Art spaces in Amman

Toleen Touq, Independent Art Curator based in Amman and me at Darat Al Funun,
The Khalid Shoman Foundation, Jordan

Darat Al Funun, The Khalid Shoman Foundation,
Video installation by Adel Abidin

Darat Al Funun, The Khalid Shoman Foundation gardens

My sincere thanks to the wonderful Toleen Touq, an independent art curator based in Amman, who took time out of her busy schedule to give me a whistle stop tour around two important contemporary art spaces in Jordan: Darat Al Funun, The Khalid Shorman Foundation and Makan House.  I look forward to visiting again soon!

Amman, Jordan

Visit Palestine

The Mosaic Rooms, London part of the AM Qattan Foundation located in Palestine

Ancient tomb in the town of Sebastia, West Bank

Boys playing footy near Roman Temple, Sebastia region, West Bank

Amphitheater Sebastia region, West Bank

My reality of the West Bank was different to the one I'd seen portrayed in the media. On arrival I was met with vast rolling hills, lined with neat olive groves and brilliant blue skies providing the backdrop for breathtaking views and some truly spectacular historical remains dating back to pre-Roman times.  My visit to Sebestia was in acute contrast to the bustling town of Ramallah where I dropped in on the AM Qattan Foundation in search of the contemporary art scene.   AM Qattan Foundation runs a vital Culture and Arts programme in Palestine and a young artist of the year award, open to artists under the age of 30 of Palestinian descent from any part of the world.   Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, an exhibition currently running until 21 April in their London space, the Mosaic Rooms, showcases a selection of work by the finalists for the 2010 award.  Conveniently located near to Earls Court tube, I highly recommend visiting the show to see first hand work previously exhibited in the West Bank city of Ramallah.  BBC's coverage of the award.

Dahlia Elsayed - author and artist

Dahlia Elsayed's typewriter in her studio, NJ

Dahlia Elsayed in her studio, NJ

Newark Penn Station - Newark, NJ

A recent maiden voyage on New York's Newark bound PATH train took me to the studio of talented New Jersey based writer and map artist, Dahlia Elsayed.  Just back from Egypt, following her inclusion in the XII International Cairo Biennale, Dahlia's energy and optimism is contagious. The walls of her studios adorned with painted text leaves you in no doubt that the mapping of words, is central to her practise as an artist.  Perhaps then, I shouldn't have been surprised when she revealed to me the source of her paintings - autobiographic hand typed carbon copy done on an old typewriter permanently situated in her studio.  Edited down, she takes a word or a phrase to the painting relocating it within a new terrain, and in doing so plays with meaning, and to a larger extent, with the viewer, as one inevitably attempts to contextualise the words.  She is a rare talent and her work has an universal appeal. 

Armory week over - are we post-recession?

Nadia Hebson showing at VOLTA with VANE, Newcastle

Whitechapel Gallery Limited Editions at The Armory Show

Early opening of The Armory Show 2011

As the dust settles after Armory week, the feedback is that sales were good at the fair, despite strong competition from alternative shows, such as ADAA, the Independent, and Pulse.  Hobby joined me this year to scope out places to exhibit TAG's stable of artists in 2012.  We were very impressed with VOLTA and, in particular, with Nadia Hebson's beautiful portrait works,  hosted by VANE gallery based in Newcastle.  It was wonderful to see the Whitechapel Gallery exhibiting their Limited Editions for the first time at the Armory. 

Special Rob Ryan screenprint to raise money for Haiti...

In case you needed another reason to buy a Rob Ryan screenprint...

Just over 1 year ago Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake. Rob had produced this limited edition screenprint to raise money for a country and it's people who still need our help. This beautiful print reads: ‘We are all part of each other and this is my promise, I won’t pass you by and I won’t ignore you and look the other way but I’ll help you build your nest again. This is my promise’

Rob Ryan | For Haiti | Water based inks on Heritage Woodfree 315gsm paper | Image size 54.3 x 39.0 cms, Paper size 68.5 x 51.0 cms | Edition of 200 | To buy a print please click here

Cai Yuan on camera at the London Art Fair

Thank you to everybody who visited us at the London Art Fair. The stand looked fantastic as ever, and our artists received a great deal of well-deserved attention. We were visited by the Art Council England's Own Art tours, and Cai Yuan was interviewed by C Cubed Media, who are working with BBC China to report on the best Chinese contemporary artists represented in London. We managed to get some pictures of him in action...










We're now looking forward to the 20|21 International Art Fair at the Royal College of Art, which runs from 17 - 20 February. We'd love to see you at Stand 38 - contact us for information and to request tickets.

New Artist from New York

Last year, Diana left London for New York City, and we're thrilled to say that we'll be promoting TAG across America in 2011, exhibiting at new US fairs and expanding on our stable of artists.

We're delighted to be working with American artist Paula Scher, whose limited edition screenprinted maps picture the world in dense, colourful detail. Scher is best known for her prizewinning work as a graphic designer, but these beautiful editions showcase a different side to her creative talents. Her work was recently acquired by the V&A and we'll be showing it at the London Art Fair this month.