and Jacob Epstien will be sharing space at the Art London fair, which opens this week in the Sloane-ranger patrolled wilds of west London’s Chelsea.

The fair will include works from Modern British artists; older works from Augustus John and Alfred Munnings; Asian artists such as MF Husain and Zeng Chuanxing; and a range of photography, installations and a sculpture garden.

This year, tattoo art is included in the fair, courtesy of Mo Coppoletta at the Heartbreak Gallery stand. Art and tattoo design are frequently crossing paths at the moment it seems, with the recent David Shrigley tattoo parlour that took place in Brighton last weekend.

Coppoletta himself is no stranger to the art world, having previously collaborated with the Chapman Brothers, and most recently with Damien Hirst in a project to design the cover of Garage Magazine. He has also decorated the skin of singer Paloma Faith.

 
Continuing the dermalogical theme is the Rebecca Hoassack Art Gallery stand, which will exhibit new works by skin illustrator, Emma Hack. Hack will be performing live body paintings throughout the fair. Possibly not one for the ticklish art enthusiast.

Working on something of a larger scale is street artist L’Atlas, who will be creating a 12 metre installation for the fair using spray cans and tape.

From his native French, meaning ‘the atlas’, his name is said to reflect his desire to ‘simplify the world, by uniting continents, cultures and civilisations with one language’ – a bold aim indeed.  L’ Atlas works in labyrinthine abstractions, said to be a comment on the complexity of contemporary society.
 
 
Art London will take place at London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 from 6 – 10 October