The Other Art Fair, London UK
Has anybody exhibited here and why are there fees so high?
Thank you
9 comments
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Anonymous
As one of the participants of their latest show in London in March 2024, I also need to express my deep disappointment and frustration with the management of this fair.
No sales and overall bad vibes and a salesy approach to things trying to upsell expensive additional services on top of a participation fee that is already extremely expensive.
Upon researching further, I also discovered that they are not supposed to use the Saatchi name and they have been to court with the legit Saatchi for that reason. They have clearly been using it to polish the look of their brand and entice artists.
I would not recommend.
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Anonymous
I’m happy I have discovered this thread as I’m not the only participating artist in London, feeling this way.
It’s particularly scary making this comment as they ask you not to make any public comments about them.
I feel very uncomfortable and don’t work to work with a company that does that.
It was particularly odd to see that a participating artists was also giving us advice on a call orgnaised by The Other Art Fair, when knowing that the same artist runs Roys Art Fair.
They clearly work together and have discussed working on their own terratories so that Roy’s does not step into The Other Art Fair’s toes.
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Anonymous
The company is in huge debt – millions. If a fair takes commission and charges booth fees, feels wrong. I had to laugh when someone above (do they work for TOAF!) said a fair not charging commission has no incentive…because TOAF already got the lion’s share from the booth fees!! Commission is a bonus on top for them!
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Anonymous
High compared to what? I haven’t shown in the UK so I cannot compare to your other local fairs but I’ve done I’ve exhibited at The Other Art Fair (TOAF) in Brooklyn (2X) and Los Angeles (3X) – best art shows I’ve ever done. They really market their fairs well and drive tons of traffic. In terms of eyeballs for every dollar I spent, TOAF is the best art fair I’ve done – best sales too (but results will vary by artist, of course). And I’m only talking about ARTIST fairs (not galleries). So I’m comparing them to Superfine, Spectrum, Affordable Art Fair, etc. TOAF model makes sense – keep the booth affordable but also charge commission on sales (15%) so they still have skin in the game. You should always be skeptical of art fairs that do not take commission. If they already have your money for the booth, what incentive do they have to advertise the show and help you sell your art? It’s common sense. But you might ask: Won’t artists be upset and never return? They’ll find plenty of new unsuspecting artists to sucker. So, if there’s an upcoming TOAF near you, just attend it and ask the artists yourselves, observe the crowds, and decide for yourself. It’ll be obvious.
Or, just DM any of their artists on IG and they’ll tell you themselves. Look at the engagement of TOAF’s posts, look at the crowd shots from regular attendees (#theotherartfair) versus crowd shots of other art fairs. Good luck!
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Anonymous
Hello
I have personally now been part of 2 fairs with The Other Art Fair in Dallas. And it’s probably my favorite Fair company to work with. They are so professional and organized and offer a lot of help. And there is always a great turnout of people attending. And you actually sell stuff. The fees are there because you are paying for your booth and the marketing and everything that comes with it. And they promote it really well. On their Instagrams and on Saatchi. So it is worth it if you can afford and if you get accepted to participate.
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Anonymous
I went to their fair in Los Angeles. It looked very professional and all the artists I spoke with were very satisfied with the experience of showing at the fair. Most of them had travelled from abroad.
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Anonymous
My experience in London with them weas extremely disappointing.
They were trying to upsell me everything with huge mark ups. I had to pay hundreds in order to have a chair to sit on during the event.
Having talked to fellow participating artists, they seemed to struggle to land any sales.
Footfall was not amazing either, considerably different vibes from when I visited 7 years ago as a guest.
This brand is dying and I would steer clear.